I am a 46 year old female with mild wrinkles around the eyes and deeper wrinkles on the forehead and nasal fold area and some moderate acne scarring. The procedure was not painful but uncomfortable, I had facial burning for approximately 24 hours. The worst part was the intense itching that started on day 3 and lasted for about a week and a half! I used Cetaphil cleanser 3x a day and Augaphor moisturizer for 4 days and then Eucerin moisturizer with an spf of 30 daily. I had the procedure done in the late afternoon on a Thursday and went back to work on Monday; my face was still fairly swollen and remained so for about 1 week 2 days. I did not wear makeup for about 2 weeks. The overall texture and tone of my skin improved greatly but I dont notice much improvement in scarring or wrinkles. Today is day 26 post laser....still waiting for more improvement! The deeper wrinkles on my forehead feel much smoother but appear to look the same. I plan to have a 2nd fractional co2 procedure for an additional $500.00 sometime in January. Updated on 28 Dec 2010: I am 6 weeks post laser and continue to see improvement in tone and texture. I love not needing to wear makeup!!! Still very little improvement in reduction of scarring and wrinkles....still hoping!! Second procedure scheduled for March 7th! Updated on 8 Mar 2011: Had my 2nd fractional CO2 yesterday. Dr was a bit more aggressive this time around as I healed nicely after the first procedure. So far, I have less swelling than the 1st go around but I am staying in an upright position as much as possible! I am starting to itch which is driving me crazy! I took a week off work this time hoping I will appear somewhat normal when I return. I had the 1st procedure done on a Thursday afternoon and went back to work on Monday but I was still pretty swollen. I am gently washing with Cetaphil 3 x a day and applying the post procedure cream (very thick goop). Tomorrow I will begin applying Augaphor when at home and a lighter moisturizer if I need to go out in public. I am taking Benadryl for the itching but get minimal relief however, it makes me sleepy so I probably dont notice the itching as much. I will continue to update as the weeks progress.

I am 36 years old and used to use a tanning bed. The past few years I started to see red marks on my face--sun damage.I've had five IPL sessions now. Although it is a slow process, I am happy with the results. It has eliminated the major red marks on my face. My doctor charged $600 for a package of three IPL sessions.IPL is not pleasant, but it is not unbearable either. Typically I am a little pink the first few hours after, and then I return to my normal color.Lesson Learned - Use sunscreen! I could have avoided this!