Pixel Laser Resurfacing - Sydney, AU

So I had my three week catch up appointment with my physician. After discussing my former concerns I felt very reassured. She outlined how my skin was in much better condition and how it should only improve if I stick to my new regime of no sun and chemicals!

The before and after photos weren't dramatic but they did show some great improvements in the pore size and texture of my skin. Which is what I initially wanted out of the treatment!

Now, in regards to doing this again. I would do this again for different reasons though- that being to resurface my skin when I'm older and the effects of gravity have started to kick in. I am 100 % dedicated to looking after my skin now that I have undergone this process. So I guess that is a massive positive to the experience.

Hopefully my review has given some insight into what to expect. I also hope for those of you out there considering doing this that you are really prepared! I can't stress that enough.

Anyway thank you so reading my review :)

So its almost been two weeks since the treatment and my skin is pretty much back to normal. It is very sensitive (stings a little every now and then) and flushes easily. Though in saying this it does look a lot clearer and smoother, and my pores have decreased to about half the size. I haven't used any chemicals on my face and I've completely stayed out of the sun. (I carry round a massive hat with me everywhere incase I have to walk out in the sun.)

One thing I have noticed after this treatment is how oily my skin really is. Because I use to wear moisturiser and makeup all the time the natural oil in my skin remained underneath the makeup and intern clogged and enlarged the pores. Now because I haven't used anything on my skin I've noticed that my T-section is generally oily all the time and I just fix that by spraying my face with water and softly wiping my face with a chemical- free disposable cloth. (I wish I had know this before the treatment!!!)

Most people have thought I was bananas for undergoing the treatment. I questioned the necessity of it in the last two weeks many times but now that I'm at the other end all I can say is what done is done. I do regret the timing of the treatment and wished I was told that downtime varies a lot from person to person. Now all I can do is look after my skin as best I can. I thought because my skin was young that it would allow it to 'bounce back' better then if I got it done later on.... stupid thought really. Everyone's skin is different, and 'burning' a layer off to improve it does sound pretty ridiculous now.

And at this stage would I recommend this treatment to anyone else? Only if you really, really, REALLY need it and only if you're really prepared!!!!!!(i.e not during summer and only if you have the time off work/ commitments). I'm not giving a definitive answer because I still don't know if this experience was worth it or not.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I will review my progress in a couple of weeks :)

Bio: 22 years old, Caucasian skin- pale/ yellow complexion, no wrinkles, enlarged pores, some freckles.

Last thursday at 4pm I had laser resurfacing done on my face done at the Cosmetic Medical Clinic NSW, Pitt St Sydney. The physician used The Pixel® Fractional Laser (with properties of ablative fractional photothermolysis at a wavelength of 2940 nm).

So going into the treatment I had no idea what I up for. The way pictured it was how they explained it on the website along with how other clinics explain it- "Depending on the depth of preset laser penetration and the problem being treated. Generally speaking you can expect your skin to be flushed and red after the treatment, “bronzing” during recovery and flaking after 2-3 days— something similar to a sunburn. These symptoms are a normal part of the healing process and should improve within as little as 3 days depending on the intensity of the treatment." The physician did not explain how I would have grid marks all over my face and only told vital pieces of information about the treatment and recovery process just before the treatment:
- no sun contact for at least 4 weeks ( would have liked to have organised a lift from the clinic but wasn't told do prior, nor was i given a hat for when I left)
- that sun contact was do be avoided prior to the treatment ( more then 2 weeks). I wasn't informed at all about this while booking the appointment.
- no products or chemicals are to be anywhere near face while recovering
- including make up, meaning I can't use it to cover up the marks.
- that it is controlled burning, in other words all it is burning a layer of skin off....
- that it takes about 3 treatments to for the full effects

I feel stupid for not researching further into what laser resurfacing actually does. My reasoning for undergoing it was to get rid of my enlarged clogged pores on my T section- where I also tended to break out a lot. And so that I could discontinue using makeup to cover up my pores. The rest of my face was in perfect condition though. The physician even complemented on how nice my skin was more then once..... But nor did she say that the the treatment wasn't right for me- so I thought I'll just go for it.

So here I am 5 days later, my skin has a sort of stinging sensation in the areas she did a higher intensity (forehead and nose), like a bad sunburn. I'm just worried now that I've looked into this a little more deeply that this is the beginning of hyper/ hypo pigmentation. If anyone could enlighten me or compare it to their experience I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this if you have. I will post further updates :)