highfivetous

SmartXide for Adult Acne - Philadelphia, PA

haha! sounds like you're on the mend but not totally convinced ;) im not used to being a recluse either...that was the hardest part for me. psychologically, it messes with your head. :/


happy healing!!

ah, two passes! in that case, i wouldn't even think of touching that clairsonic for a week. you'll know when it feels right. when you do, wait one more day and go for it ;) i used the sensitive skin brush and a really gentle cleanser (from topix).
i had one light pass because i'll probably do another in the summertime. i also have to ready to go back to work on monday! talk about a fun vacation..NOT!

as for going outside, i had to walk my dog but made sure to wear a lot of sunscreen and a big hat and kept it to 10-15minutes max. let's just say i kept my head down and hoped none of my neighbors were out ;) luckily it's been very overcast in PA.

i get most of my products from skinelite.com but there are tons of sites out there. it takes a bit of research sometimes. the avene product i mentioned is: avene thermal spring water gel. it really helps with redness, but the aquaphor will keep you moist. the gel kind of dies up and you feel like your skin will crack, but it kind of does the opposite ironically!

you will start to feel down...like it's never going to end, but it will! the best advice i can give is to get netflix if you don't have it already, make a list of things that need fixing around the house and relax without feeling guilty! :) hard for us ladies, i know!

hey jools,
no worries, it gets MUCH better. plan on aquaphor or something similar for a few days...i slept between two pillows because im a stomach sleeper and didn't want to get it everywhere, it really helped.

as for the healing, i had it done exactly a week ago and im totally fine to go outside. you can still see some marks and whatnot, but im using a simple moisturizer and minerals if i have to go out to run errands, etc. it feels so nice not to have to wear makeup though!

note: i did break out a bit from this procedure, so i went in for a consult. yesterday and the doc zapped me a few times with IPL on the breakouts...for free. good doc. he said "we WILL fix your acne" and even emailed me this morning. that's right...my dermatologist took the time to email me. good man.

all in all, i got a LOT of housework/movie watching done :)

i would highly recommend the following:
1. lots of water
2. fish oil capsules and vitamin d (i take 5000)
3. biafine...you'd have to get a prescription for it, but if you have someone who can help you out, great! if not, no worries...aquaphor is good too for the first few days
4. clean, healthy food...really does help with healing
5. if you feel yourself breaking out, don't pick. i broke out from this and started back on an antibiotic and spironolactone (docs ok) and have seen a huge improvement
6. around day 5 i was actually using a light glycolic cleanser...which sounds insane, but my skin could tolerate it. again, my experience...but ive been using it forever
7. i also started using my clairsonic around day 5 to help a bit with the exfoliation. some say not to "help" your skin shed, but i was careful and used a very gentle soap-free cleanser made for post-procedure work. i then used a deep moisturizer from avene. so glad i did! if anything, it helped my skin breathe...or at least it felt that way ;)
8. i also used avene's water gel to help with the redness. it's just a gel you put on, it dries, and then you wash it off with cool water and moisturize. worked wonders for me.

ok. that's a lot of information. again, this is just what i experienced. i still see some of the "dots" and a few track marks but was told that they will fade with time...i mean, it's only been a week! so don't be alarmed. im also extremely pale...so that might make a difference.

three more words of advice?
hang in there!!!! :)

thanks, britt!

i decided to stop using the heavy creams and started the day off with avene thermal spring water gel which really helps with swelling/redness. grid marks are much less noticeable today and overall redness has gotten a bit better. haha, what a day makes!

anyway, i did break out pretty bad post smartxide so i now have just regular benzoyl peroxide on those spots (just a thin film) and have been spritzing with evians spray water. seems to have done the trick! we'll see.

also to note, ive been taking fish oil (i like res-q 1250) and vit d. i think that really helps with the healing process.

crossing my fingers!

well, i had high hopes... but it's now day 5 and im way worse than i was when i went in.
i still have grid marks and the dots are visible, but i can deal with that.

i broke out like mad from this procedure. ton of cluster pimples on my chin and a few deeper ones scattered around the rest of my face. so sad. i had really high hopes for this.

has anyone else had issues with acne post dot?

sad and depressed...from a few dots. sigh.