A few months ago I started sharing one of my favorite beauty secrets over on Instagram Stories. . .Laser Treatments!  I have been taking you on my journey and behind the scenes through the whole process and today I am going to share all the details.  Laser treatments are an absolute game changer and have transformed my skin.  Welcome to Beauty Diaries: Laser Treatment Edition.

BEAUTY DIARIES: LASER TREATMENT

BACKGROUND:

I am very fair skinned and have lots of sun damage.  Sun damage is one of those things that takes decades to show up so damage I am seeing today is likely the result of bad choices made in my teen years!  Sigh.  Today, I don’t go anywhere without major sunscreen on, but I was not so smart in my early years.  I loved laying out, I did the occasional tanning bed, and believed that SPF 4 was a good idea.  Now in my 30s I am not so happy with teenage Elaine because those bad decisions are all over my face (literally).  Having said all of that, dark spots and skin that easily marks is just part of my genetics. YAY ME!  I have to make good choices now so that 50 year old Elaine is thankful for decisions 30+ year old Elaine is making :).  The good news is. . .there is a solution that will transform your skin!  LASER TREATMENTS.  Yall, they are a miracle worker.  I have tried all the creams, serums, lotions, etc and I do feel that they help, but Laser treatment is the best of the best.   It gets in there and erases the damage giving you a clean slate to work with and maintain with serums, lotions, etc.

I had my laser treatments done at TruDerm, a local Medical & Cosmetic Dermatology center. I am so thankful to have found then.  TruDerm completely transformed my skin and I am truly grateful.  They have locations in Watters Creek Allen and Legacy West Plano.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE MANY REASONS I CHOSE TRUDERM:

• They have both medical and cosmetic professionals on site so you get the expertise of both when planning your treatments.  One of the spots on my face was a concern for me.  I didn’t want to just laser it off if it was something I needed to be concerned about.  I was able to have a dermatologist come in and check it out to make sure it wasn’t pre cancerous or anything before they used laser treatment on it.  This is unique.  Many Medspas are just cosmetic so I love the comfort of having both available.
• They just won a HUGE award being named a Candela Center of Excellence.  This award recognizes TruDerm for their expertise in laser treatments.
• They offer a huge range of services from Medical Dermatology (full body skin exams, skin cancer, acne, warts, Eczema, etc), Injectibles, Laser Treatments (including tattoos, hair, veins, etc), Body Shaping, Facials, Microneedling, Peels, etc.  You can see a whole list of their services HERE.
• Their facilities are absolutely gorgeous,  They feel like a luxurious spa.
• The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable
• They also offer specials every month.  Be sure to check out what deals they have going on.

MY JOURNEY:

My skin was starting to look very dull and uneven.  I had sun damage, dark spots and small areas of Melasma from pregnancy.  I was looking for a solution to help with this.  I went to TruDerm back in October for a FREE CONSULTATION and they recommended the Gentle Max Pro Laser for my skin.  They said I would probably need 3-4 treatments to get the desired results I wanted.  They offer free consultations to everyone and I highly recommend this because they can let you know what is the best for your specific skin concerns.  There are many types of lasers out there so you want to make sure you use the best for your skin.

1ST TREATMENT:

I went to my first appointment in November with Renee Newcomb, who is absolutely amazing, and she did my first Gentle Max Pro Laser treatment.  It took about 30-45 minutes.  The below pictures are my skin before I had any treatments done.  You can see all the dark marks especially around my lips, chin (well they are all over, but this area was intense).  Right after the treatment the really dark spots turned super dark.  It was so exciting because I could tell it was working.  I was able to go out to lunch with friends right after the treatment, I just put on make-up and you couldn’t tell.  As the week went on these spots continued rising to the surface (kinda looks like pepper on your face) and then flaked and fell off.  Like totally disappeared!!  It was amazing!!  I waited 4-5 weeks for my next treatment.

2ND TREATMENT:

I went back in December for my 2nd treatment.  I was already so happy with the results I was seeing.  The really bad spots by my lips had already disappeared!  Below is a photo right after the 2nd treatment.  You can see my skin is red and the dark spots are standing out more.  After about 15 min all the redness was gone.  The next picture shows you 1 day after and how all the spots around my eyes really darkened up and then 1 week after when they flaked and peeled off.  HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!  It is like magic!

3RD TREATMENT:

I had my 3rd treatment in January and by now the results were already amazing.  All the super dark spots were gone, these next 2 treatments were to get the more stubborn spots.  Here I am with the numbing cream on before Renee started the 3rd session.  You can see my skin is so much clearer!!  It was also great lighting!

4th/LAST TREATMENT:

I was really happy with my results after 3 treatments, but we decided to do 1 more to get the last little bit remaining.  Here I am below with numbing cream on.  My skin is so much more even and no major spots showing!

FINAL RESULTS:

Here are my final results after 4 treatments with the Gentle Max Pro Laser at TruDerm by Renee Newcomb (thank you Renee).  I mean. . .such a huge difference!  My skin is so much smoother, brighter, less spots, the texture is better, etc.  I am so happy with the results and now feel comfortable going around without make up on. . .just in time for summer!!  People keep asking me what I have done because my skin is glowing. . .well, I had laser done and you can too!  I think laser truly gives you the biggest bang for your buck!

Here is a close up of the before and after on my lip area.  This is an area that had tons of sun damage.

MORE DETAILS:

WHAT: Laser Treatment.  I had the Gentle Max Pro Laser.  There are many different types of laser out there.  This is the one that TruDerm recommended for my skin concerns.

WHY: To reduce dark spots caused by sun damage, aging and Melasma.  Gives your skin a fresh, youthful glow and reduces dark spots to create an even skin tone.

HOW:  A Laser is used on your desired area.  Mine was my face, but they can do any part of your body.  The laser goes around your entire face and zaps all the areas causing them to darken and flake off.  The treatment takes about 30 minutes and you have to wait 4-6 weeks between treatments.  You will be a little red after treatment, but that goes away quickly and there is zero downtime.  That is another huge perk about laser treatments.  The dark spots on your face will become darker (I think it looks like pepper) and flake off over the next week or so, however you can cover all this up with make up.  Your skin is not overly dry or flaky.  I love seeing the dark spots because I know those areas will be gone the following week.

WHERE:  I go to TruDerm in Allen or Plano.  If you are local I highly recommend them.  They offer FREE CONSULTATIONS to recommend the right treatment plan for your skin.  If you are not local contact a MedSpa in your area that offers laser treatments.  You can have Laser treatments done anywhere on your body.  I had it done on my face, but it is also commonly done on neck, decollate, arms, etc.

WHEN:  I like to have it done during Fall, Winter so your skin is ready for summer.

WHO: Anyone who is unhappy with their dark marks.

PRICE: This really varies depending on location and the treatment you need.  Many spas offer treatment packages.  I would say a good estimate is $300 per treatment

MOST ASKED QUESTIONS:

• DOES IT HURT ?: I am a pretty big weenie when it comes to pain, but this is very tolerable.  TruDerm puts numbing cream on before you start the treatment.  This helps a lot.  Make sure your location offers this.  The best way I can describe the Gentle Max Pro laser is it feels like when you boil water and drop something in it and a tiny drop flicks onto your skin.  It is warm and you feel it, but it isn’t overly painful.  It kind of feels like that.  Each time they click the laser it makes a zap noise and feels warm.  Some areas are more sensitive than others, but definitely tolerable.  I had IPL laser done in the past (about 4 years ago) and it felt more like a rubber band snapping.  I think all of the lasers have a slightly different feel, but all are manageable and totally worth it.
• IS THERE DOWNTIME ?: NO.  You can literally go out right after your appointment, just put on some makeup to cover up any dark spots
• HOW LONG DOES IT LAST ?: This really depends on each persons skin type.  These spots that get removed never come back.  What will happen is previous damage that you have done before will start to rise again.  Remember it takes several decades for the damage to show up that you did to your skin so while you are erasing your teenage damage, your 20 year old damage is still under the surface.   Laser will help to get at some of that too.  I had IPL done about 4 years ago and was ready to have Laser done again now.  I would say for my skin I will probably do it every 4-5 years.
• IS IT THE SAME AS BBL ?: There are many types of lasers out there.  Often times they are referred to as Photofacials as a category. Kind of like SODA as a category, but then there is Coke, Sprite, etc.  The laser I used was Gentle Max Pro, but there is IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), BBL (Broad Band Light), COOL LASER, etc.  They all treat red marks, dark marks, etc, but a specialist can decide which is the best for your skin type.  It has to do with how they treat the spots.

Thank you so much to everyone who has followed along with this journey.  I LOVE all things beauty/skincare/beauty treatments and will have a lot more coming your way soon (think laser capillaries by your nose, nasty leg spider veins, etc).  I always keep it real so I will share the gritty details of all these treatments.

Check out my other beauty diaries editions below:

• NOSE WAXING
• SHAVING MY FACE
• MICROBLADING

PIN BELOW IF YOU ARE THINKING OF GETTING LASER TREATMENT

 

Thank you to TruDerm for partnering on this post.  All opinions are my own and I only partner with companies I truly love and stand behind.