My Fraxel Laser Experience With River Medical

Have you heard of Fraxel Laser? I am blown away by my results following just one treatment at RIVER MEDICAL Dublin. The photos below (taken just 10 days apart) tell the story. There is still some pigmentation that has come to the surface in the second photo, which continued to flake off in the following days. But as well as clearer, fresher skin, I see a reduction in wrinkles and fine lines and a huge improvement around the eye area.

 

CONSULTATION

At my consultation, I listed my areas of concern. Aged 67, you can imagine that pretty much everything is of concern. Recently, though, I have been aware of my face looking discoloured, even dirty.

We discussed CO2 treatment, but decided on Fraxel because of its minimal downtime and quick results. Christmas was less than three weeks away and I had a few events the following week.

 

WHAT CAN FRAXEL DO?

• It will stimulate new collagen growth
• It will help with pigmentation and sun damage
• It helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles
• It will help improve skin tone

 

DAY OF TREATMENT

A topical numbing cream was applied and I sat for 45 mins or so happily reading magazines and scrolling through Instagram.

Then Nurse Aisling began the treatment and I can honestly say the pain was tolerable. She moved over the face with the laser quickly and efficiently and the attached cooling fan definitely helped. In no time at all, I was finished.

 

AFTERCARE

I was given precise instructions. A gentle cleanser was required, so I popped into Boots to get Cetaphil on the way home. And Aisling had recommended that I use a Dr Obagi moisturiser which was to be applied several times a day and which I bought at the clinic.

My skin was so dry that it was soaked up immediately.

Most importantly, I was to apply sunscreen straight after my moisturiser. If I wished to use make-up that was ok, once the redness subsided, but I chose to go ‘au natural’.

 

MY JOURNEY

Day I

After the treatment, I walked red-faced to the train. The cold air was pleasant and nobody paid any attention to my red face on the train back to Malahide.

Day 4/5 my skin took on a bronzed appearance, like I had a tan. This is the unwanted pigmentation rising to the surface. My skin felt tight and was like sandpaper to the touch.

Below you can see a close-up of the pigmentation rising to the surface.

Day 6,  the flaking started…. I kept moisturising and the skin soaked it up.

SUMMARY

My skin went from being red, as if I had sunburn, to brown. On day two, it was still red. By day 4, it was brown (dark spots) as pigmentation came to the top. Then on day six, it started to flake off. By day ten, it was looking so much brighter. I popped into River Medical so they could take photos.  You can see that my skin is glowing, even though there was still plenty of pigmentation to come away. I do look rather pleased, don’t I?

 

Day 18. On Christmas Eve, we were out with friends and I got many compliments on how well I was looking.  Of course, I told them about Fraxel. You can still see a few pigmentation spots on my nose. I am wearing no make-up, just eye pencil and mascara and lippy which has worn off.

 

FRAXEL DETAILED INFO

Fraxel is a non-invasive, microscopic laser that quite literally changes the surface of your face by penetrating your skin to encourage new collagen and elastin growth. Fraxel only targets a fraction of the skin at a time, which is why it’s also known as a fractional skin resurfacing treatment.

River Medical uses Fraxel Dual Technology which has two wavelengths of laser light. The 1927 wavelength will lift away discoloration, hyperpigmentation and dark spots, while the 1550 wavelength is designed to target and smooth your skin’s texture (fine lines, wrinkles, and acne-scarring) by penetrating much deeper.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

I will be heading in for another Fraxel treatment soon; two sessions have been recommended. And I will continue to get this treatment probably once a year, because I am so impressed.

What is also very impressive are the non-cosmetic benefits. For instance, it can lift away pre-cancerous spots and with patients who have had basal or squamous cell skin cancers, non-ablative fractional laser treatment lowers the chances of the cancer recurrence by about half. A few years ago I had my first surgically removed and a second in the same area was removed two years later! Check out my post HERE

If you want to know more, phone River Medical 01 662 9106 and make an appointment for a consultation. You will be well looked after and given the best advice. They have all kinds of cosmetic treatments including ULTHERAPY.

Regular readers will know that I had Ultherapy a few months before Covid and subsequently looked great on Zoom during the pandemic. Seriously, I thought it was excellent and my lower face looked more defined for up to two years.

You may be interested to know that they offer a payment plan, so check that out too.

More videos and photos on my Instagram account overthehilda.

And Happy New Year to you all and thank you for reading Make yourself a priority in 2024.

 

Love Hilda XX

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