POSTED UNDER IPL Reviews
IPL Damage Ruining my Life
UPDATED FROM Bcole07
4 months post
4 month update
$450
Well... Things have gotten significantly worse. My face continues to deteriorate. Under my eyes and my cheek bones have shriveled up. Around my eyes are dark purple, very sickly looking. The diagonal, burn looking lines, are so much worse. I have what looks like acne, but not sure what it is because im not producing any oil. It seems like it is infected hair follicles. They will not go away. Orange peel texture is way worse, pores are huge. My forehead is so wrinkled and the fat pad is completely gone. The fat has dissolved unevenly on my chin, so one side is bigger than the other. Temples are completely sunken in, cheeks are sagging, face has completely dropped and sagging. Scars and discolaration everywhere. So many issues going on. Each day is harder than the day before. Im not sure how to even get through this.
Replies (5)
You have my prayers for sure! Can I ask your first name so I can put a name to my prayers. I know you will get through this!!! ❤️
Thank you Cathy, my name is Brittany
If you get a chance, would you private message me. Thank you so much!
I'm so sorry you are dealing with this, same thing happened to me...it has gotten a bit better but I still make little to no oil and I don't sweat from my face anymore even after a run. I have found chemical peels and baby fraxel have helped the texture but I prob will need filler or a lower eyelid lift at some point. Also I have heard aquagold treatments are helpful.
Do not let anyone do anything aggressive to your face, always start with low level settings/treatments find a good derm that actually listens to you and is conservative.
I really want to get my skin to a point of being able to do something to try to improve the texture and appearance but right now my skin is red, raw and irritated. Everything I try makes it worse. Tried products that are supposed to strengthen the barrier but they irritate my skin.
I really want to get my skin to a point of being able to do something to try to improve the texture and appearance but right now my skin is red, raw and irritated. Everything I try makes it worse. Tried products that are supposed to strengthen the barrier but they irritate my skin.
I've recently been using the biossance line of products I really like them so far.
I had the exact same thing happen to me it 5 years now I still have damage. The marks that look like acne are thermal burns. I wish you well some things I have tried and seen improvement are kelesta light therapy. Led Red light and green light. PRP with dermapen.
With the light therapy, did you do that at a doctors office or at home device?
I have done both at home and in a doctors office
UPDATED FROM Bcole07
2 months post
A sad update
Whether it is radiation poisoning or a prolonged period of extreme stress .... A few days ago I began to lose hair by the handfuls. My once very thick, full hair is barely existent. Im now waiting on blood and urinalysis tests to come back to see what is going on. If I didnt already have enough going on this has just sent it over the edge.
Replies (5)
I had one Sciton Forever Young BBL treatment! They should rename it the Forever F’d up treatment!! My skin looks like yours with every bad side effect you mentioned! I have also lost so much a
hair from all the stress this has caused!! God bless you and may heal us all emotionally and psychically!!!!
hair from all the stress this has caused!! God bless you and may heal us all emotionally and psychically!!!!
Hey cathy, thank you for your comment. Mine was BBL too. Honestly im in such a dark place right now, not sure how to pull myself out of it. Things just get worse everyday! Im definitely going to need fat grafting in the future, not sure what to do about the texture. But im having problems figuring out how to proceed with life in the meantime. If it was just some textural issues I might be able to deal with it but I seriously look sick and diseased. Too embarrassed to post pictures of the full extent of damage because they'll have to show my eyes, as my eyes are soooo sunken in and absolutely no fat around them, they are dark purple all around them. Its horrifying!
As far as my hairloss goes, its heartbreaking but I feel like atleast there are options for that. I'm just running really low on hope for my face because what options do we really have?
It has been 20 months since I had the one BBL treatment. I never dreamed in a million years that it could cause this kind of damage to my face! It is the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think of before I go to sleep at night. I have a sick feeling in my stomach all the time. I am not going to give up hope though. I keep telling myself to think positive and stay mentally and physically as strong as possible! The first year was the hardest, I was really depressed! It seemed to get worse by the day! Fat loss, new bumps, holes, dents, wrinkles, veins were forming! Support from husband and friends, lot and lots of prayers and faith helps so much! I do think that my skin is slowly getting better. It may never be the same, but it is changing. The holes/dents/icepicks seem to be flatter and I feel like the pulling sensation and some of the inflammation are better too. No new damage!!!! I don't think there is any magic treatment, I think it just takes a really long time to heal after this. Some people have posted after 2-5 years it has almost completely healed!! You are young and your skin has the ability to come back!! Stay strong and If I come up with anything new that helps I will let you know. God Bless!!!
Thank you so much for your encouragement! Im not giving up hope either, even though at times its so hard. I know the stress and depression makes everything worse but its extremely hard to control it. Prayer and faith is what gets me through each day!
Whats your thoughts on Dr. Emer? I know that people have seen him and seen improvement but I know that is such a gamble.
I would like to interject here and say that Dr Emer still seems to be pro-laser and pro-Ultherapy. The best thing you can do is not cause any more trauma to your skin under any circumstances. It takes 40-56 days for skin to fully regenerate itself from the basal layer to the epidermis, so as Cathy stated, as time goes on the new skin will slowly slough off the most damaged layers occurring more and more with every regeneration. All I will say is that I'm in the aesthetic field and I have seen people who incurred acne scars in their youth which are no longer visible as mature adults. It just takes time for the skin to regenerate and heal.
As far as seeking out help in terms of fats restoration I would seek out a Doctor who is outspoken against the use of lasers on the face, even as corrective measures for other laser damage which seems to be a trend now too. Those doctors do exist. Look up Dr. Amylya Prasad up on Youtube just to name one. Take care. Know that you are healing at this very moment. Stay hopeful.
As far as seeking out help in terms of fats restoration I would seek out a Doctor who is outspoken against the use of lasers on the face, even as corrective measures for other laser damage which seems to be a trend now too. Those doctors do exist. Look up Dr. Amylya Prasad up on Youtube just to name one. Take care. Know that you are healing at this very moment. Stay hopeful.
I really appreciate your advice! Its so hard to be patient but I know that jumping into anything else right now is not in my best interest. I will look up the doctor you mentioned. Thank you for lending an ear and advice to a lot of us who have been damaged by lasers or other cosmetic devices. ❤
Hey cathy, i read somewhere else that you had prp injections. I was just wondering if you think it helped any?
Yes I had 3 series of prp injections 5 weeks apart. The last one was about a month ago. It is suppose to take awhile to see the results. I think they may have helped a little. It was really expensive and honestly I can't see a huge difference yet. My skin is starting to feel stronger, so maybe that has something to do with it. How is your skin doing?
Well.. The burning in my face hasn't happened for a few days. I just get a few tingling sensations in certain spots every once in a while so I'm hoping the inflammation is going away "knock on wood". I got a huge outbreak of acne on my cheeks that seems to be slowing down some. Ive been taking doxycycline, so I think its helping with that. But its so hard to tell how things are, whether its getting better or worse. Its so crazy because sometimes i think it looks better then it looks a lot worse. There's a lot of dead skin on the surface but im too scared to do anything right now to exfoliate it. When did you start using stronger products to try to combat some of the issues?
I am praying for you, too. Your damage pic is not too bad. I think you will heal in time. IPl and other Light/laser devices can damage oil glands so give them time to heal. You look like you will definitely heal. A good healthy diet and exercise will help healing for you.
Unfortunately, things have gotten significantly worse since I posted my picture :( Not sure what to even do. Not sure if I have acne or folliculitis. But, it increased hair growth on my face and its like the hairs aren't wanting to come through the surface of the skin and some build up under the skin with keratin plugs.
UPDATED FROM Bcole07
2 months post
Picture
Even though this is really hard for me to do, i decided to add a picture. Its hard to believe, but the damage looks so much worse in person. This picture was taken a few days ago and unfortunately since then the damage has only gotten worse. I will update with some more detailed pictures soon.
Replies (5)
Thanks for the photo. What has your derm said?
Ive been in to her office 5 times.At first she denied anything was going on and then the last visit she said I would need CO2 to correct the damage. Yeah right!
It's always amazing to me when doctors want to suggest more laser treatments for laser damage. Yes, that makes perfect sense -double down on bad. Not! #STUPID
Not just doctors, any and all "service providers" who use this dangerous technology at the cost of people's faces, lives and well being.
Its ridiculous! My face can't even handle tap water or moisturizer how in the world would it be able to handle more laser treatment
Tuffy, do you have ipl or laser damage too?
my heart!! I know everything you are going through, you are not alone!!! I am praying hard for you and everyone else going through this. It will get better and better with time. 4 months is when things started getting worse for me too. I still have bad days, but I am healing mentally and physically and you will too!! God Bless you and heal you!!!!