CO2 Laser: Stories

I decided to get my face treated for acne scarring, pore size and fine lines. I am only 29 but I have always had problem oily skin. At my PS office the esthetician started me on Obagi Nuderm which has helped tremendously with the breakouts. I am looking for a improvement around my eyes and forehead as well as the pore size and acne scars on my cheeks.

The procedure wasn't so bad. It was a little bit more painful than I had anticipated but tolerable and well worth it. I can already see an improvement in my fine lines. I won't be able to tell for sure until all of the swelling has resolved, but I can already see a difference.

After the procedure my face was slathered with Aquaphor. The home going instructions included water and vinegar soaks followed by applications of Aquaphor a few times daily. The skin has to be kept moist until the small laser marks are gone. It's a bit of a pain to have this on my face but hopefully by Monday I should be using other products. The office includes a kit of 6 products from the Avene product line for after procedure use. I love this line of products, the moisturizer is soothing and doesn't make my skin oily or breakout. I had a follow up appointment today with the medical esthetician (she is awesome) who said it looks like it's healing well!
I will post pics of the first night, there was quite a bit of oozing and I had to do the vinegar treatment 3x within the first 6 hours of being home. The next morning my face was more red, like a sunburn and by evening the redness was not as bright.

So the results of my procedure have turned out well. I haven't posted pics since I lost my camera charger (hoping Santa brings me a new one). Anyway, I did have hyper pigmentation on the upper left area of my forehead and 3 very distinct lines on my left chin. Several people had actually asked me if I scratched myself. The discoloration on my forehead was a brown color and the three marks on my chin were red. The rest of my face was not discolored. I was very worried about the healing process at this point since it was in mid November. Approximately one and a half months since the procedure. I went back for a follow up and Dr. Goldman scheduled me for a free Hydrofacial. I would compare this to wet micro-dermabrasion where they can add glycolic acid. I believe the aesthetician used 15% glycolic on my face and she recommended 1% Retin-A from Obagi. My skin since the stronger Obagi (started in mid November) has been breaking out consistently. They say this is normal, but it's incredibly annoying. My skin is also oilier and has more dry patches with the Retin-A. I never know if I should moisturize or apply something for acne?
Overall, my skin has improved a little bit. My husband said he thought my skin looked smoother. One week a few people even commented on how young I looked :) I have pics from a recent vacation we took to give you an idea of what my skin looks like from about 4-5 feet away. When Santa brings me my camera I will put up more pictures. If anyone has any questions about the process, please feel free to email/message me!

So it has been a few months and my skin is worse off than before I had the laser done. The laser indentations are still prevelant on my cheeks and forehead. I have to use foundation primer now. The Obagi Nuderm still makes me break out badly. I don't think it's the right product for my face. I am a very optimistic person and was hoping this would be the cure to some of my skin issues. In the begining I thought it was changing the texture of my skin. As it turns out, the laser marks have made the skin texture worse. I now have milia all over my cheeks. This is something that is considered 'normal' after a laser treatment. I have no idea how to get rid of them. You can clearly see them in the picture I just posted. In addition to all of this, the PS said there were some options if I am still having problems there were other things we could do. One of those things would be to re-laser the problem areas. He never gave me a time line or any follow up instructions on this. It's getting frusterating, especially after spending this much money on one treatment. Looking back I would've done better with a high percentage glycolic acid peel series like I have had in the past.

Dr. Goldman is awesome, not really sure how else to put it. If you have read the above posts you know that I was not happy with the results and felt like my skin became worse from the laser. Well, Dr. Goldman did another laser session at a lower setting to even the indentations that were left and the pigmentation issues. I am keeping my fingers crossed this time. I was REALLY heistant to do this again, but I trust my PS. He is conservative in his procedures and honest. I don't think he would do this if he thought there was a chance of a bad result. I will "decide" if it's worth it after I see the results probably in like 1-2 months. But honestly, if anyone is in the CLE area and wants to see a PS that truly cares about his patients get a consult from Dr. Goldman.... He is the best :)

I forgot to mention. I went to see Natalie at Dr. Goldman's office and she added the Obagi Vitamin C serum to my regimen and some other Obagi products. It stopped my breakouts with in 3 days and kept my skin regular. I still have the redness and pigmentation issues but that is something I have always had. This was back in February and should've posted then but forgot....

The size of the pores on my upper cheeks have gotten smaller. :) My face is red still but I am hoping that will resolve soon. Overall, my skin is clearer. I have had less breakouts with this session and my skin is slightly clearer. I am not sure if that is because my skin care regimen or the laser. I have small indentations (again) on my cheeks but not all over my face this time. I know from the last session that they will take months to resolve. Anyway, I am not sure if it was worth it for me personally. Will update as I heal!