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Fat Atrophy, Wrinkling and Eye Pain after IPL and RF from EMAX fotofacial - Palm Harbor, FL

  • posted 1 year ago
  • updated 9 months ago
  • Not Worth It
  • Cost: $300
  • Palm Harbor, FL
  • wrinkles and little pock-like marks all over the eye and cheeks, only week 8 now and getting worse.
  • Week 9, skin is getting worse. More wrinkling. This photo demonstrate the texture change more effectively.
  • One month before the procedure was done.
  • 6 months after the procedure. Notice the general atrophy (skin sinking), wrinkling, bumpy texture, and think skin. There is an indentation from fat loss under the eye (the red area).
  • 7 months after. Increased wrinkling and worse texture.

I went to an mdspa in the Palm Harbor to receive...

  • 25 Dec 2011

I went to an mdspa in the Palm Harbor to receive IPL to get rid of my visible blood vessels on my cheeks in Mid November. I'm 37.

Unfortunately, the PA did the area near my eyes as well though I didn't request it. I had swelling for about 7 days total, mostly around my eyes. I had a few new blood vessels surface that were previously unnoticeable. I now have dime sized areas under my eyes that are noticeably a darker, stranger color, almost like it's black and blue under the eyes with some redness in a part of it. It's 1.5 months since I had the treatment. It is not improving. I also have little bumps on my skin under one eye and the skin is slightly sunken in under my right eye. The texture is bumpy where it used to be smooth.

I've seen two separate dermatologists and both say that it is possible that they may heel over time (not guaranteed) but that the new blood vessels are permanent. I didn't have any burns but you don't need a burn to have this damage. The swelling was really awful.

It was explained by the dermatologist that some of the IPL machines have some RF frequency also in them which can cause the dermis to shrink to become more damaged causing the difference in depth I see on my skin.

I can only hope this will heal. It is a little hard to cover with makeup in that the area is a different texture, depth, and color so it is quite noticeable. The area near the eye is more sensitive and thinner. Why she treated this area I will never know but definitely discuss exactly where you want your IPL so they don't just treat you everywhere.

I would not recommend this procedure. In the future for any procedure, I would only go with a dermatologist who has extensive experience with lasers, not a PA and definitely not an mdspa. I never did see a doctor at that location.

To make matters worse, the PA decided to do an RF skin tightening treatment under my chin (which I didn't request)and did not use any eye shields - which can lead to permanent eye damage. He goal was to sell me on the whole procedure. I've had corneal irritation since the procedure along with annoying vision issues and I have to put in steroid drops daily to reduce this (not to mention they found brand new opacities). Since I didn't bite for the full skin tightening treatment, she then tried to sell me a B-12 shot claiming it would give me energy. All of this was a big learning experience and reminder to only go with professional medical doctors for any procedures in the future.

Definitely go to a competent doctor for any procedure, not a mdspa and skip IPL for broken blood vessels. There are apparently better lasers out there for blood vessel treatments though since this mdspa didn't own that laser, they sold me on this one (and never mentioned there were others). I wish I had done more research.

I should also mention that I have a substantial...

  • 7 Jan 2012
I should also mention that I have a substantial increase in wrinkles on my cheeks and around the eyes. The machine used also has an RF factor in it. Is it possible the RF was too high and melted the fat under my skin?

I'm now 6 months out and my skin is considerably...

  • 17 May 2012
I'm now 6 months out and my skin is considerably worse. I wish I could go back to week 8 - that was just a warning of things to come.

It did not get better as I had hoped.

I consulted a laser expert who told me I have thermal damage. They took picture and said the radiofrequency was too high and went too deep causing fat atrophy (fat loss) and dermal damage. They said it may continue to get worse (and it has).

I have wrinkles all around my eyes, a bumpy texture and the skin is sinking down. I have little brown spots and many more blood vessels as the skin has thinned so much everything shows through. The laser expert said the skin is too thin for fillers as they may show though with a blusih cast. I was told to baby my skin with gentle moisturizers. I was told the indentation under my right eye is permanent as once the facial fat is lost it does not repair.

I look like I'm well over 60 around my eyes.

Here is all the info about my treatment:

The machine used was called the EMAX made by Syneron. The PA who did the treatment was Rosemary Woolfe. Medical director is Lyda Tymiak (an opthalmologist).

The RF setting was 25 using the SRA head. Optical fluence was also 25.

I also continue to have eye pain. Opthalmologist suggested I have nerve damage from the procedure as it was very close to my eyes and my eyes were not protected duing the second procedure.

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My Doctor: name not provided

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The settings for the treatment were too aggressive and I have dermal atrophy, fat loss, excessive wrinkling, and changes to my skin that were not part of the suggested reactions to the treatment. The PA treated an area I never requested and didn't use eye shields for part of the treatment. See the photos and decide for yourself if you want a fotofacial in Palm Harbor from a spa.

Comments (37)

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Hello ajapel I too had RF called triAcitve 65 months agao , and have now got VERY bad wrinkle under my eyes and i can see like a burn on my cheeks and dents .. My cheeks and eyes are itching all the time since having it done. Can you tell me if your has gone better since ? Thnak you very much.
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Ooops!not 65 months ago but had my first session 5 months ago.
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Unfortunately things have no improved. I can only wish.
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Oh! nooo ,did it got worse or stay the same ? The wrinkle unders my left eyes is worse and seem to get worse and the dents when looking side way is bad;-( i have visited a dermatology and she told me to use DMK oil E i have been using it for the last week and it looks a little bit better i think . She could see the scar and told me it could be due to too hot RF. I just hope it wont get worse .
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It got worse. It is mostly stabilized now but I'm 1.5 years out from the damage. I was told the RF settings were too high as RF penetrates deeply. I wish I had better news.
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I am very worried now , I was told by the doctor it was NO side effect and it is very safe and assumed she was right and now wish I mad my research .. My eyes and cheeks are looking wrinkly compare to before the rf .. :((
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I totally agree with everything you have said. I had 5 IPL treatments on my face for brown spots and red veins. It was the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced. But I put up with it because I thought my skin would improve. Instead after 6 months, my skin still has brown spots, the veins are worse. I have lost my lovely fat cheeks. I am 64 years old, and was always complimented by my wrinkle fee skin. Now I have wrinkles down both side of my face and around my eye area. I have photo aged 10 years. I would never recommend IPL to anyone. My complexion has changed it is now a muddy color and my skin is very lumpy. This treatment was in a Beauty Spa in Christchurch, New Zealand. The machine used was a Quantum. My rating would be 1.

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So sorry to hear this! I too have a dent from a kenalog injection that destroyed the fat tissue underneath my skin on my face. But another thing too consider is vitamins A, C & B 12 that can help your skin. And you can buy over the counter Lysine that helps restore collagen. I have been taking those since I noticed my dent about 3 weeks ago. I do see improvement from the discoloration of the dent. It doesnt look like a bruise. I hate your going through this, but your not alone! There are other answers too making this better.
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Most people with fat loss in the face seem to wind up with fat transfers but their have huge pitfalls. I have eye pain since this treatment so I am very hesitant to do anything that could cause pain in any way. My skin has not improved. It's just worse in terms of texture and wrinkling. I moisturize but it is in vain. The fotofacial has made my skin thinner so nothing will fix that. I'm glad you had help with vitamins. I take a ton of vitamins but again, nothing helps. I will look into Lysine :)
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Ajapel, I am so very sorry about your bad treatment.I sustained severe facial damage from fraxel dual. I have laser burn scarring, fat loss, muscle damage, nerve damage.Most of the damage is on the right side of my face. I am doing hand held led red light therapy right now .It is NOT a laser or thermal heat. it is healing light to help produce new collagen. I can say my damage is so bad it will never improve 100% but I do think the texture looks not so DEAD as before.I will continue it and see how it goes. If you don't mind, could you tell me or private message me the name of the laser expert you saw who diagnosed your damage? I am very, very, damaged.
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Hey redlight! Is your skin getting better with the red treatment? My derm recommended photodynamic therapy for the damaged skin.
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The treatment you are talking about is for skin cancer. The chemical works on cancer cells on the skin and it is suppose to attack and destroy them. How did the doctor say that is suppose to help your skin? Especially since this is a treatment used instead of surgery or radiation.
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Hey! He said it was also used for acne and skin rejuvenation. He opines that it will peel enough skin off to rid me of the pixel points and get rid of the flesh colored bumps as well as the fine lines.
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Tiff, That is interesting. Have you seen an info that states that it can be used for off label uses? I was very interested but am not sure if that would be different than a regular chemical peel? If you know of where I can read up on it for results? I am going to PA that does my botox and trying derm stamping or skin needling just starting on forehead just to see how my skin reacts. Doesn't piss you off you have to go through all this time, money, and emotion to undo the damage they have done?
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I got a brochure on levalon (?) with photodynamic therapy from my derm. I also googled it and it has been used to reduce acne and for skin rejuvenation. Derm states that it will make the flesh colored bumps that appeared all over my face after the IPL diminish and thus assist with the orange peel texture. Also it should help with the fine lines/crepiness. I am excited but at the same time resistant to trust anyone and their opinions. Did you have the flesh colored bumps appear on your face? I went back to the creep who did this to me and he had the nerve to tell me that the bumps are new collagen in the form of fibroblasts. He states that all of my current problems will be gone in three months and I should not panic!!
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Trust is so difficult now. I feel they are all out to make money from our misery. I did not get bumps but have plenty of other side effects. I have fat loss which causes indents epecially when smiling. I have hyper and hypo pigementation. I have little dots(pixel marks) that with time have expanded into creases or lines vertical and horizontal. Also enlarged pores with loss of firmness and slacking of the skin(going south). I would compare it to aging 5 years in a month. It started after a couple of weeks after the IPL. They try to tell you that the IPL can not go to dermis but that I feel is untrue. Just look at a diagram of how laser hair removal works. The epidermis sheds about every 30 days. I have read that the dermis can take up to 15 years! This is just my thoughts and conclusions after months of trying to research help. So I wonder if our damage does go that deep how can doing anything we to do the epidermis help repair the dermis? Just a thought. Anyway anything I do now I make sure to try a test area, wait 30 days to see how my skin responds. That is why I am trying needling but only on my forehead. I explained to the PA and she understands why. I would for sure take good pictures outside for your own records I hope it works and it would be helpful if you could keep us posted. Pictures taken weekly if possible helps you monitor improvement. I just worry about any treatment using heat and maybe blue doesn't? The pictures I saw seemed to really help with acne but texture change I could not find much on line. I hope this works because you are in Palm Harbor correct? I am in Tampa I would go where you go if it does works for you. I am excited to hear how it works out. Thanks for all the information.
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Yes some people do have wonderful results. My first two times I was happy but than the third time the doctor turned up the IPL machine one number I was told. She told me that would get the brown spots that were deeper. Unfortunately that one took two weeks before the damage started to show. That is the problem that setting was considered reasonable for my skin type. It still caused damage, that of course does not get better but worse. If you love your results stop while you are ahead. Just stay out of the sun and use topical creams to lighten skin color it is much safer.
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I would love to say just a bit on how IPL works. For starters, I had the IPL with RF. It heats the skin 4mm in depth, deeper than IPL alone. IPL and most all these treatments work by heating the skin to damage it - with the hopes your skin will recover and that the recoery will yield some improvement. Each time you have IPL, you have having damage to your skin. Too much heat and the collagen denatures completely and doesn't not repair. Too deep and too hot with the heat and it can damage the subcutanous and deeper dermal structures. Once the fat is damaged, it is permanent. It is then replaced by scar tissue unfortunately. ehhte I'm glad you had good results. You probably had a practitioner who used more conservative settings and was better trained :)
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I have had IPL several times on my face and chest with nothing but awesome results!!!! decreased freckles and brown spots...smoother skin.....cannot say enough great things from IPL
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Thank you for being so diligent about posting updated photos so we can see what is going on for you ajapel. I only wish it were an update showing improvement. Hugs to you!

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I'm sorry to hear about yoru skin A.B. If you have atrophy, you will have sunken skin either generalized, or in spots and you may have wrinkling as what is under the skin is no longer there. It isn't fun. I have textural changes from this was well where my skin is very bumpy and orange-peel textured (gritty). It used to be smooth. I think IPL is a complete chance - with too many people having skin damage afterwards.
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I had IPL as well last year. I only did it for some brown spots from the sun. He was a board certified plastic surgeon, but that doesnt mean ANYTHING! After the treatment my skin felt smooth to the touch and all the brown spots flaked off. I was happy,.... AT FIRST...He must have had the machine at maximum setting because afterwards my face felt like it was frying. He also got too close to the corner of my eye and caused a nasty burn under my eye that bruised, I looked like I had a shiner. There was a also a small red blood vessel that I never had before surface on my nose, that was bleeding for weeks. Now my skin looks different, I am confident he liquified the fat under my skin and it's permanent damage.
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Thank you so much for continuing to keep us updated and posting pictures so we can all learn from this. I'm so sorry for what you are having to go through. Please continue to keep us posted on how you are.

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I have had no improvements but continue to get worse. To make matters worse, I have pain with the eye that has the indendation. Why she treated my eye area is beyond me! You are not supposed to treate above the orbital bone. The machine was maxed out on the radio frequency so I have no idea what this could have done to my eye. The opthalmologist suspects nerve and vessel damage - it targets blood vessel so targeted one on my eye! Lucky me.
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maybe you're on to something, but i keep thinking because these lasers go upwards to 200,000 to purchase, once the provider has it there pretty much is no turning back. and if one provider acknowledges that this type of damage can happen, they'll sink their collegues. my two cents anyway. scar tissue also can take up to two years to develop, and i highly doubt providers keep tabs on past patients unless the patients come back on their own because they believe their scarring is linked to the lasers/ipl machines.
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