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Tue May 18, 2010 2:24 am  |
At the moment I'm Husband Free - so I decided to have some sort of treatment done that, if he knew, he wouldn't approve of! I bought the latest Australian Cosmetic Surgery magazine and searched for something suitable. I was looking at a Plasma Rich Platelet treatment, but because of my HF status decided on something a little more invasive and "instant" - a Pearl Laser treatment.
There are basically two forms of Pearl - one is fractional, one is not. The fractionated laser is more invasive and leaves the skin all bloody, the other is less invasive but it still removes the whole epidermis, but there is no blood - I opted for the latter.
I went for my consultation on Thursday and the nurse was delighted that my skin was already fully prepped - meaning that I had been using Retin-A, Vitamin C and AHA's for ages. She said that this should mean that I'd get a really good result. She also said my skin was in great condition and that I looked like I was in my late 40s.
So today was the day - I was given a Xanax and two Digesic and my face was covered in numbing cream (which was very strong, my lips went completely numb). Drops were also put in my eyes to protect them. The nurse said the treatment was worse than IPL but I didn't find that to be the case. IPL is like a massive shot, the Pearl is more of a rat-a-tat-tat (if that makes any sense). It was really quite bearable and at no point did I feel like freaking out. I think the numbing cream was quite effective, plus she had another nurse blowing cold air on my face the whole time. She did two passes over the whole face.
Afterwards my face was burning dreadfully but I was sat in front of a fan for half an hour and given a cup of green tea and some Turkish Delight! Apparently a sugar hit helps. The burning sensation really calmed down allot and I was then well enough to drive home.
The after-care requires bathing the skin in a solution of vinegar and water and applying a protective mask - either Vaseline or Paw Paw Ointment but she sucked me in to buying Cosmedix Rescue Balm & Mask which cost $120.00 -probably a rip-off.
For the after-care you have to bathe your face in water and vinegar 4-8 times a day (which stings a bit) then apply the balm. My face is now feeling extremely tight and is swollen. I reckon that by tomorrow morning I'll look like a watermelon - but I always swell up really badly with IPL. I also have to sleep sitting up. On Friday I have to go back for a peel which will remove any remaining dead skin.
So all in all the treatment was totally tolerable - I just hope I see a visible difference. The treatment cost $2,000 - which I think is an awful lot. According to my research patients in the US pay around $600 - but in Australia we seem to have to pay premium prices which is very annoying. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Tue May 18, 2010 5:14 am |
| How exciting for you, Keliu. If you do see visible results, I hope you'll post some pictures. |
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Tue May 18, 2010 6:52 am |
K, what made you decide on this type of treatment. What do you want to accomplish here? I can't wait to hear about the results. When will your skin calm down. what is the recovery? Did you take pictures to share the process?
Please tell. Sherry |
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56 Years, trying to stop the aging process. |
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Tue May 18, 2010 9:20 am |
That experience really sounds like my Fraxel. I did swell up too but I am a sweller and brusier for sure.
I can't wait to hear what you think about the results. |
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Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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Tue May 18, 2010 5:41 pm |
Basically, I decided on this treatment because it was a one off treatment, not a series and I needed something that I could do in my HF (husband free) window of time. Also, it seemed like a good compromise between a very invasive Fraxel and a milder Genesis laser.
I just hope I achieve a smoother look to my skin - my basic issues are large pores and lumps and bumps (Sebaceous Hyperplasia). The Pearl completely removes the epidermis and also heats the lower layers of the skin in order to stimulate collagen renewal. The doctor said it will deal with fine wrinkles and I might see some skin tightening - but not much.
Actually, I've been pretty happy with my skin lately and I wasn't really planning on getting anything done. However, after having to deal with the passing of my father so soon after my mum, I decided that I needed a pick-me-up. And, of course, having a HF zone I decided now was the perfect time.
Here is an article on the treatment from the UK Daily Mail. I have to say that I didn't find the treatment at all distressing. Today my skin feels very tight and looks like a bad sunburn and my face is still very swollen but no bruising at all.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021937/Facing-future-The-new-Pearl-laser-claims-turn-clock-skin-So-does-work-risks.html
This is the info on the laser from the clinic that I went to:
http://www.allsaintscosmedical.com.au/page/pearl_laser.html
Annie, I know you weren't impressed with your Fraxel experience but the Pearl laser I had wasn't the fractional laser so it wasn't as invasive. I just feel and look really grotty because of all the balm that is over my face and hair. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Tue May 18, 2010 7:48 pm |
| How exciting, Keliu. I can't wait to hear your updates with this! |
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Tue May 18, 2010 8:03 pm |
Ditto on that.
How long will DH be away? Isn't he going to find out? I'd love to know how you pull it off without him knowing.  tee hee. |
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Enjoying dermalogica with my ASG and Pico toner ** Disclosure: I was a participant without remuneration in promotional videos for Ageless Secret Gold and the Neurotris Pico Emmy event. |
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Tue May 18, 2010 8:37 pm |
| Keliu, I'm hoping for some awesome results for you! |
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No longer answering PM's due to numerous weird messages. |
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Tue May 18, 2010 8:41 pm |
| bethany wrote: |
| Keliu, I'm hoping for some awesome results for you! |
Me Too, I am very glad you did something to treat yourself!  |
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I'LL SEE YOU ON THE DARKSIDE OF THE MOON.... |
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Tue May 18, 2010 8:52 pm |
Here's what I look like today, Day 2:
 
I'm very, very swollen - but there's really no discomfort (only when I look in the mirror!) |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Tue May 18, 2010 9:07 pm |
Oh how nice! It is true that melasma and hyper-pigmentation ages our lovely faces, as the information on what you posted says.
Happy healing and looking forward to updates! |
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Tue May 18, 2010 9:20 pm |
| margarett wrote: |
Oh how nice! It is true that melasma and hyper-pigmentation ages our lovely faces, as the information on what you posted says.
Happy healing and looking forward to updates! |
All those brown spots and patches have appeared since I had the laser treatment. Just goes to show what's hiding in there! |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Tue May 18, 2010 9:41 pm |
| Yikes...that's exactly what I looked like after Fraxel! |
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No longer answering PM's due to numerous weird messages. |
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Wed May 19, 2010 12:57 am |
| bethany wrote: |
| Yikes...that's exactly what I looked like after Fraxel! |
Yikes is right! Because I know that you weren't happy with your Fraxel results. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Wed May 19, 2010 1:36 am |
| I hope this works out for you Keliu! Does anyone know of a website that explains the different type of lasers? From my understanding there is a co2 laser that is different from the Fraxel, correct? |
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Wed May 19, 2010 2:41 am |
| Thank you for sharing your pearl laser experience with us and posting pictures. It was really interesting and educational. I look forward to seeing how you feel about the final results and if it was what you had hoped for. I'm also from Australia, so I'm interested in the outcome. |
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Wed May 19, 2010 7:19 am |
That pic could have been me, after both of my lasers! Crazy.
I suffer from the same complaints, sebaceous hyperplasia and want to smooth out my skin, tighten and get rid of the fine lines and wrinkles.
What happens for me is the last few times of extreme swelling from IPL's, Fraxel, my face was so swollen, the skin stretched out and caused fine lines and wrinkles that weren't there before. I had no resiliency left. It's hard to recover from that or find a procedure that will fix loose or lax skin without a lift. I have tried the Cool Touch package to tighten and it did nothing. I had to do fillers to plump it back up.
Let me know how the downtime works and if it got you the results you were looking for. If it is like the other lasers though, you can still have results up to a year later. |
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Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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Wed May 19, 2010 9:19 am |
Thanks for sharing this with us Keliu - I too am following your progress and look forward to reading your updates!
Cheers |
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Wed May 19, 2010 1:05 pm |
Keliu,
At 60 you had the skin of a 40 year old! When you heal from this and have the skin of a 30 year old.... are you still going to spend time with us? 
I wish you a very speedy recovery and the skin we all wish we had!!
Jan |
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Wed May 19, 2010 2:37 pm |
Keliu~
I also wish you a quick recovery and I hope you'll be thrilled with the results!
Best wishes! |
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Wed May 19, 2010 6:56 pm |
It's Day 3 and my skin is starting to crack and peel - I can see nice new skin underneath.
I caved last night and washed my hair in the bath - I just couldn't stand the grease ball that was sitting on top of my head. I'm also supposed to be sleeping sitting up. But last night I woke up and decided to dive under the covers, it was just too cold.
The swelling is slightly better this morning so, hopefully, by tomorrow it will be better still. Because tomorrow I'm going back for a peel to get rid of all the peeling skin. Seems very soon to me.
I'm also very confused about all the different types of lasers that are around. The Pearl is not a Co2 laser, whatever that means. And I also had the non-fractionated version. To me it was like having an IPL that makes you peel - except it wasn't as painful as the IPL.
As for my expectations - I do NOT expect to look 10 years younger. I'm also not expecting any tightening. I just hope my skin looks fresher and that I get some benefit down the track in terms of collagen renewal.
The whole process so far has been very tolerable - I just look gross because of the swelling and the greasy gunk all over my face. But at least I haven't got a husband around saying "What the bloody hell did you do that for?"
I'll report back tomorrow after I've had the enzyme peel - I think I can wear makeup after that. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Wed May 19, 2010 7:03 pm |
This will be fun following your progress!
I just signed up for Aluma skin tightening. I almost did the ActiveFX, which is a one time treatment of Fraxel (CO2).
I have a class reunion coming up this summer, gotta look good. |
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Wed May 19, 2010 8:57 pm |
Keliu,
This whole process seems to be going rather quickly. It seems like your skin will be ultra-sensitive after the peel. What care are they recommending post-treatment? And, btw, congrats on doing something special for yourself!
Annie,
Interesting point on IPL's causing swelling thus "stretching" our skin creating sag and wrinkles. I hadn't even considered that. |
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50 Is definitely NOT nifty!! |
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Wed May 19, 2010 9:41 pm |
| kims wrote: |
Keliu,
This whole process seems to be going rather quickly. It seems like your skin will be ultra-sensitive after the peel. What care are they recommending post-treatment? And, btw, congrats on doing something special for yourself!
Annie,
Interesting point on IPL's causing swelling thus "stretching" our skin creating sag and wrinkles. I hadn't even considered that. |
The clinician hasn't discussed aftercare yet, except to say that I can resume using Retin-A in three weeks. I would imagine that the most crucial thing will be to just use sunscreen and avoid sun exposure.
I forgot to mention that last night I applied some CPs and Emu Oil, then put on the balm. Maybe that is why my swelling and raw patches are so much better today.
I've had numerous IPLs in the past and have never considered that they made my wrinkles worse otherwise I would have stopped having them. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Thu May 20, 2010 8:29 am |
Yes, I had 2 by the same med/spa that were too aggressive and she did all the way up to under my eyes. At the time, I didn't realize that you were not supposed to. I was new at this and starting out did not know enough about them. I did not have the wrinkles in my lower chin area and i did ask the aesthetician about it and she said my skin must not have been in good shape first, too dehydrated. Then she should not have done them, especially at those settings!
Now I know and have had enough to see the differences in technique and settings.
The last 2-3 I have had, I did not swell, just light bruising and peeling of some red spots. Perfect.
Keliu-Interesting that you are having an enzyme peel to help the peeling, never heard of that.
I hate the greasies too, nothing makes me feel worse. |
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Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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