Run Dont Walk Away from C02 Laser!! Gives You Burn Victim, Rubbery, Fake Skin!!!

(I have no idea on actual, exact date as this was early 2000, but Realself requires a date)
Hello. My story: I went in to a plastic surgeon in Scottsdale AZ complaining about a small amount of sun damage to my face. I was 37 at the time and my entire life people had said I looked 10-15 yrs younger. It was really weird how as far back as I remember the first question people would ask me was "how old are you?". Not "what do you do for a living?" or "What's your name?" - Always "How old are you?" was the first question out of their mouths. My friends wouldn't believe me until they would go out with me at night, they too were amazed. So, at 37 even though people were believing I was 25 I just wasn't happy (mistake). I had amazing, "almost" flawless skin. And, this Scottsdale dr. talked me into getting Co2 laser for the very little sun damage I had from a summer on the lake in Chicago. I was absolutely miserable after having it done and still regret it to this day. I felt like I went from what people referred to as resilient, beautiful, translucent skin (never happy with what we have) to burn victim skin. It was nowhere near the same texture & after all the redness and oozing went away I was left with white, rubber looking (not real) looking skin. I especially hated the contrast between my lower face under my eye area's color and beneath my eyes - I looked like I had bleached white skin directly under eyes and still do to this day; so much so that I have to use self tanner lotion or bronzer under my eyes or it looks freaky. I am now 51 and even though I've hated my skin all these years ever since the Co2 and highly regret it all I still continued to have people comment that I looked 10 yrs younger until I turned 49. What happened then was a complete transformation - I went from getting carded my whole life and people saying they couldn't believe my age to all of a sudden people NOT asking my age, not showing any reaction to my age when I'd tell them and now believing I'm every bit my age. My skin is night and day now. My point is that you may learn to think it looks acceptable or fool yourself into thinking it may even look good after you're healed (took me months before I would even go out of the house and I went into a deep depression over it) but in the long run it ruins your skin. This is why older woman end up doing it over and over and end up having those shinny, burn victim, rubbery looking skin. You have no idea what it does to your self esteem when you've heard your whole life that you look soooo young and all of a sudden people have no reaction when you tell them your age and you almost look older than your age. This treatment, C02 laser ends up making your skin look ruddy, large pores, saggy and much worse than it would if you'd never gotten it done to begin with. I had beautiful skin and you always want more and don't know what you have till it's gone. I do NOT recommend this treatment unless you have BAD skin. Please appreciate what you have and think about the lighter, less aggressive treatments & lasers out there on the market - you will never be able to go back and undo what you've done or do anything to your skin again that makes any difference! You will have gone down to several layers of skin and nothing ever again will be able to make any difference after that unless you continue to have the C02 done over and over!!