Lumps and Bumps After 6 Weeks Plus Redness and Numbness

Thanks to my new provider, the phenomenal Dr. Kristen Aguirre, at RAD - Regenerative Aesthetics and Dermatology, and I am happy with my appearance again. She fixed the collagen bumps with targeted ultrasound. She got rid of my under-eye bags with a plasmage treatment. I've had a couple of IPL sessions with her, and did my second Xerf Treatment with her yesterday to address some skin laxity in my lower face and around the eyes, and I can already tell that I will love the results. RAD looks at whole body wellness, not just making a quick buck. Dr. Aguirre and her team take a conservative 'less is more' approach, no quick fixes, but rather achievable, sustainable, natural and beautiful results. This image is from a couple of days ago, at my 55th birthday celebration. I also recently started bio-identical hormone replacement therapy with Lynn at RAD, and I feel better than ever. It's a whole-body approach. If you are in the SoCal area (RAD is in Laguna Hills) this is the only place I would recommend.

I've been dealing with relatively minor eye bags for the last 2 years or so. I got sucked into a video on social media, where this provider in my area claimed that she fixes eye bags with Agnes RF in one session, no downtime and permanent results. Her before & after videos and photos were fantastic. She also claimed to be an educator for the device, which I always think is a plus. The person teaching it, must be good at it, right? When I first arrived, she said that my previous HA under eye filler may be part of the problem, and she offered to dissolve it, which I agreed to. She did the the Agnes RF treatment right after, which I later learned is not a good idea. The procedure was a lot more painful than I had expected, and given the subsequent results, I now know why it hurt so much. Initially I thought the outcome would be great. I was bruised from the injection of dissolving the filler, and also from the Agnes RF. I had high hopes. After the initial bruising subsided (day 5/6) I noticed and continued to develop these lumps and bumps and painful crusts under my eyes. I contacted the provider but she was nowhere to be found. Eventually she got back to me, and told me that these were 'collagen balls' and 'totally normal'. I was not warned or informed of this before the procedure, nor was I given any aftercare instructions. I also learned that she reached out to other Agnes RF providers with the images I had sent to her, to find out if this was indeed 'normal', since she wasn't sure. She then offered for me to come in and do an ultrasound treatment, which I did. Apparently she did not know the difference between radiofrequency vs ultrasound, because she just used more radiofrequency energy under my eyes ( a much more mild version) but it was still done with the Agnes machine. Again, she told me that my current result was completely normal and to just be patient, "it's going to look great, we just did a lot of tightening". After my initial feedback, she told me that it could take from 2-4 weeks for the lumps to go away. I went back a second time for her so-called 'ultrasound' treatment, and then she told me it would be 6-8 weeks. The reason I know all this now, is the fact that I just went to see a very reputable dermatologist in my area, who also uses Agnes RF, and is in fact an educator for this device. She told me that the treatment should never have been done immediately after dissolving filler. She also told me that it was done way too aggressively, with very poor post-care or instructions. This new provider is treating the collagen lumps with actual ultrasound, but there is so much damage, that it may take a while. I haven't left the house without sunglasses in 6 weeks, and I had to tell everyone at work what I had done to myself, because I just look so frightening. I have high hopes in the ability of my new provider, but this taught me to NOT EVER go and see a nurse practitioner without proper credentials. This woman didn't even have a front desk, she just rents a room at some med spa and sends out confirmation text messages from some burner phone with the signature 'Maria'. There were no aftercare instructions or anything. The worst part is that I paid $2500 for a treatment that took just a few minutes. Yes, that is on me, but I later found out that the actual MD I am seeing now, only charges $1200 for the same treatment. This is just a warning for people to not choose your providers based on what you see on social media. Lesson learned.