Wish I'd never had Ellacore! Concerned about permanent hyperpigmentation

I went in one day to my dermatologist's office to get a Botox treatment on my forehead frown lines when I was told about the Ellacore treatment, and that I was an ideal candidate for it due to my 'good skin'. Well, I did have my jowl line sagging in a couple of areas, and I was not happy with the deepening naso-fold areas next to my nose, so I started looking into Ellacore. If it contoured and lifted even a little bit, I'd be so much more happier with my appearance! After almost a year of internet research, looking at a lot of FAQs, reviews and before & after photos, I went in for a consult with my dermatologist in spring and several months later, after giving it more serious consideration, I finally decided to take the plunge and scheduled an appointment (the doctor had recommended my having it done during winter months). I was nervous but excited. First, a numbing cream was put on, then I was left alone for 45 minutes or longer, which by then, the effects of numbing cream had started wearing off. Following this, I had painful injections done to various parts of my lower face, then the procedure started. I had read that it was a low to moderate level of pain, but to me, it was VERY painful in certain areas. I couldn't help but notice that for some reason the left side of my face was overfocused on, compared to the right side. When they were done, I was given care instructions along with a gentle skin cleansing wash and a couple of sterile pads to put on my pillow and advised to not sleep on my side for at least the first 2 nights, and to wash my face twice a day and apply vaseline. It was also recommended that I take extra Vitamin C. For the first 5 days my skin felt and looked raw and painful, and I had blue and purple marks next to my chin on left side. I had read somewhere that one could go back to work in as little as 3 days, but I truly don't understand how - even a week later! - at least from my own experience. I didn't go anywhere for a week. I slept a lot and took Tylenol for the pain. I have a red-light skin therapy device and after a week of following the recommended skin care I started using it every day (being very careful to disinfect the area of device in-between treatments. I truly credit my red-light device with how wonderfully it soothed my skin and seemed to speed up the healing process of my skin. It will now be 2 weeks in a couple of days, and the healing is progressing although the left side is taking longer. I'm truly concerned that I may end up with permanent hyperpigmentation on the parts that were treated, but I'll just have to wait and see. After almost 2 weeks, I now wear a light foundation by Estee Lauder to cover up that part of my face when I go out in public for short periods of time, but immediately wash off the make-up when I get home and continue using gentle skin care regimen/products. To be fair, the dermatologist told me upfront that I would probably not see much of a difference with the first treatment and that I would likely need 2 or 3 more treatments to see the results I was after, but the concern I have with THAT is possible 'pitting' of my skin and further hyperpigmentation which I had also read about in several reviews. Final results might not be fully achieved for at least 2 months or even longer.

So, am I glad I had Ellacore done?

There MAY be a very SLIGHT improvement, or it may just be that I'm WANTING so badly see a positive difference that I'm deceiving myself, and I ended up only wasting my hard-earned savings! I guess I'll just have to wait and see... I hope this helped!