I wanted to have carbon dioxide C02 laser resurfacing for so long. It always seemed to me like a one and done procedure. I finally decided that I was going to do it. But, I wanted the real deal. Many places advertise CO2 laser, but they aren’t the real CO2 laser. I wanted the fine lines, dark circles, sun spots and small scars gone….permanently.
I did extensive research and booked a consultation with Dr. Scott Trimas at Beaches Facial Plastic and Nasal Surgery Center.
Having been to other plastic surgery offices, stepping into Dr. Trimas’s office was a breath of fresh air. He’s located in a medical building directly across the street from a major hospital. No fancy marble statues or faux gold furnishings decorating his office. It looked like any medical doctor’s office.
Dr. Trimas explained to me what the procedure involved and how I would look afterwards. I have very fair skin and he told me that fair skin is the best candidate for the CO2 laser. He explained that I would be under general anesthesia and that I would not be able to go outdoors for two weeks. My face would be very red and that the redness could last up to four months. He said that there would be some pain, but that they do prescribe pain medication. Before we finished the consultation, I said to the doctor “my lines and scars will be gone, right?” “This will be a one and done, right?” He said yes.
I booked the procedure before leaving the office and was scheduled for approximately two months out.
The day of my procedure I arrived two hours early as I was told to do. Nurse Jackie took good care of me. She gave me a warm blanket, put me in a comfortable chair, went through my medications, and gave me the pills I needed to take before the procedure began. She also gave me a very generous supply of Alastin skin care (which after having used, I will never use anything else). And, she explained my the post laser procedures. Another patient was having surgery before me and nurse Jackie came in often to check on me and make sure I was comfortable.
The last thing I remember is meeting with Dr. Yang… a partner of Dr. Trimas, and meeting with the anesthesiologist, Dr. Torres. Then, Nurse Jackie walked me into the surgery center which is located in the doctor’s office.
I remember waking up and feeling so great. I remember just feeling great and was excited that I had done what I had always wanted to do. My boyfriend drove me home and I was still feeling great the whole ride home. When I looked in the mirror, I looked beautiful. I had some thick Alastin goop all over my face, but my skin just looked beautiful. At that moment, I had no idea what I was in for over the next two weeks.
The next morning I woke up and that is when the redness started. I didn’t look so beautiful anymore. Over the next few days I became more and more red and my face started to swell. By the fourth day, my face looked like a basketball. The first four days were the worst. The scrubbing every two hours was the most difficult and the most painful. I definitely took the pain medication thirty minutes prior to scrubbing and as needed every four hours thereafter.
After the two week mark, most of the skin was scrubbed off. My new skin was very smooth. I had no lines, no marks and my little scars were gone. I was still extremely red but most of the swelling had gone down.
It has now been almost two months post procedure. My skin is beautiful and I am so happy. I am still very red, but I’m able to use a mineral powder to cover the redness so that if I go out at night, nobody notices.
I never really wore a lot of makeup but now I don’t have to wear any. I still put on mascara and a little powder, but that’s about it. There’s nothing to cover up. The procedure took 20 years off my face.
I am beyond thrilled with the C02 carbon dioxide laser, and I am beyond thrilled with Dr. Trimas and the entire staff at Beaches Facial Plastic and Nasal surgery center.
Thank you, Dr. Trimas, Dr. Yang, Dr. Torres, Nurse Jackie, Nurse Susie, Leah, Loida and all that were so helpful and kind. I am a new and better me and I am forever grateful.
