Fractora RF... Yikes!

I went through a horrendously contentious divorce process that lasted nearly two years. At the age of almost 62 that was the last thing I ever expected. That was over 2 years ago and everything was just resolved this past summer. I tell people the stress marched all over my face with spikes and muddy boots.
In those two years I lost the 40 pounds I had gained during the 10 year duration of the relationship, but 110 pounds at 54 when you look 40 is a lot different than 110 pounds at almost 64, especially when the loss is caused by stress. Starting 2019 at 120 pounds (a 30 pound loss to that point), I was down to 115 by May, still looking good. By July I was 110 and looking horrific. Something had to be done. Even with a gain of 15 pounds by Christmas, I was still looking bad.
I'd been researching my options, interviewed with several cosmetic surgeons and when I met Dr Mizuguchi, I was very impressed. He and his staff are amazing. I was looking for a full facelift, forehead lift, upper/lower bleph and maybe some fat transfer. I also was looking for a tip refinement to my nose (I had had a rhinoplasty in 2004, rid myself of my father's bit, bony nose and wound up with with my mother's bulbous nose tip).
Dr Mizuguchi spent an hour with me and I found him to be very amiable, exuberant and not at all full of himself which, to me, is a huge plus; very likable. Even as haggard as I felt I looked, he told me he was amazed that I was 64. He suggested that we could take our time, not do everything at once and, in lieu of a forehead lift and bleph, try aggressive Botox every 3 months to lift my brows, get rid of my 11 lines and open my eyes, which are on the small size anyway. We would delay surgery on my nose and focus on the lower face and begin to prepare my skin for surgery with 3 rounds of Fractora.
I have had Botox in the past, several rounds of a couple types of lasers and liked the idea of taking our time. He also suggested a 90 day regimen of SkinAid which is a collagen drink designed to improve the skin from the inside out.
I enthusiastically signed up for the first of the 3 treatments of Fractora. I read as much as I could and was pretty concerned about the recovery and, most of all, the pain. But I have a high tolerance for it- how bad could it be?
I was so excited to start I showed up at the office a day early! lol It was okay, I picked up my SkinAid and returned the next day. I really was excited, but still wary of what to expect.
The focus was on my face and neck. Audrey slathered my face with a combination of lidocaine, tetracaine and, I think, benzocaine. I sat for an hour with a second application after about half an hour.
She came back and settled me into the chair and began the procedure.
So now we come to the point where I need to describe what Fractora feels like. I’ll use a pain scale of 1-10-
10- Childbirth
9- Having a nerve block in a broken wrist while I was awake
8- Fractora
7- Root canal
Yes. It was that bad. She did my forehead first and feeling the wand pressed against bone, the pain was about a 6. I stopped her for a moment to take this in and she continued. Down the right side of my face near my ear she hit a nerve that was like an explosion of pain. A 7 at best. It seemed like it was worse around my mouth, under my ear, under my chin and my neck. Oh, bloody hell, let’s just say my entire face… nerves everywhere! The pain overall was definitely an 8. Did I mention I usually have a high tolerance for pain?
At one point tears started pouring out the corners of my eyes and wouldn’t stop. She had mentioned the option of something similar to laughing gas and I asked for it. I also put on my music hoping that would help. The gas couldn’t be overdone or it would cause a headache. At that point I didn’t care. It helped only a little and wound up not getting a headache from it.
The whole process took about half an hour or so (felt like hours) and when she was done, Audrey slathered my face with Bio Cream, gave me after care instructions and I started driving home.
It was only a 25 minute drive, but my face felt like it was on fire the entire time. I kept singing, Ma Face… Ma Face… Ma Face is on fire… to the tune of The Roof is On Fire by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, an old 1984 rap song, but pretty appropriate for the moment.
Once I got home and out of the car into the coolness, the burning subsided. Luckily I work from home so I was able to finish out my day with no problem. I just kept applying the Bio Cream. My face and neck were red, but it wasn’t awfully bad. My son-in-law even stopped by and never noticed anything.
The saga continues into Day 2…

Day 2- I had read about the recovery process, the itching, maybe a “little” swelling. I went to bed feeling quite itchy and it got worse. I was up and down all night moisturizing, hoping it would go away long enough so I could sleep. I woke up itching, wiped my face gently and added more Bio Cream which, I have to say, I’m not all that impressed with at this point, especially for the price. Maybe it works better on unwounded skin, but right now it doesn’t seem very moisturizing. I tried my Beautypie Japanfusion moisturizer which helped so much better.
I’m so lucky to be able to work from home during this period. My face is red and blotchy, my face from my cheekbones down to my neck is crimson and swollen. My skin feels crusty and thick in some areas. Everything itches, especially around my jawline, under my chin and down each side of my neck and at the bottom of my throat. It’s all I can do not to claw at myself! I’m drinking glass after glass of water. The itching gets worse. I look like I fell into a bush full of poison ivy and have the worst case ever.
I send photos to my closest ‘work sister’ who lives in Chicago and she called me laughing hysterically. What does she care? She’s 63 and looks like Jill Biden.
Work takes my mind off my misery and I keep looking for signs of improvement. I try to keep in mind things will probably get worse before things get better. I see white stripes where Audrey missed and I know each one of them was because I had asked for a break. There aren’t too many at least. I see striations that look like railroad tracks up my forehead and on my cheeks.
I gently clean my face and reapply moisturizer all day. By nighttime I’m wondering if I can do this two more times. I ransacked my bathroom and linen closet looking for the Cortisone 10 I just know I have somewhere. Apparently I don’t have any. Ordered some more on Amazon and happy it’ll be here on Sunday. I found some Benedryl spray for itching and put some on with a cottonball from my jawline to the base of my neck and feel some blessed relief for the first time. I’ve also taken a 50 mg Benedryl and I’m drowsy so that could also be part of it.
Hopefully things will be better tomorrow.

Day 3- Things are not better. As soon as I woke up I could feel that my face was swollen. I could barely see. I looked like I’d gone a few rounds with a brick wall. The itching is awful and I’m seeing what look like whiteheads. Thankfully I knew that was a possibility. I texted my son-in-law and tell him I wouldn’t be seeing them this weekend for my daughter’s birthday celebration. The last thing I want my young grandkids to see is this face!
I filled a bag with crushed ice and water and have been just dabbing all over my neck and face all day. This seems to help a lot.
My skin feels more crusty and bumpy. I remind myself again that this may get even worse before it gets better (hopefully!).
As the day goes on into evening, I’m alternating dabs of the ice pack and moisturizing. I can see better, but the area under my eyes are still very, very swollen.