“High Power, Lots of Pain Meds”

I had my first Fraxel procedure yesterday afternoon. I am 46 yo male have a bit of acne scarring (I still break out occasionally), and not haggard looking for someone in their mid-forties. Just want to look my best for my age. Fresher. From my research that I did, the higher the power the better the results. However, high power equals more pain. A numbing cream was applied and sat for an hour. I also had a syringe shot in the rear of something, a pill to swallow with water and and another small pill to dissolve under my tongue. Holy drugs! I used the excuse that as a guy, Im basically a whimp when it comes to pain. Pretty much high as a kite when it came down to the actual procedure. The only pain I felt was when the technician/nurse did around my temples. I have really thick oily skin and the doctor who did the initial consult said my skin could take lots of juice with the laser. Today, my face is swollen (actually looks like I put on ten opunds overnight) but I'm sure this will go down in the next couple of days. My skin looks sunburned but not horrible. I have this feeling my skin will be peeling very soon. It just has that feeling. I plan on doing two more treatments, spaced about four weeks apart. I remain hopeful.