“Wanted to Tighten Skin, but Was This Worth the Pain and Downtime? - The Woodlands, TX”

After 72 hours I am still in a lot of discomfort. Major peeling and tightness over my entier face. My eyelids are so swollen they are sitting on my lashes and I have large lumps under my eyes. I have washed and/or rubbed the dead skin off and applied tons of aquaphor, aloe vera, cortisone cream and some kind of "skin balm" they sold me at the Spa.

I wanted to improve the tightness of my skin; it was really sagging. Now I am afraid I have scared my skin. I should have done more research before this but the provider did not even hint at this kind of down time. "Red and tight" was what I was told. Talk about understatements!

Is swelling, redness, tightness and extreme peeling normal after 72 hours?

Updated on 28 Jan 2011:
I still remember how horrible the discomfort and fear was because I had no idea of the extent of the burn associated with this laser. I did not scar however. It took about 3 months to completely heal. As for results, it is hard to say. I think it did improve the firmness and look of my skin. However I have no "before" and "after" photos to either prove or disprove my thoughts.

Would I do this particular procedure again? Definitely No.