Laser treatment still impacts 12 years later.

In 2007, Dr Chris Moss performed an SMAS lower lift on my face and lasered the lines around my mouth. Although I was thrilled with the results of the lift, more than 12 years later, I still can’t come to terms with the consequences of the laser treatment.

I literally have two-toned skin with a demarcation line separating the treated area from the untreated areas. The lasered skin has practically no colour. It’s a milky shade of white. It doesn’t tan, nor does it burn. It just stays milky white. The untreated skin is obviously still susceptible to the sun and even the slightest hint of sun exposure amplifies the difference in skin colour.

For the past 10 years, I have tried to manage the unevenness of my skin tone with regular IPL skin treatments. IPL, however, controls the damage, it doesn’t repair it. Consequently, each and every day, when I look in the mirror; when I blend lashings of tint into my skin; when I venture outdoors, I’m confronted by the consequences of the laser treatment.

The problem initially became noticeable about 3 weeks after the operation. I phoned Dr Moss’s office to make an appointment to address my worries but was put through to a nurse. The nurse directed me to buy “mineral powder”. In 2007, mineral powder was new to the Australian market and I naively thought it had healing properties. It would have been professional to advise me the damage to my skin was irreparable.

A few weeks later, I received a feedback questionnaire from Dr Moss and informed him of what had happened to my face. That Dr Moss never responded, in my opinion, reflects on the values of the practice and the laser procedure itself.