5 replies to this topic

[ComplexIssues]

About 8 months ago, I had two treatments of SmoothBeam Laser, or something very similar to it. The first treatment went without any problems; the treatment itself was rather irritating, it stung quite a bit..But there wasn't any redness afterwards. The 2nd treatment took place a month later in January. This time, there was a lot of redness on my forehead and the sides of my face. At first it was considered normal and they gave me aquaphor to put on. The skin seemed to get better, but from that point on, I've had lingering redness on my temple area / sides of my face. Usually if I put moisturizer, the redness will fade quite a bit, but there's still some trace of it. If I don't put on any moisturizer, the redness will more or less stay. Note that the skin around this area feels different than normal skin. The texture feels more dry and rough to the touch.

Recently, with the weather getting dryer, my face has gotten dryer, which makes the redness that much harder to handle. I've been using aquaphor at night to handle it, but the substance is very greasy and I'm not confident about this being a long term solution. They say treatment is supposed to last up to 12 months before dissipating, which I'm hoping it will, otherwise I'm basically fucked. Actually who knows if this is permanent damage. I can't wash my face with cleansers cause it's too strong on my weakened skin.

Anyhow let this be a warning to all of you guys suffering from acne, that there can be a price to pay for the things we do to to achieve perfect skin. Just be careful and try to do things more naturally rather than rely on dangerous drugs and still relatively experimental treatment.

Of course if anybody has any advice for my condition, do let me know.

[livluvlaf]

Have you returned to the place where you received the treatment to ask them about it? Did you receive the treatment by a doctor, or at a beauty clinic?

other than this red inflamation, were you happy with the results of the treatment? What were you originally seeking to solve with the SB treatment?

[ComplexIssues]

Have you returned to the place where you received the treatment to ask them about it? Did you receive the treatment by a doctor, or at a beauty clinic?

other than this red inflamation, were you happy with the results of the treatment? What were you originally seeking to solve with the SB treatment?

In the beginning I did return to the dermatologist and during that point he had given me some creams to use for a week and Aquaphor. After that the situation got better and due to my job situation, I didn't have insurance anymore so I didn't have any further follow ups..The situation had been under control but recently due to the dryer weather, I've realized my skin still has problems...

[livluvlaf]

So you underwent the treatment by a doctor, who should have know what they were doing. Not a beauty clinic, who try to promote laser treatments as "the new facial".

Smoothbeam is supposed to reduce pore size and shrink your skin's sebicous glands, which produce oil. Is it possible they've been shrunk to the point your skin is too dry? I'm concerned about the "rough patches" you describe?

I was considering smoothbeam for shinking pores ... recently I've gotten off birthcontrol pills and my face has become extremely oily, pores very dialated. But with this, I also have an area around my lower cheek that has a cluster of blackheads & pimples, but that never emerge. The area is further emphasized by dark marks from previous acne, and wrinkles (as though my skin is too dry!). My point is that somehow I have dry wrinkly skin in spite of having overly oily skin ... how the two can exist on the same face, I have no idea!

There is a possibility your skin is having a similar change, but only in a small area. I would seek another medical opinion, froma different dematolagist.

[ComplexIssues]

So you underwent the treatment by a doctor, who should have know what they were doing. Not a beauty clinic, who try to promote laser treatments as "the new facial".

Smoothbeam is supposed to reduce pore size and shrink your skin's sebicous glands, which produce oil. Is it possible they've been shrunk to the point your skin is too dry? I'm concerned about the "rough patches" you describe?

I was considering smoothbeam for shinking pores ... recently I've gotten off birthcontrol pills and my face has become extremely oily, pores very dialated. But with this, I also have an area around my lower cheek that has a cluster of blackheads & pimples, but that never emerge. The area is further emphasized by dark marks from previous acne, and wrinkles (as though my skin is too dry!). My point is that somehow I have dry wrinkly skin in spite of having overly oily skin ... how the two can exist on the same face, I have no idea!

There is a possibility your skin is having a similar change, but only in a small area. I would seek another medical opinion, froma different dematolagist.

Yes, it was done by a trained dermatologist. My condition certainly sounds like an instance where my pores have been shrunk too much or at least altered in a bad way.

I warn you to be careful -- I too have oily skin but it is dry at the same time. Meaning that while I am oily during the day, whenever I wash my face, even with the most gentle cleanser, my face has a high tendency to get dry and flaky! It does seem impossible but it's true. I implore you to think twice before getting smooth beam. I always thought that oily skin is oily skin, but turns out trying to mess with it has messed me up. Now who knows how long this condition will last or if its permanent.

[EK1]

The thing you're describing about dry/flakey skin (yet oily) sounds like sd (seborrheic dermatitis). Perhaps look it up to see if that describes you?