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Update.
Hi everyone,
I chose to delete the pictures I posted since I took a new job, and you never know who might run across things on the internet! You can still read my posts and get a feel for the results, but I have to say, they were very temporary. About six to eight weeks later, my acne was as bad as before. I had another treatment, and it worked for about another six weeks. I went back again for a third time, and it went very, very wrong. When they tell you to stay out of the sun, STAY. OUT. OF. THE. SUN! I had my third treatment done mid-day and drove myself home without the proper covering. I ended up with phototoxicity, and I was out of commission for three weeks. Thankfully, nothing was permanently scarred or burned. But it took almost a month for it to heal. However, whatever went wrong in my last treatment, it was coupled with this crazy increase in oil on my face afterward. My skin just went insane, and was so broken out. By July of 2013, I didn't even want to go to work, it was so bad.
I was eventually diagnosed with PCOS, which makes perfect sense, since my acne has only gotten worse in my late 20s. I was put on 100 mgs of spironolactone, and within two months, my skin was perfectly clear. I've been on it about 8 months now, and I am 100% breakout free! Please, if you are dealing with hormonal acne in your 20s, 30s, 40s, talk to your doctor about medicine that will balance your hormones. I didn't want to go on birth control, because I'm almost 30 and I hear it causes a lot of problems once you come off of it. Spironolactone is something you can take forever, unless you're trying to get pregnant. And you will have to take it every day, or the acne will come right back.
Topical treatments just didn't get to the root of the problem for me, unfortunately. But I found something that did, and it changed my life. I hope this helps anyone else dealing with breakouts!
I chose to delete the pictures I posted since I took a new job, and you never know who might run across things on the internet! You can still read my posts and get a feel for the results, but I have to say, they were very temporary. About six to eight weeks later, my acne was as bad as before. I had another treatment, and it worked for about another six weeks. I went back again for a third time, and it went very, very wrong. When they tell you to stay out of the sun, STAY. OUT. OF. THE. SUN! I had my third treatment done mid-day and drove myself home without the proper covering. I ended up with phototoxicity, and I was out of commission for three weeks. Thankfully, nothing was permanently scarred or burned. But it took almost a month for it to heal. However, whatever went wrong in my last treatment, it was coupled with this crazy increase in oil on my face afterward. My skin just went insane, and was so broken out. By July of 2013, I didn't even want to go to work, it was so bad.
I was eventually diagnosed with PCOS, which makes perfect sense, since my acne has only gotten worse in my late 20s. I was put on 100 mgs of spironolactone, and within two months, my skin was perfectly clear. I've been on it about 8 months now, and I am 100% breakout free! Please, if you are dealing with hormonal acne in your 20s, 30s, 40s, talk to your doctor about medicine that will balance your hormones. I didn't want to go on birth control, because I'm almost 30 and I hear it causes a lot of problems once you come off of it. Spironolactone is something you can take forever, unless you're trying to get pregnant. And you will have to take it every day, or the acne will come right back.
Topical treatments just didn't get to the root of the problem for me, unfortunately. But I found something that did, and it changed my life. I hope this helps anyone else dealing with breakouts!
Three weeks post-treatment: Just giving...
Three weeks post-treatment:
Just giving another quick update and adding some new pics. Everything is still going well, still no new acne. I can still vaguely see where the levulan was applied because my skin is still pink, but I think it is continuing to fade, albeit slowly. It sucks my skin hasn't completely healed, but I do think I'm in the small minority who has this problem. Only one or two other people, in all the research I've done, take this long to totally heal.
Anyway, I have an appointment for a fraxel consulation next week, just to discuss the pros/cons. I really hate to go through another big procedure so soon, but I am starting a new job on Jan. 15th and I'll be working 6 days a week until April, so it'll have to be now or never. I am also going to ask the dermatologist about a Retin-A treatment. I thought I had been on a Retin-A medication for a year or longer, but it turns out it was a topical antibiotic, which doesn't do anything for the redness.
That's my update for the week! :) Thanks for the nice comments, by the way. I'm glad my experience has been informative!
Just giving another quick update and adding some new pics. Everything is still going well, still no new acne. I can still vaguely see where the levulan was applied because my skin is still pink, but I think it is continuing to fade, albeit slowly. It sucks my skin hasn't completely healed, but I do think I'm in the small minority who has this problem. Only one or two other people, in all the research I've done, take this long to totally heal.
Anyway, I have an appointment for a fraxel consulation next week, just to discuss the pros/cons. I really hate to go through another big procedure so soon, but I am starting a new job on Jan. 15th and I'll be working 6 days a week until April, so it'll have to be now or never. I am also going to ask the dermatologist about a Retin-A treatment. I thought I had been on a Retin-A medication for a year or longer, but it turns out it was a topical antibiotic, which doesn't do anything for the redness.
That's my update for the week! :) Thanks for the nice comments, by the way. I'm glad my experience has been informative!
Day 13: This is my (almost) two-week review. I...
Day 13:
This is my (almost) two-week review. I have posted a few new pictures. As you can see, the hyperpigmentation still remains. So my final review of the levulan treatment is, yes, it does work. My acne was getting out of control, and every new breakout I got, it was leaving a red mark in its place. Every day, my face was getting worse. Levulan works for what it was prescribed to me for, stopping the acne. I have not had a single new breakout where the treatment was applied. I have had one or two very small pimples on my jawline, but the esthetician didn't apply any levulan in that area, so it's not for a lack of the treatment working. Now I can treat the redness the acne has left behind. I am going to look into the Fraxel treatment, but I'm not sold on it yet. I know the hyperpigmentation will fade over time, and it's easy to cover with makeup, but it's still annoying.
All in all, I highly recommend Levulan for acne treatment IF you can afford both the cost and the time out of your life, because both are significant. The down time sucks BAD, because no, you cannot resume your daily life after 48 hours even though they say you can. I went through the drive-thru at Whataburger on day 3 with my face completely covered in a scarf and sunglasses and they looked at me like I was nuts. Who wants to take a whole week of vacation to be confined in the house looking like a tomato? But, it did work for me to control my acne like nothing else I've tried before. You see immediate results which is awesome. Despite the sky-high price and the recovery process, I would do it again, and I'm sure I will if and when it gets to that point. Thanks for reading this, and if I get another treatment, I'll update again!
This is my (almost) two-week review. I have posted a few new pictures. As you can see, the hyperpigmentation still remains. So my final review of the levulan treatment is, yes, it does work. My acne was getting out of control, and every new breakout I got, it was leaving a red mark in its place. Every day, my face was getting worse. Levulan works for what it was prescribed to me for, stopping the acne. I have not had a single new breakout where the treatment was applied. I have had one or two very small pimples on my jawline, but the esthetician didn't apply any levulan in that area, so it's not for a lack of the treatment working. Now I can treat the redness the acne has left behind. I am going to look into the Fraxel treatment, but I'm not sold on it yet. I know the hyperpigmentation will fade over time, and it's easy to cover with makeup, but it's still annoying.
All in all, I highly recommend Levulan for acne treatment IF you can afford both the cost and the time out of your life, because both are significant. The down time sucks BAD, because no, you cannot resume your daily life after 48 hours even though they say you can. I went through the drive-thru at Whataburger on day 3 with my face completely covered in a scarf and sunglasses and they looked at me like I was nuts. Who wants to take a whole week of vacation to be confined in the house looking like a tomato? But, it did work for me to control my acne like nothing else I've tried before. You see immediate results which is awesome. Despite the sky-high price and the recovery process, I would do it again, and I'm sure I will if and when it gets to that point. Thanks for reading this, and if I get another treatment, I'll update again!
Provider Review
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
186 Abner Jackson Pkwy, Lake Jackson, Texas
Dr. Pisarski is really nice. He spent almost a half hour with me, just talking about what to expect from the treatment, etc. I've been to other dermatologists where they look at you 30 seconds and are out the door. He answered all of my questions (and I had many!) and made me feel comfortable. He didn't actually perform the procedure, the esthetician, Marilyn, did and she is just as nice and willing to take time to discuss the pros and cons, and answer all questions. They don't push anything on you, gave me free samples of a bunch of stuff, and two complimentary blue light follow-up treatments. Very nice front office staff as well.