“Mixto-Buff and Shine - Orange County, CA”

I had the Fraxel Buff and shine, which my doctor described as a milder gentler setting on the laser. On her site it is touted as a lunch time treatment and in my experience it would have been impossible for me to have gone back to work.

I was told I would not need numbing cream for the procedure. Unfortunately, that was a horrible decision. I was in intense pain the entire time and even after the procedure I felt a very uncomfortable burning. The nursres were kind enough to place iced towels on my face that they had to change constantly for the next 15 minutes because my skin warned them up so quickly. When I left the office an hour later my face was slightly red but noticeably swollen, especially around the eyes. When I got home I placed ice around my eyes to bring down the swelling and tool tylenol to deal with the pain. This morning my eyes and face are still swollen. And I have the red grafting all over my face. Some areas are darker than other.

My son asked me never to do this again and I am in agreement. I hope my doctor is right and I can go back to work on Monday, but today that does not seem likely.

Updated on 6 Feb 2012:
Correction on the above post-The laser used on me was a mixto, not a fraxel. Today is Monday and I did go back to work with an extra wap of make-up on my face, but it did not look good. My face was extra dry and the texture is extremely rough. My skin looks like I had metal graph paper pressed into my face.