Dore Gilbert, MD

I was advised by my dermatologist to try photodynamic therapy, since I had several stubborn areas on my face that failed to disappear with Efudex & freezing. I was apprehensive after reading several of the reviews here. However, the doctor I was referred to was wonderful. They applied Levulan which stayed on an hour, then applied a numbing ointment. This was followed by 4 minutes with white light & 4 minutes of blue light. I was given a hand held fan to use during the blue light to help keep my face cool. Following the treatment, I used Avene thermal spring water spray & a hand held fan with ice packs inbetween. This helped control the intense burning which only lasted about 4 hours for me. I am on day 2 now, and although I am very red & a little bit swollen around my mouth, it is very tolerable. I am looking forward to seeing the results in a few weeks.

I am 47 and have a lot of wrinkles and sun damage. I felt that my face looked old and haggard, while the rest of me looked and felt young. I consulted with four different doctors (3 dermatologists, one oculoplastic surgeon) and all said I was a great candidate. I went with one of the derms. While my wrinkles, sun spots and laxity are reduced, I don't look as good as I expected. I still have a lot of lines around my mouth ("smokers lines"). Some friends have suggested I get fillers, but the whole point of the Total FX was so I wouldn't need a little of this, a little of that and endless spending on it. I also got Botox one week prior to the procedure on the doctor's recommendation so that my lines would be less pronounced during healing. I am now due for another Botox as the lines are returning, and frankly I think I had more improvement from the Botox than from the Total FX. I also had a fairly uncommon side effect from the procedure, a bit of hyperpigmentation. You can still (3+ months later) see faint lines on my cheeks from the laser. This is not at all the doctor's fault, but is simply one risk and make-up has been able to cover it.