Lasers vs Peels
I went to my dermatologist's office yesterday for a consultation. Here are issues that I wanted to address:
1. Hyperpigmentation
2. Minor acne scarring on my cheeks, esp. my right cheek
3. Fine lines around my eyes
Not a pretty picture. I had already met with the doctor, so this appointment was with his laser specialist and Physician Assistant. I told her that for the last couple of years I've been trying to get pregnant, then pregnant, then nursing, so my skin treatment options have been really limited. Now I'm ready to get my skin on track, and I wanted to know how to address the issues that have plagued me. I had heard about the Pixel laser so I was interested in how it might help.
This is how the specialist said my skincare issues could be treated.
1. The hyperpigmentation: Typically, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments are recommended for hyperpigmentation. However, my skin is a 3 or a very light 4 on the Fitzpatrick skintone scale (with 1 being very fair skin to 5 being African skin), and the brown spots that I have are so close to my actual skintone that she believed that I would be less than thrilled with the results of the IPL procedure, which is expensive ($350 a treatment for 4-5 treatments). Instead, she recommended a chemical peel about once a month ($150 a treatment) to even out the discoloration. She also put her finger on one of my main issues, and one that I hadn't addressed to myself, and that's dullness. She said that the dullness is caused by layers of dead skin, and that the chemical peel can really address that and restore my youthful glow.
2. Acne scars: She said the Pixel laser is designed to treat scars and fine lines, so it would be perfect for my acne scars, but recommended waiting until after the peels to see whether I still felt I needed it. She said the peels would help to remove any of the discoloration associated with the scarring, and I might be satisfied with the results and decide I don't need the laser after all.
3. Fine lines around eyes: She pointed out that the lines around my eyes are very fine, and that I have no lines anywhere else (yet!). Though the Pixel laser is designed to treat fine lines, with my small frame and small face, the eye shield that she would need to use during the laser treatment would almost completely cover my eye area, meaning that only the fine lines around the very outer edges of my eye area would be treated. So I may have to look into Botox instead... She recommended trying this TEA Teamine eye cream (which I bought a couple of years ago and passed along to my husband without even trying it) and to see how I felt about the fine lines after that.
Whew! Lots of information to walk away with! I will let you know how my skincare treatments go, and the results, so taht you can know what to expect in your quest for better skin! If you have experience with the Pixel laser, I'd love to hear from you!
1. Hyperpigmentation
2. Minor acne scarring on my cheeks, esp. my right cheek
3. Fine lines around my eyes
Not a pretty picture. I had already met with the doctor, so this appointment was with his laser specialist and Physician Assistant. I told her that for the last couple of years I've been trying to get pregnant, then pregnant, then nursing, so my skin treatment options have been really limited. Now I'm ready to get my skin on track, and I wanted to know how to address the issues that have plagued me. I had heard about the Pixel laser so I was interested in how it might help.
This is how the specialist said my skincare issues could be treated.
1. The hyperpigmentation: Typically, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments are recommended for hyperpigmentation. However, my skin is a 3 or a very light 4 on the Fitzpatrick skintone scale (with 1 being very fair skin to 5 being African skin), and the brown spots that I have are so close to my actual skintone that she believed that I would be less than thrilled with the results of the IPL procedure, which is expensive ($350 a treatment for 4-5 treatments). Instead, she recommended a chemical peel about once a month ($150 a treatment) to even out the discoloration. She also put her finger on one of my main issues, and one that I hadn't addressed to myself, and that's dullness. She said that the dullness is caused by layers of dead skin, and that the chemical peel can really address that and restore my youthful glow.
2. Acne scars: She said the Pixel laser is designed to treat scars and fine lines, so it would be perfect for my acne scars, but recommended waiting until after the peels to see whether I still felt I needed it. She said the peels would help to remove any of the discoloration associated with the scarring, and I might be satisfied with the results and decide I don't need the laser after all.
3. Fine lines around eyes: She pointed out that the lines around my eyes are very fine, and that I have no lines anywhere else (yet!). Though the Pixel laser is designed to treat fine lines, with my small frame and small face, the eye shield that she would need to use during the laser treatment would almost completely cover my eye area, meaning that only the fine lines around the very outer edges of my eye area would be treated. So I may have to look into Botox instead... She recommended trying this TEA Teamine eye cream (which I bought a couple of years ago and passed along to my husband without even trying it) and to see how I felt about the fine lines after that.
Whew! Lots of information to walk away with! I will let you know how my skincare treatments go, and the results, so taht you can know what to expect in your quest for better skin! If you have experience with the Pixel laser, I'd love to hear from you!
posted by The Beauty Insider @ 7:45 PM
1 Comments:
At May 6, 2007 12:50 AM ,
GreatIdeaGuy said...
Teamine works pretty well. It's mainly designed for dark circles under the eyes but it can help with fine lines. It works on a vascular level by increasing blood flow through the capillaries. It also increases collagen production as well. Revision SkinCare makes great products and they are typically sold by doctors at $45 or more per 0.5 ounces.
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