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POSTED UNDER IPL REVIEWS

Fat Atrophy, Wrinkling and Eye Pain after IPL and RF from EMAX fotofacial - Palm Harbor, FL

ORIGINAL POST

I went to an mdspa in the Palm Harbor to receive...

RSMember1395
$300

I went to an mdspa in the Palm Harbor to receive IPL to get rid of my visible blood vessels on my cheeks in Mid November. I'm 37.

Unfortunately, the PA did the area near my eyes as well though I didn't request it. I had swelling for about 7 days total, mostly around my eyes. I had a few new blood vessels surface that were previously unnoticeable. I now have dime sized areas under my eyes that are noticeably a darker, stranger color, almost like it's black and blue under the eyes with some redness in a part of it. It's 1.5 months since I had the treatment. It is not improving. I also have little bumps on my skin under one eye and the skin is slightly sunken in under my right eye. The texture is bumpy where it used to be smooth.

I've seen two separate dermatologists and both say that it is possible that they may heel over time (not guaranteed) but that the new blood vessels are permanent. I didn't have any burns but you don't need a burn to have this damage. The swelling was really awful.

It was explained by the dermatologist that some of the IPL machines have some RF frequency also in them which can cause the dermis to shrink to become more damaged causing the difference in depth I see on my skin.

I can only hope this will heal. It is a little hard to cover with makeup in that the area is a different texture, depth, and color so it is quite noticeable. The area near the eye is more sensitive and thinner. Why she treated this area I will never know but definitely discuss exactly where you want your IPL so they don't just treat you everywhere.

I would not recommend this procedure. In the future for any procedure, I would only go with a dermatologist who has extensive experience with lasers, not a PA and definitely not an mdspa. I never did see a doctor at that location.

To make matters worse, the PA decided to do an RF skin tightening treatment under my chin (which I didn't request)and did not use any eye shields - which can lead to permanent eye damage. He goal was to sell me on the whole procedure. I've had corneal irritation since the procedure along with annoying vision issues and I have to put in steroid drops daily to reduce this (not to mention they found brand new opacities). Since I didn't bite for the full skin tightening treatment, she then tried to sell me a B-12 shot claiming it would give me energy. All of this was a big learning experience and reminder to only go with professional medical doctors for any procedures in the future.

Definitely go to a competent doctor for any procedure, not a mdspa and skip IPL for broken blood vessels. There are apparently better lasers out there for blood vessel treatments though since this mdspa didn't own that laser, they sold me on this one (and never mentioned there were others). I wish I had done more research.

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The settings for the treatment were too aggressive and I have dermal atrophy, fat loss, excessive wrinkling, and changes to my skin that were not part of the suggested reactions to the treatment. The PA treated an area I never requested and didn't use eye shields for part of the treatment. See the photos and decide for yourself if you want a fotofacial in Palm Harbor from a spa.

Replies (3)

January 6, 2012

You certainly make a valuable add to the community by stressing the importance of going to a reputable doctor.

That is unfortunate about the change in color under your eyes. Have you seen any improvement, or has it remained as dark as it was?

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January 24, 2013
Megan, going to a reputable doctor does not guarantee a good result...people really need to remember that. I did my research, went to a supposedly good doctor with lots of experience - he even trains other doctors - and he screwed up my face.
January 24, 2013

You are right, there are no guarantees, and there are risks with any treatment. Of course going to a reputable doctor can help manage those risks, but they will never be completely gone.

Here is a blog that sort of touches on this subject that might be of interest:

Staggering Differences in Satisfaction Between Board vs. Non-Board Certified Doctors

UPDATED FROM RSMember1395

I should also mention that I have a substantial...

RSMember1395
I should also mention that I have a substantial increase in wrinkles on my cheeks and around the eyes. The machine used also has an RF factor in it. Is it possible the RF was too high and melted the fat under my skin?

Replies (13)

January 10, 2012

Thanks for posting your update. There was a question asked in the Q&A section that might address your question about the possibility of the fat under your eyes being melted.

"Is IPL with RF Powerful Enough to Melt Fat?"

However, there are others who have talked about fat loss after IPL. Here are links to  a couple of their reviews.

“Extreme Fat Loss After IPL”

“Fat Loss/sagging/permanent Puffiness from IPL”

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January 13, 2012
Hey Ajapel,
Thanks for posting a pict so that people understand exactly what we are talking about. Those are the same lines, bumps, etc I have all over from my ipl treatments. This wasn't on the consent form by any means. ugh.
January 13, 2012
I wonder if it is a settings issue. As in maybe they just turned the RF setting or flurence up too much for the thickness of the skin in that area. I mostly have it where the PA turned up the machine. Unbeliveably she told me she was turning it up right under my eyes and on the tops of my cheeks. This area looks far worse than the rest of my face. The skin is thinner in this area so should receive less energy, not more.
August 11, 2012
I think this is definitely the case! I have had IPL done and really, there should not be any real swelling at all after the procedure and there always should be glasses on you during the ENTIRE PROCEDURE. Also, the TYPE OF LASER is SUPER IMPORTANT. And the setting. Wrong setting, wrong laser=disaster. Yikes. I am so glad I have read this forum. Really glad. I have had really good results with minimal redness and NO SWELLING.
August 11, 2012
The eye protection is extremly important. I have eye pain every day and massive floaters since the treatment. There are plenty of documented cases of permanent iris damage from using IPL machines too close to the eye. Paper eye shields do not stop the transference of heat to the eye ball. There was a case of permanent iris damage with a laser being used 1cm away from the eye. IPL uses visible and near infrared light - both very dangerous to the eye. There is an article by Lars Hode about how IPL is more dangerous than laser light to the eyes since it has a wider target of multiple wavelengths. Journal articles recommend using contacts that insert into the eye to protect it from damage if using these therapies near the eyes. I've been suffering for 9 monhts so it looks like permanent eye damage has occured in my case. I had treatment right up to my eye globe and part of my treatment without any eye shields. I would not wish this on anyone. Pulsed laser penetrate the eyelid but of course, the laser companies don't tell you all that information. They just sell the doctor the lasers and present only positve information.
January 13, 2012
I want to let you know I went to a doctor here in Tampa and all she does is laser, injections, etc. I had IPL and on the third session set it up one notch higher and caused the same damage. When I smile I have very deep lines that cave-in on my face. Orange peel, pitting all the same that others have had. I have stayed out of the sun for years, never smoked or had acne and now it looks like I have done all three. It is disgusting case of greed. Everyone in the medical field want to say this is impossible but we are all proof it can and does.
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January 14, 2012
I had a plastic surgeon tell me that basically what these machines are capable of doing is "frying" your fat, similar to the way fat shrinks when it's in a frying pan. The dermis has been cooked, melted and zapped away. IN addition to the devastation one endures with all the ongoing changes to the face and skin, the cascade of ensuing health problems post damage is also life altering.
UPDATED FROM RSMember1395

I'm now 6 months out and my skin is considerably...

RSMember1395
I'm now 6 months out and my skin is considerably worse. I wish I could go back to week 8 - that was just a warning of things to come.

It did not get better as I had hoped.

I consulted a laser expert who told me I have thermal damage. They took picture and said the radiofrequency was too high and went too deep causing fat atrophy (fat loss) and dermal damage. They said it may continue to get worse (and it has).

I have wrinkles all around my eyes, a bumpy texture and the skin is sinking down. I have little brown spots and many more blood vessels as the skin has thinned so much everything shows through. The laser expert said the skin is too thin for fillers as they may show though with a blusih cast. I was told to baby my skin with gentle moisturizers. I was told the indentation under my right eye is permanent as once the facial fat is lost it does not repair.

I look like I'm well over 60 around my eyes.

Here is all the info about my treatment:

The machine used was called the EMAX made by Syneron. The PA who did the treatment was Rosemary Woolfe. Medical director is Lyda Tymiak (an opthalmologist).

The RF setting was 25 using the SRA head. Optical fluence was also 25.

I also continue to have eye pain. Opthalmologist suggested I have nerve damage from the procedure as it was very close to my eyes and my eyes were not protected duing the second procedure.

Replies (62)

May 18, 2012

Thank you so much for continuing to keep us updated and posting pictures so we can all learn from this. I'm so sorry for what you are having to go through. Please continue to keep us posted on how you are.

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May 25, 2012
I had IPL as well last year. I only did it for some brown spots from the sun. He was a board certified plastic surgeon, but that doesnt mean ANYTHING! After the treatment my skin felt smooth to the touch and all the brown spots flaked off. I was happy,.... AT FIRST...He must have had the machine at maximum setting because afterwards my face felt like it was frying. He also got too close to the corner of my eye and caused a nasty burn under my eye that bruised, I looked like I had a shiner. There was a also a small red blood vessel that I never had before surface on my nose, that was bleeding for weeks. Now my skin looks different, I am confident he liquified the fat under my skin and it's permanent damage.
May 25, 2012
I'm sorry to hear about yoru skin A.B. If you have atrophy, you will have sunken skin either generalized, or in spots and you may have wrinkling as what is under the skin is no longer there. It isn't fun. I have textural changes from this was well where my skin is very bumpy and orange-peel textured (gritty). It used to be smooth. I think IPL is a complete chance - with too many people having skin damage afterwards.
June 14, 2012

Thank you for being so diligent about posting updated photos so we can see what is going on for you ajapel. I only wish it were an update showing improvement. Hugs to you!

June 23, 2012
I have had IPL several times on my face and chest with nothing but awesome results!!!! decreased freckles and brown spots...smoother skin.....cannot say enough great things from IPL