I Think I Really Needed This!

 Okay, this is my last entry in my long five-treatment account.  I am a week post my fifth and final Fraxel treatment.  I did all five treatments over a course of about 8 months (had scheduling issues due to my travel demands) so it took a while to finish the whole series.   Some observations: -- It took four treatments before I myself was really able to see significant improvement in the mirror.  But when my doctor showed me my initial photos, I realized that the improvements were already well underway by treatment #3. -- I had a brief setback after treatment #3 because I  spent two weeks on a sailboat, and despite slathering on sunscreen and wearing huge hats, I couldn't avoid getting some pigmentation issues again.  The doctor responded by turning up the intensity of my 4th treatment.  (Ouch!)   He also added Obagi cream to my regimen. -- Now that I've finished all five treatments, I can say ... WOW.  My skin is incredibly improved.  My age spots have really faded (although they haven't entirely disappeared.)  My skin feels tighter and it is definitely smoother. I am really happy I did it.  It was expensive, yes -- but I guess it's a matter of how you want to spend your money.  I don't wear jewelry or expensive clothes or shoes.  What I show the public is my face, and I wanted that to look as good as it could be.

Today, my girlfriend asked me: "Did you have plastic surgery or something?"  That's how great my skin looks after 4 Fraxel treatments.I have to admit, I didn't see a whole lot of improvement after the first two treatments.  After the 3rd, though, things started to happen.  And now, after the fourth -- wow.  My skin looks amazing.  My pigmentation issues (which is why I first went for Fraxel) have cleared up dramatically.  My skin is plumper, smoother, and glowing.  There's even been some tightening effect on my upper eyelids.  I'm 56 years old, and I feel as if I've lost 10 years from my face.I have one more treatment to go to finish this series.  I am absolutely satisfied with the results so far.I also think I may have yearly refresher treatments, just to keep the skin cells turning over.The only downside?  I had some temporary hyperpigmentation after treatment #2, but those cleared up after a few weeks.  I no longer worry about that side effect because I know, if it happens, it is indeed only temporary.I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this treatment to older women who want improvements in skin texture and pigmentation problems of aging.

 Update: A few days ago, I had my third treatment.  The doctor showed me the "before" photo, before I had any treatments, and I can really see improvement already.  He said that after the third treatment is when the improvements really start to show up dramatically.  After the second treatment, a month ago, I had a few post-inflammatory pigmented areas turn up, but they're already fading now. This third treatment seemed a lot more painful, although the protocol was exactly the same as the first two times.  It may be that I've sloughed off so much dead skin that now what's left is more sensitive.  I knew exactly what to expect afterwards, and so far I've had the usual redness, roughness, and now the peeling.  What's being revealed, after the skin peels, is far smoother and more uniform than it ever was before.   So far, I can say that I'm really happy.  I have two more treatments to go.