CoolBreeze Laser (Aka CoolTouch) Does NOT Work
So I received 6 sessions of CoolBreeze, aka...
So I received 6 sessions of CoolBreeze, aka CoolTouch, during June 2012. At the time, my acne was blissful compared to the misery I suffer from now. I only had acne on my 'side-burn' area which was not responding to the Benzoyl Peroxide I was using. Furthermore, I wanted to help accelerate the healing of my scars.
Despite information to the contrary stating that one needs three to six treatments at monthly intervals, I received 6 session within 3 weeks, at a rate of 2 per week. I was told this was actually better. Furthermore, the laser generated a lot of heat, which is troubling because it's supposed to generate a 'Cool breeze' as advertised. Regardless, the staff assured me this was going to be an amazing fix!
I was told it would take 3-6 months to see results because that's how long it takes for collagen to rebuild. Well, it has been over 5 months and my acne is worse now than it has ever been in my entire life. I have acne ALL over my face, including my chin which I never thought was possible. It's terrible, and everyday it just gets worse.
This failed experiment gave me false hope and makes me even angrier at my current state because I never thought my acne would spread to the rest of my face. I am NOT attributing my acne to the laser, but clearly the treatment was beyond useless. This is not a treatment that exacerbates acne before it gets better.
BB36's provider
Replies (3)
I'm so sorry to hear that things have actually gotten worse after your treatment. Ugh, how frustrating. Have you changed any of your skin care products to try to help get things under control since this happened, or have you felt it was best to just stick with what was working for you previously?
Awe :( please don't be so hard on yourself. As an acne sufferer myself I know how tempting it is to go with anything that promises a solution. You made the best decision you could at the time, and were trying to improve things for yourself. There is nothing wrong with that. I do wish it had a better outcome for you, but please don't beat yourself up over it.
I'm on spiro. I just started it a few months ago, so still trying to figure it out. So far it seems to be working, but it hasn't been a miracle cure like I would love to find. ;)
If you get on a retinoid ask for the gel. I was on the cream and broke out, others on here have mentioned that they did better on the gel than the cream too. Here is an interesting Q&A about the cream:
Why Does Retin-A Cream Contain Isopropyl Myristate? Isn't that considered highly comedogenic?
Well, I was started out on 100mg, but I have really low blood pressure as is, so add that in and I basically passed out on a subway in Boston when I was on a trip with a friend of mine. He is a physician and told me I either needed to drastically reduce my dose or stop taking it. :( Well, I cut it in half to 50mg. I still feel kind of crappy sometimes, but its way better.
As for the Retin-A cream. No, I really disliked it. I used it for 9 months, broke out initially then it didn't seem to every really clear up, and we all know how much that sucks. After 9 months I gave up on it, as I just wasn't seeing any improvement and by that time summer was approaching and I didn't want my skin to be sensitive to the sun. I'm pretty sure I will try the gel in a week or two. Fingers crossed for both of us that we just have the initial breakout period then some good improvements after that!
Please keep me posted on how you are doing and how your skin is reacting. I'll be very interested to hear.
Overall, yes, I have seen improvement. I saw the best improvement when I was on the 100mg, and would have loved to have been able to stay on that high of a dosage. I'm getting a little more breakouts on the 50mg, but still better than when I wasn't on it at all. You can click through to my review from my profile if you want to see my review. Hopefully we will both have some great clearing!!