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POSTED UNDER Dermapen REVIEWS

Dermapen & PRP for Damaged Skin!! Albany, NY

Name: Dermapen & PRP for Damaged Skin!! Albany, NY
Item: Arthur N. Falk, MD
Rating: 4
Author: saradominica

ORIGINAL POST

So here goes, I've been on here for appx 7 months,...

saradominicaOctober 21, 2014

$1,000

So here goes, I've been on here for appx 7 months, My skin was badly damaged last year after who knows what. I had ONE session of yag laser for a few broken caps on my nose along with 2 hydrafacials. I had these done at Lucie Capek's office in Albany. Exactly 3 days after my 2nd hydrafacial, my skin completely began to dry out. Life has been a nightmare since then. EXTREME dehydration, lines when I smile, bad texture, bumps, burning, just horrible. I have literally babied my skin for the past 6 months, trying everything from oils, to creams, to homemade masks. I feel like there has been no improvement at all. My skin is so dehydrated that NOTHING can give it enough moisture. My skin actually produces oil, so I've been using water based products. Nothing works. Anywho, I decided to try dermapen about a month ago. I had one session at Dr.Falk's office in Albany, and honestly didn't see any results (procedure was done by esthetician). There was no numbing cream used and it was very painful. My face stayed red for a few days and I had blood spots under my skin for about a week. I had already paid for two sessions so I decided to go back. I made another appointment for a dermapen session but this time asked about PRP with it. The doctor stated it would be 1,000 to add the PRP, which I know is steep. This time when I went in, the nurse drew my blood and the doctor took it in the other room. He put a numbing cream on and let me sit for 15 minutes. He then came back in and put more lidocane injections under my eyes to numb them. Honestly, the PRP portion was painless. It did feel weird, kind of like he was threading a needle under my skin, but no pain. The dermapen hurt, but this time I noticed he did a much better job. The woman on my first session wiped off the blood very roughly and even when I told her that she was hurting me she continued to wipe hard. He told me to expect some swelling and that my texture and overall appearance should improve within 6-8 weeks. I'm going to post some pictures here of before and after, Please feel free to ask any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them. I will post new pictures every few days. Praying for improvement, dont know If I have laser damage, glycolic damage, or something else. My damage is very similar to what Retin A Sufferers have mentioned, yet I have never used that .Used to have GORGEOUS dewy skin, now its dehydrated dull and dry. Hoping for success here!

saradominica's provider

Arthur N. Falk, MD

Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

saradominica rating for Dr. Falk:

Overall rating

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Answered my questions

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Replies (31)

Eva G

October 21, 2014

I am really happy you took the time to share your experience so far. It's unfortunate the yag laser caused such damage! I look forward to your updates- good luck!

puppychow

November 8, 2014

Eat pumpkin from a can for a month sleep with pumpkin paste , honey,aloe, and strawberries for half the week to repair damage avoid alcohol products,avoid benzoyl peroxide,no Salisic acid and use chemical,sulfate,paraben,and fragrance free products moisturizer face everyday with aloe leaves you can only buy aloe leaves at spanish supermarket like Tony's finer foods your face should start healing don't use anything else unless recommended by dermatologist and research everything that you put on your face

Daniella Leona

January 17, 2015

Hi Sara,I'm sorry to hear about your awful experience with YAG-Lasers. I also had a horrendous experience with them, leaving my skin not only paper thin and looking like a 50 year old rather than 30 something year old, but it also created unbelievable post inflammatory hyperpigmentation.I will never do a YAG-Laser again.However, after 2.5 months I've managed to get some moisture back into my skin, and reduce the hyperpigmentation dramatically. This is what I did:Month 1: As my skin was so damaged and sensitive - literally just touching it would leave a mark I had to tread carefully. I would like to mention here in conjunction with topical creams and serums and suncreen, I also totally changed my diet - using fresh vegetable juices every day, no alcohol, loads of water and no processed foods. I included supplements - specifically Vit C, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Selenium, Vital Greens (super food powder), and hemp seeds. I have lived like a crazy health freak for 2.5 months, and whilst I'm no where near back to where I was, I'm a million times better than where I was after the YAG-Laser catastrophe.AM: Dr Aspect Vit C serum, followed by Dr Aspect zinc/titanium based sunscreen/moisturiser - 4 x a day. PM: CPR - by Cosmex Month 2:As my skin started to heal a bit I wanted to work on pigmentation and collagen. I can't tolerate hydroquinone in high levels, so I had to limit it to 2% formulas.AM: Cell Fusion C Hyperpigmentation Serum (contains hyaluronic acid and low does of alpha hydroxy acids - doesn't diminish the pigment but is an excellent moisturiser) followed by Dr Aspect Vit C serum and the triple sunscreen dose.Afternoon: Juenesse serum and Cosmex CPR.PM: 2% hydroquinone moisturiser with very low dose retin-A moisturiser followed by Rational Immunologist serum.Month 3:By this stage my skin was starting to feel 'thick' again and hyper-pigmentation not gone but faded a lot. I'd also had some Voluma fillers put in to flesh out my poor devastated face. As my skin was now used to hydroquinone and retin-A I could up the dose. AM: - Same as month 2.Afternoon - same as month 2.PM: 4% hydroquinone cream combined with Retrieve Treninoin 0.05% (both of these products are cheap!! Go to your GP do not waste your money on expensive nice smelling stuff. Just be careful as they can irritate some skin terribly ) followed by Cosmex CPR. Really the quality and thickness and moisture of my skin is a lot better. I'm 38 but have always looked 28 until I fell ill and started on the laser roundabout. Once I have completed month three I will add copper peptides (you can buy cheap 100% solution on ebay which I will add to a sorbolene cream) as well as a 50% alpha hydroxy peel (also cheap on ebay you just need to follow instructions very very carefully).Copper peptides cannot be used with any acids including Vit C, so I will alternate my Vit C serum days with copper peptide mixes. The 50% alpha hydroxy peel I will use sparingly also.And I will start to introduce derma rolling starting with a 1mm roller then working up to a 1.5mm roller if needed. Again, you DO NOT need to spend thousands on getting a beauty therapist to do this. Invest in a titanium roller which is ergodynamic and just make sure you do your research on how to use it correctly. Spend $50 MAX on a derma roller. Don't despair. If I can fix my skin at my age you can too, it's just a matter of working it from the inside as well as the outside, and doing it in stages. I've done years of research and have been my own guinea pig and I know what works and what doesn't now. :)If you still need more info my email is ***email removed***Good luck and just try to keep smiling and being kind to yourself. You are young, your skin and body can heal you just need to give it time and look after it. Bless, Daniella

Sweet1979

April 22, 2015

Really good advice. X

lucylee666

January 26, 2018

do you have a photo with results ?

Annle

January 21, 2015

Hi, I read your comment . And so sorry for your skin. I have been use night and day cream from Nerium. I love them so much. Nerium help to firm my skin, hydration, and glow. I see the result in 2 weeks. Go to this web, put your name, email and phone number. Then you will see the order page. 30 days warranty money back. ***removed email***Try them, you will be happy again

MSchwartz

January 21, 2015

Nerium is a product that is all hype and no substance. They have no new or innovative ingredients, just a lot of marketing and ways for lots of people to make money.

Victoriana

June 2, 2015

Hello Dr. schwartz, I follow you on RS and was truly impressed by the recent pictures you posted..acne scarring improved with 4 microneedling sessions. Those results were just fantastic to say the least. what size needle was used to get results such as those? and i understand you use stemcells as well...do you alternate peels inbetween the microneedle sessions? thank you for your time and next time im in the area ill be sure to book a consultation.

MSchwartz

June 3, 2015

Thank you Victoriana. I agree, the results we are seeing from micro-needling acne scars are really amazing. There are many reports now that micro-needling can give as good or even better results in the treatment of acne scarring than fractionated lasers with significantly less down-time and expense. I have even had doctors tell me they don't want to buy a micro-needling machine because they would not get to use their laser enough to justify its expense. For treating acne scars, we typically use a needle length of either 1.0 or 1.5 mm, depending on skin thickness. A high quality growth factor serum such as the one we use that is derived from human stem cells is an integral part of the treatment to optimize results. We do not do any peels between treatments so we can properly assess the results from micro-needling alone. As you probably know from my postings, we use the ProCell Therapies system which combines micro-needling with growth factor serums. An important disclosure is that I am a part owner in this company but I truly believe we have the best growth factor serum in the world right now as well as the most effective machine.

Victoriana

June 3, 2015

Thank you for responding Dr. schwartz. I believe that some doctors prefer to charge that much more for laser treatments. My skin has actually been scarred from laser procedures. Im hoping microneedling is the answer to help improve my skin. Again the results you have achieved are truly amazing and have made me even more hopeful in this treatment. thank you for posting them. And ill be sure to be book a consult with you when im in thr area.

curiousmee

July 15, 2015

LOL, Annle is obviously desperate for a sale. Could you be any more obvious? Annle needs to learn a lot better tactics than this cheesy garbage! Stick to your DAY job lady..

UPDATED FROM saradominica

1 day post

pictures

saradominicaOctober 21, 2014

here are some pictures, I just figured out how to upload, if ANYONE has other suggestions about my texture/dehydration issue I am more than willing to listen.

Replies (23)

DermWarrior

October 21, 2014

I'll be interested to see if the PRP helped. Thanks for posting

RSMember2803

October 22, 2014

Atleast you don't have open pores. I got dermastamp one and half months earlier. N my skin feels exactly like yours I didn't have open pores problem just some rolling acne scars.. the very next day after dermastamp treatment my face was filled with large open pores.. N it got worse.. I don't know what to do.. if you get any improvement from dermastamp please reply. N upload some pics

LiseyD

November 27, 2014

Try Infinite aloe cream!! Read up on the reviews. I've only been using it for under a week but I already notice a difference. ***3rd party link removed***

Bokwang7

December 6, 2014

Your story is a lot like mine year and half ago. As you can see I am from outside of US. Okay! My disaster started at skin massage place where very expensive and famouse in this area. What you have described is almost same as mine. I even went to doctor in Korea but all they said was sued her. So I decided to fix myself which did and bought everything under the sun. Some kind of worked and some made worse. Finally, about 4month ago I researched and found 'Meladrem' which so far only thing has improved my skin scar from that treatment. I still have 10% of scar or whatever it is called, discoloration or burning scar. Good luck with you. And I know exactly how you feel.

Crowly

March 3, 2015

Serious? This world is so retarted superficial...You call your skin damaged ? You have normal skin texture! I am so dissapointed of this whole site here. I came here to see how i can improove my scarring and all i see is people wanna die because of their ugly skin but when i look on their photos i see normal skin. And the right after shots are sensless because you have swelling up to 6 weeks.

Sweet1979

April 22, 2015

Lol.... its the world we live in hey

saradominica

July 14, 2015

This is extremely disrespectful. My skin BURNS every single day of my life and has literally destroyed pretty much all my happiness. My skin is so tight its painful to open my mouth. It's hardly about beauty anymore, but about pain. Everyone's story is their own, please don't try to take away what I feel. Maybe your situation is different, and I wish you all the healing in the world.

Victoriana

July 15, 2015

sara have u tried biafine cream? if theres any topical for healing the skin it was that. i had burning as you described when my skin was scarred from fraxel restore.
however it can also be anxiety...like "burning scalp syndrome" when people notice hair thinning. ecspecially common in women. if you are overall calm about your skin please do try biafine. best wishes to you.

UPDATED FROM saradominica

1 day post

next day

saradominicaOctober 21, 2014

This is a photo from a day after treatment, hasn't quite been 24 hours, swelling is obvious under eyes from PRP and microbleeding under skin is obvious everywhere. Skin feels tight and dry (but always does anyway!). Did not go to work today, hoping for more healing in the next 24 hours!

Replies (10)

Eva G

October 24, 2014

I look forward to your update, happy healing!

Janey44

October 25, 2014

Hey how is your skin looking on day 5?

Janey44

October 25, 2014

Oh and is that $1000 per treatment or for like 4 treatments?

tpasunrise

April 24, 2015

I have had PRP done 3 treatments ..one month apart....it takes months before you see a difference..that is how long it takes for collagen to build up .....it's painful ....it's sore ...feels frustrating ....I know all that ...but it is worth the time and patience ....one day you will look in the mirror and be surprised .......I know I was .....my first session was Nov, dec and then Jan .......

Sweet1979

April 25, 2015

Hi what is PRP?

MSchwartz

April 26, 2015

PRP stand for Platelet Rich Plasma and is obtained by first drawing the patient's blood and then separating out the part that contains the platelets by using a centrifuge. Unfortunately, PRP is very pro-inflammatory which is not a good thing for wound healing and for health in general. That is why there are newer human growth factor serums that contain more anti-inflammatory growth factors than pro-inflammatory ones which are better than PRP. The best ones are made from stem cells derived from human bone marrow which are the most anti-inflammatory of all.