by Kate Britt, a retired technical writer and educator who blogs sporadically at
http://kate-is-pre.posterous.com and http://ponder-the-pre.posterous.com
For about a decade now I’ve been trying to get rid of the brown sun-spots on my face. Let's call it what it is: sun damage. I’ve tried every face-cream there is out there. Taking them in turns, giving each of them a year or more trial to give them time to work, I’ve tried creams containing retinol/retinoids, glycolic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, ascorbyl glucoside, l-ascorbic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, beta-hydroxy acids. Various brands, all fairly expensive. I have a sunspot on one shoulder, so I left that untreated as a “control” for color comparison. So I can see that the bigger spots on my face have faded only slightly and are nowhere near gone.
Here’s what I’m talking about:
I need them to be gone. It's not that I care a great deal about looking my age—I mean, I don’t mind the increasing wrinkles because they tell a story of living my life—but the dark blotches? They only tell the story of a fool who sat in the sun too many long hours for too many years. I quit doing that three years ago, and now I want to get rid of the evidence of my ‘crime’.
I have finally realized that surface treatments like spot-fading creams are never going to do it. On a recent cruise holiday, I bought one of those professional photos they routinely take of passengers. It made me look younger and fresh-faced. At first, I wasn’t sure why, but then I realized the photographer had touched up the photo to remove all the sun damage. What a difference it made! That was my turning point. I decided I needed to look into more “aggressive” measures to get rid of my sun damage. I was prepared to pay a dermatologist to get the job done.
I asked my GP about which dermatologist to talk to. She gave me two names. One did not reply to my initial inquiry email; the other replied the next day, so they won me over as a new client. My online research had prepared me for a potential cost of thousands of dollars. The fees at the clinic I selected seem quite reasonable after that. Also, they deduct the initial consultation fee from any treatment booked within 90 days of that consultation.
My first dermatologist appointment, March 18, 2011At last, my first appointment with Dr. Jason Rivers at Pacific Dermaesthetics in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is a highly trained
specialist, not just in cosmetic dermatology but also in skin cancer
treatments and other skin disease issues.
(More about Dr. Rivers here.)
One look at Dr. Rivers and I was already pretty-much sold. What a young-looking man for a 55-year-old! (I’ve been thinking about this since I met him—would you even want to hire a dermatologist who didn’t have amazing skin?)
Dr. Rivers decided that the best treatment for me would be Fraxel technology. From his brochure:
"Fraxel uses a laser to resurface damaged skin. With this new technology, there are now two laser treatment modes: one specifically treats concerns such as wrinkles or acne scarring that are deeper in the skin layers. The second treatment mode is new and effectively targets sun spots, age spots, and tone and texture, which are more superficial.
"Some of the benefits of Fraxel treatment:
The second type of treatment described above, called “Fraxel re:store® Dual”, is the one Dr. Rivers recommended for me. He said he can get rid of my brown spots and the slight discolorations that are everywhere on my face. The treatment will generally rejuvenate the look of the skin. He said it will also repair any pre-cancerous skin problems that might be present. Check out the "GMA Health" video on this page describing how it works so well.
Then he told me how much it would cost per treatment. I thought, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” He said that one or two treatments would probably do it and that he was sure I’d be very happy with the results.
Dr. Rivers went through the details of the treament and what to expect, then he answered all my questions. He showed me a slideshow of before-and-after photos from other (anonymous) clients. He also showed me photos of his own Fraxel re:store treatment. When he got the machine, he treated himself first so that he’d know first-hand what to expect and what to tell clients. I saw his progressive photos of before, 1st day after, 2nd, 3rd, a week, and 6 weeks. The results in all the photos convinced me I wanted to proceed.
The treatment will be over my whole face. The literature I received in preparation tells me it will be like getting an extremely bad sunburn that takes about a week to recover. (He said I definitely won't want to socialize during the first week because of how it will look.) After that, there will be a few weeks of gradually-seen improvements, and then because the newly-stimulated collagen development keeps happening, there will be continued improvement throughout the first year.
I had just one more question: “When can we do it?” I booked an appointment for three weeks later.
I did the pre-surgery prep as instructed. Two weeks ahead: avoid all sun exposure. One week ahead: avoid alcohol, aspirin, Vitamin E products, face creams with retinol or glycolic acid. On the day: no makeup or face creams, wear comfortable clothing, big breakfast. I took my “before” photos before I left home (see above). I was all set. And more than a little excited!
First, they put me in "the cozy room”—a big comfortable lounger, a cuddly blanket, magazines, and a cup of tea. Lisa covered my face with lidocaine gel and offered me a Tylenol 3, which I didn't want. Settled for a couple of extra-strength Tylenol. I relaxed for an hour with my iPod and book, waiting for the lidocaine to numb my skin .
Then I went into the surgery suite. Lisa introduced me to the big Fraxel machine.
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The front panel is like a computer monitor. The long hose delivers cold air to keep the face cool and comfortable during the treatment. To me, the machine looks kind of dorky and old-fashioned; hard to believe it’s new technology. I asked questions about it during my treatment, found out it cost the clinic 6-figures to buy, plus thousands each year for the maintenance contract. It's a big commitment for a clinic to get into this technology! |
This is the business end of the device. At the tip of the fraxel head you can see the red laser beam thing.
There are two white oblong roller tips in front of the laser beam emitter. Those glide along the skin during the treatment. Each new client gets their own new set of tips, which cost the clinic hundreds each. |
Dr. Jason and Lisa are kind enough to pose just before they begin my treatment.
Lisa covered my eyes with stick-on covers that contain some kind of metal to protect my eyes from the laser beam.
Then Dr. Rivers began the treatment.
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| Immediately after treatment, the "sunburn" didn't look all that red. | The cold cloths felt very good. |
The laser didn't hurt much. I've had tattoos, so I was prepared for at least that level of pain, but it was much milder, more like a gentle skin-scraping (though I know that's not what the laser was doing). Dr. Rivers asked me frequently how I was doing. We chatted as he worked, about Fraxel technology, the costs of the machine, about his training, then working with lasers, his skin cancer medical practice, his work as professor at UBC, and this cosmetic dermatology business. The time passed very quickly. I actually have no idea how long it took. Maybe about 15 minutes. Before I knew it, Lisa was wrapping my face in cold, wet cloths. She then moved me back to the cozy-room, where I rested until I felt like leaving. Lisa walked me out of the building to where my partner picked me up.
As the day passed, my face got much redder. The lidocaine effect wore off and I felt like I had the worst sunburn I'd ever had. My face was hot and tender, not really much pain, just that burning stinging tingle.
I had anticipated it would be difficult to sleep that night; I thought my face would be too tender to lie on a pillow. Not so! I slept like a baby, as usual.
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On day 2, my skin is quite puffy and significantly redder. It feels prickly, still pretty much like a bad sunburn. The closeup above shows how the brown areas are kind of breaking up a bit and rough-looking instead of the smooth, solid color they had before. During the evening of day 2, my face was stinging and very itchy. Using the ice-packs the clinic gave me really helped. |
The puffiness has gone down. The "bronzed skin appearance" Dr. Rivers told me to expect is noticeable. That's the outer layer of skin, pretty much dead by now. The brown spots look a little more broken-up, and there's a bit of flaking here and there. The skin feels very tight and crackly, just as if I had spread raw egg whites on it and let them dry. The itching is quite bad; hard to keep my hands away from my face. I'm using the Riversol face-cleanser and moisturizer I bought from the clinic—Dr. Rivers created it himself for his own patients. Both of those bring temporary relief from the itching and tightness. At the end of today, I followed the clinic's suggestion and took a Benadryl (antihistamine) to reduce the itch so I could get to sleep.
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Today I'm seeing some real change. Flaked skin on my pillow when I woke up. The forward areas of each cheek have shed the dead skin, leaving smooth, new pink skin. Those areas are tender, sensitive to the touch, while the dead-skin areas are still extremely itchy. The Riversol moisturizer feels really great on the new skin areas, but it hardly soaks in at all anymore on the dead skin, as you can see in the photo on the right, below.
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| I'm retired so I can stay home all week. I'm wondering what people do if they are employed and want this treatment. Do they take a week off work? Or do they just go in anyway, proudly wearing the evidence of their expensive face-treatment? :) | |
About 75% of the peeling is done. The new skin underneath is still very red. My whole face still feels tight, tender, and prickly. I started using the Riversol Vitamin C & E serum today. That serum feels really good on the red areas!
Now—at the risk of grossing you out completely—I just have to show off this peeled piece of skin because it's the spot that bothered me the most. It was big and noticeable in the middle of my right cheek. Not anymore! Now it's stuck on a post-it note. YAY! I'm a happy camper! (Interesting that the rest of the skin is flaking off in small pieces, but that one big spot lifted off pretty much intact.)
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Today there's still some redness in some areas; other places are finally looking more normal-colored. (I actually felt OK going out in public yesterday. Needed some groceries!) However, all of the skin is still feeling delicate and sensitive. There is now some small-flake peeling in the red areas. I was surprised that some of the "second layer"—the smooth pink skin under the peeled-off top layer—began to flake and peel as well. So I'm still itchy wherever it's pink.
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 I'm disappointed to see some brown spots here and there in places that it seems like the peeling/healing process is done. I hope those peel off—I'm not keen on doing this all over again. I know that I shouldn't judge results this soon after; Dr. Rivers said it would take 6 weeks to complete full healing. I also realize he said it might take two treatments to get rid of it all, depending on the outcome of the first. Darn those stubborn spots! Well, I just have to wait and see what it looks like when it's time for my followup appointment (5 weeks after the treatment; 4 weeks from now). |
Just got back from my followup appointment with Dr. Rivers. He was very impressed with how it turned out. He said the result is way better than he'd anticipated it would be. He said it not only eliminated much of the brown-spot damage, but he thinks it also vastly improved the texture of my skin. He then asked if he could use my before-n-after photos to show future clients. Cool! Lisa and Dr. Rivers both said this has taken at least 5 years off the age of my face. You can see whether you agree. I got a copy of the photos they took at the Doctor's office to show you below.
OK..... Now ladies and gentlemen, I reveal my long-awaited before-n-after shots.
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The next set is very interesting—an "infrared" version that shows the reduction in damage under the surface skin layer. Woweee. That sun sure does a number on us, doesn't it! |
I asked Dr. Rivers about the remaining stubborn brown spots and whether a 2nd treatment would be able to improve the look of those areas. He said yes. Well of course he said yes ;). So I booked a 2nd treatment for next week.
Most of the brown spots are gone. Yay! The few that aren't completely gone are much lighter. My skin has a much smoother and softer texture. Even better, I was recently told by a new acquaintance that she thought I was in my early to mid 50s. I'm actually 62.
Most importantly to me, I'm very happy with my mirror these days. ;)
Before treatment, then after 1st treatment, then after 2nd treatment.
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Thanks for reading! If you found this page because you were seaching for information about what it's like to get Fraxel treatments or what Fraxel lasers do for the face, I hope I've given you the kind of helpful information you were hoping to find. If you're considering this treatment and you can afford it, I highly recommend it. It has sure made me feel good—and that's what counts!
