Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
I turn 34 in less than a month, and in the last...
I turn 34 in less than a month, and in the last year I am starting to see some signs of aging. I have been going to a tanning bed since I was 16 years old... Over half of my life! Somehow I didn't believe that my skin was being damaged... I have always had really great skin & I guess I just thought I was immune to the negative effects of tanning... lol dumb, I know! my first clue was when I started noticing that my pores would look huge after I went tanning. It was so ugly, but after a day or so they would close back up and I had a beautiful tan & flawless skin. This past year I've been tanning less due to just not having enough time, but now when I go, my pores never close back up! So I'm left with holes in my face! They got so bad that one day while driving to Sephora for some lip gloss and my son said "Do we have to go there? You're already beautiful... the only thing that's kinda not beautiful are the holes in your face... What are those? I don't have them but I can see yours from way back here." That day he wanted to sit all the way in the back of the SUV, in the 3rd row, so he was pretty far away from me. He went on to ask me if they made anything to make my face skin softer because it felt rough when he touched it. Lol he's a really sweet boy, and was not trying to be mean! He was genuinely concerned. So yeah, they were quite noticeable.
I'm not quite ready for all this growing old business, so I went to a cosmetic dermatologist looking for something to reduce the size of my pores as well as tighten skin, smooth out wrinkles, and a healthier, more youthful appearance. We went over several treatment options, but she thought I would benefit most from Affirm. The normal cost of the Affirm laser treatment is $900, but even after I had already decided to do the treatment and scheduled the appointment, my doctor told me about a coupon in a local magazine for 50% off, so I only paid $450. We scheduled the appointment for the following week. I was instructed not to use any scrubs or retinal on my skin during that week.
When I got there, she took photos, then applied a numbing gel to my face and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Next she wiped off the gel, applied the eye protecting stickers, then started the treatment.
We decided she would do 2 passes, one for tightening and one for my skin, so she started with tightening for the first pass. For tightening, the laser deeper penetrates the skin, so the first pass was more uncomfortable. The jaw line was the most uncomfortable, but still not unbearable. The second pass was a series of smaller, faster pricks over my entire face, from the jaw line all the way up to my hairline. When she had covered my entire, she went back to pay a little more attention to my cheeks, where the majority of my damage was located. During the second pass, my face felt very hot, like a bad sunburn, but she had a hose that was blowing cold air directly on my face while she worked, which helped tremendously. When she was done, she gave me she hose & let me hold it to my face to cool off for about 10 minutes. She then applied some ointments and sunscreen and gave me some healing skincare samples, instructed me how to use them, and let me go.
About an hour later, my face was pink and still felt sunburned, but that subsided within another hour or so. I was told I could wear makeup that same day as long as I made sure to remove it before bed, but I chose to let my skin breathe and just apply the ointments and moisturizer. The first few days my skin looked pretty normal, other than it being dry and tight, and on my cheeks my face looked as though it had some discoloration. I did have a tan when I went, which can cause hyperpigmentation. So I was scared that would be permanent. But your skin does slowly peel a few days after the treatment, so I think the dark spots were just my old damaged skin next to the new skin where I had already peeled. Up until day 4, my skin felt rough and dry, and looked pretty much the same, only dryer than before. Except, the deep wrinkles on my forehead immediately improved... Almost disappeared!
It has now been 6 days since the treatment and all pealing is done. My wrinkles have virtually disappeared, my skin is tighter, nasolabial folds are less pronounced, skin is smoother, and best of all... my pores have drastically reduced in size! I have to get right up in the mirror to see them now.
I am going back for one more treatment, mostly because there is one spot in between my eyes that wasn't treated, but also to shrink my pores just a little more . But with just one treatment, I am beyond thrilled with my results. I would recommend Affirm (and already have) to anyone! I really don't understand why the "worth it" rating isn't 100%. That's how satisfied I am with this treatment. I think a lot of it must have to do with who you go to. I would never go to a day spa for this treatment. The person working the laser had to know what they're doing for results to be like mine. I was told that laser can burn and damage your skin if the person doing it uses the wrong setting or goes too hard or in the wrong places. So definitely go to a reputable clinic. Plastic surgery clinics are a great place to go. They often have reputable staff that can properly perform the treatment. Ask questions and make sure you feel 100% comfortable with the person you choose.
I hope this helps anyone contemplating getting this treatment decide whether or not its right for them! If you have any questions about my experience , feel free to ask me anything! I'll add before and after pictures later today! ????
I'm not quite ready for all this growing old business, so I went to a cosmetic dermatologist looking for something to reduce the size of my pores as well as tighten skin, smooth out wrinkles, and a healthier, more youthful appearance. We went over several treatment options, but she thought I would benefit most from Affirm. The normal cost of the Affirm laser treatment is $900, but even after I had already decided to do the treatment and scheduled the appointment, my doctor told me about a coupon in a local magazine for 50% off, so I only paid $450. We scheduled the appointment for the following week. I was instructed not to use any scrubs or retinal on my skin during that week.
When I got there, she took photos, then applied a numbing gel to my face and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Next she wiped off the gel, applied the eye protecting stickers, then started the treatment.
We decided she would do 2 passes, one for tightening and one for my skin, so she started with tightening for the first pass. For tightening, the laser deeper penetrates the skin, so the first pass was more uncomfortable. The jaw line was the most uncomfortable, but still not unbearable. The second pass was a series of smaller, faster pricks over my entire face, from the jaw line all the way up to my hairline. When she had covered my entire, she went back to pay a little more attention to my cheeks, where the majority of my damage was located. During the second pass, my face felt very hot, like a bad sunburn, but she had a hose that was blowing cold air directly on my face while she worked, which helped tremendously. When she was done, she gave me she hose & let me hold it to my face to cool off for about 10 minutes. She then applied some ointments and sunscreen and gave me some healing skincare samples, instructed me how to use them, and let me go.
About an hour later, my face was pink and still felt sunburned, but that subsided within another hour or so. I was told I could wear makeup that same day as long as I made sure to remove it before bed, but I chose to let my skin breathe and just apply the ointments and moisturizer. The first few days my skin looked pretty normal, other than it being dry and tight, and on my cheeks my face looked as though it had some discoloration. I did have a tan when I went, which can cause hyperpigmentation. So I was scared that would be permanent. But your skin does slowly peel a few days after the treatment, so I think the dark spots were just my old damaged skin next to the new skin where I had already peeled. Up until day 4, my skin felt rough and dry, and looked pretty much the same, only dryer than before. Except, the deep wrinkles on my forehead immediately improved... Almost disappeared!
It has now been 6 days since the treatment and all pealing is done. My wrinkles have virtually disappeared, my skin is tighter, nasolabial folds are less pronounced, skin is smoother, and best of all... my pores have drastically reduced in size! I have to get right up in the mirror to see them now.
I am going back for one more treatment, mostly because there is one spot in between my eyes that wasn't treated, but also to shrink my pores just a little more . But with just one treatment, I am beyond thrilled with my results. I would recommend Affirm (and already have) to anyone! I really don't understand why the "worth it" rating isn't 100%. That's how satisfied I am with this treatment. I think a lot of it must have to do with who you go to. I would never go to a day spa for this treatment. The person working the laser had to know what they're doing for results to be like mine. I was told that laser can burn and damage your skin if the person doing it uses the wrong setting or goes too hard or in the wrong places. So definitely go to a reputable clinic. Plastic surgery clinics are a great place to go. They often have reputable staff that can properly perform the treatment. Ask questions and make sure you feel 100% comfortable with the person you choose.
I hope this helps anyone contemplating getting this treatment decide whether or not its right for them! If you have any questions about my experience , feel free to ask me anything! I'll add before and after pictures later today! ????
Provider Review
Liz Clouse, R.N., C.P.S.N.
Liz Clouse, R.N., C.P.S.N. Was amazing! She thoroughly explained each treatment and helped me decide on the one that was right for me. There were even a couple of treatments that I thought I wanted that she didn't think were right for me, so she voiced her opinion and advised me not to go through with those treatments/procedures. She was very honest, patient, and understanding! I am so happy with my results... I couldn't have picked a better person to do my treatment!