64 replies to this topic

[tp30]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share with you my experience with Isolaz. This is my first post at this site, but I've been reading messages for over 1.5 years now...

First, some background on me. I'm 31 years old, and have had mild/moderate acne ever since about my frosh year of college. I never really cared that much, figuring it was a phase and that it would go away. Finally I got sick of it and started on Proactiv, which worked great for a few years.

Ever since then, I've constantly battled acne. I might go a week or two with clear skin, but then the stuff would always come back. Nothing too major, but enough to increasingly get on my nerves, the longer it stuck around. I'd always have blackheads around my t-zone (which I would tediously try and unplug as best I could every week or so), and a few whiteheads on my forehead, cheeks, chin, and under my chin. Another bad thing is that I'm a habitual picker, so if I ever saw a zit that was ready to pop, I'd go for it.

I've tried everything -- Murad, Neutrogrena, AcneFree, Botchla's regimen (Clean & Clear products), some stuff from Origins, a load of different moisturizers, jojoba oil, etc. None of it really made a difference. I'd either have super dry/very oily skin...in addition to the same or increased breakouts.

The past year has been particuarly stressful for me. My acne has gotten a bit worse, to the point where I don't even have a day of clear skin. And for some reason, I've become more and more depressed, anxious, and self-conscious about it, and how others perceive it. I even caved in and bought a combination concealer/healing sulfur base, which I'd use to cover up the bad spots every day. It was getting to the point where daily, I'd look at people and see their clear skin, and be thinking, "Gosh...if I had ONE wish, it would be to just have to not worry about my skin anymore."

Anyway, last week, I saw an ad for Isolaz on my local news channel. After doing a couple hours of research on my own, I decided to give it a go. I know treatments are pretty expensive ($150 - 300 a pop), but I figured I'd try one or two and see how it went. After all, I'd already spent tons of cash on all those other products, right? So I set up an appointment at Renu Medspa here in DC, a very reputable place, to have a session done on Saturday.

The technician I had wasn't awesome or anything, but she made me feel comfortable and was knowledgeable -- she gave me all the necessary information and answered all the questions I had pretty well. She went on to say that she had a number of patients and all of them had had great results using a combination therapy of Isolaz and a microdermabrasion + mild peel. I was hesitant at first, but figured what the heck. I'm there anyway, let's just do this.

The entire three-step process took about 45 minutes or so (about 15 mins each). I'd never had a microdermabrasion or a chemical peel before, but those were fine. The Isolaz itself was relatively pain-free, as well. I had a few sensitive spots where I'd feel a very brief "shock" of sorts, almost like a very quick burning feeling, but that was it. I was more scared about the reports of bruising of the skin, since I tend to bruise and get red spots on my face rather easily. In fact, very early on during the Isolaz treatment, my tech actually got up and brought over a physician's assistant, asking her if my reaction to the laser was normal! That freaked me out a bit, as I couldn't see my skin at that point. But the PA said that was totally normal and said everything was fine.

Anyway, after all of that, my tech applied some soothing balm & sunscreen and I was done. I was scared to look in the mirror, but it turns out I was freaked for nothing. My face looked fine -- just a little bit flushed overall and maybe in a few very small areas where there was a bit more redness. But honestly, it was nothing compared to what I had normally. And after an hour or two, a lot of that had faded after my face calmed down a bit.

So that was Saturday (4/5) morning. It is now Monday (4/7) afternoon, and I am happy to say that I have ZERO active pimples on my face. Nada, zilch! (Well, I actually have a small one on the side of my hairline, around my right temple, but since that's an area that the Isolaz didn't treat, that doesn't count.) Not only has Isolaz flattened the active pimples I had before my treatment (and I counted at least a few that were flaring up), but it has noticeably made my pores smaller -- especially in the t-zone where I get those constant blackheads. And best of all, my skin just FEELS good. It's not overly oily, as it would always get during the day.

Oh, also...the PA and the tech there recommended I go on Clenziderm, which is a pharmaceutical acne skin care line. It is similar to Proactiv in that it has three steps, but two are salycilic acid, and one is benzoyl peroxide. I've been using this the past couple of days since my treatment and it seems to be working well. It does smell kind of funky, and it leaves my face very tingly for an hour or so after I use it, but nothing really out of the ordinary.

I am cautiously optimistic at this point. I have another treatment in two weeks, so I plan to report back on how things are going. I know this is long and rambly, but I just thought it'd be useful for others who are considering this treatment. I know vpm and some others have written about it, so I thought I'd add my experience as I go through it.

[gam]

Do you think you could post before and after pics...if you have any? At least after pics? I'm seriously interested in this treatment right now...

[tp30]

Hey gam,

Well, I don't have true before and after pics per se (as I never even thought about photographing myself in my bad days, ugh). All my pics that I have before treatment were never that bad, only because I did use that medicated (sulphur) concealer type stuff for spot treatment when I went out during the day. Doing that really sucked though. It reminded me every morning how bad my skin really was, and the process of covering it up was just so depressing...

Anyway, so with my pics before, you never really saw how bad it was. In fact, I think most of my friends think I have pretty good skin. Little do they know...

If you'd really like some after shots, I can do that when I have my next treatment. I'll be posting again after I go in a couple weeks (4/21).

Thanks!

[sanadai]

its good to hear you went well with the treament!
Im planning to do the Isolaz treament too, but ive got a few questions for you if u dont mind

do u happen to have any acne/scars in the t zone? Forehead, nose, chin. Because thats where all my imperfections are, and id like to know if you got any major improvements in these areas. Like the skin being less red, scars healing, less breakouts, no more blackheads etc.

[Wynne]

Thank you for the information about your treatment! It sounds very interesting.

[effleurage]

Hello to Everyone!

Last week, April 9th, I took my 16 year old daughter to the Thrive Med Spa in Chicago because her acne was getting worse. The esthetician recommended a series of Isolaz treatments combined with a light peel before every other treatment. I was hesitant because the cost was a bit pricey for me (I'm an only parent of three). But when I looked at my daughter and realized that the idea behind her latest hair style was meant to hide as much of her acned face as possible, I knew that I had to at least give this treatment a shot. So she had a light peel followed by two passes with the Aesthera Isolaz machine. She reported that there was no pain involved other than the slight snap of the machine. Immediately after the treatment her skin was a very, very mild pink color which was gone within an hour or two. The amazing thing happened when she awoke the next morning... her skin was SO much better! I can't tell you how astonished we were at how much improvement there was! And this was in a matter of 12 hours. She felt so good that she finally decided to wear a blouse that she had purchased several weeks earlier but hadn't had the desire to wear.

This was my daughter's first of six treatments (spaced one week apart). At this rate of advancement, I'm sure she'll be wearing her hair pulled back from her face in no time. I've read that people have different levels of improvement with this treatment but in my daughter's case the results have been astonishing. We have another appointment today so I hope to add a follow up soon.

If anyone reading this is in the Chicago area, I highly recommend Thrive Med Spa on Halsted near Belmont. I've found Dr. Summers and his staff to be very knowledgeable, very experienced, and very friendly.

Hope this info helps someone out there. --T

[effleurage]

My daughter had her second Isolaz treatment yesterday evening (no chemical peel this time). Once again, the morning brought good results. It seems to be working very well on her cheeks but a little slower on her forehead (which is her major acne area). It seems that the size of the bumps on her face are being reduced and some of the redness is fading. Will follow up next week.

[scarredpores]

that's good to hear. i thought about trying out isolaz as well since one of the dermatologist in the area here was one of the first ones to use this laser treatment. hm.... accutane or isolaz... hmm...

[tp30]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd report back on my status...

So, I had two weeks between treatments. As I said in one of my previous post, the first 3-5 days were great. I had virtually no breakouts and my skin felt great (not oily as the day wore on). After that point, I slowly started to see my old skin coming back, though. The oilyness returned (though not as severe), and a few pimples popped up here and there. Nothing big or crazy, though. This didn't discourage me, though, cuz I know that with Isolaz they say it usually takes about 3 treatments for you to really see great results.

I went again for my second treatment this past Monday (4/21). Again, I had the dermabrasion, Isolaz, and chemical peel. My skin again felt great, but I did notice some exposed blackheads around my t-zone/in between the eye area, so I cleared those myself afterwards. I had some pimples popping up before the treatment, and some of those died. But others (one in particular, under the left side of my face) became inflamed. I'm thinking the laser probably sped up the life-cycle of that one, so I popped that one over the course of two days. Other than that, my skin looks good. Not great, but again...I'm going to really wait until I have 3-4 treatments before I make a judgment.

I'm also still on Obagi Clenziderm. The system can be a bit tedious, as they tell you to wait like 10 minutes after you use the cleanser to start the other steps, but overall I like it. I've simplified my routine to that in the morning and night, along with a light spf moisturizer during the day and a retinol/AHA moisturizer at night before bed.

Sanadai, to answer your questions...luckily, I don't have any permanent scarring from acne yet. I've had plenty of bad pimples throughout the years, but luckily (with time), the skin has all pretty much gone back to normal. I get a lot of blackheads in my t-zone, and the Isolaz really seems to help with that. I do know that they use Isolaz for things other than acne (hair removal as well as complexion issues), so you may want to do some research and look into those treatments. Those are different.

Again, I'll report back in a couple of weeks. Effleurage, so glad to hear about your daughter! Keep those updates coming.

[Svelter]

Is Isolaz available in the UK?

I hope to God it is.

[annabelle78]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share with you my experience with Isolaz. This is my first post at this site, but I've been reading messages for over 1.5 years now...

First, some background on me. I'm 31 years old, and have had mild/moderate acne ever since about my frosh year of college. I never really cared that much, figuring it was a phase and that it would go away. Finally I got sick of it and started on Proactiv, which worked great for a few years.

Ever since then, I've constantly battled acne. I might go a week or two with clear skin, but then the stuff would always come back. Nothing too major, but enough to increasingly get on my nerves, the longer it stuck around. I'd always have blackheads around my t-zone (which I would tediously try and unplug as best I could every week or so), and a few whiteheads on my forehead, cheeks, chin, and under my chin. Another bad thing is that I'm a habitual picker, so if I ever saw a zit that was ready to pop, I'd go for it.

I've tried everything -- Murad, Neutrogrena, AcneFree, Botchla's regimen (Clean & Clear products), some stuff from Origins, a load of different moisturizers, jojoba oil, etc. None of it really made a difference. I'd either have super dry/very oily skin...in addition to the same or increased breakouts.

The past year has been particuarly stressful for me. My acne has gotten a bit worse, to the point where I don't even have a day of clear skin. And for some reason, I've become more and more depressed, anxious, and self-conscious about it, and how others perceive it. I even caved in and bought a combination concealer/healing sulfur base, which I'd use to cover up the bad spots every day. It was getting to the point where daily, I'd look at people and see their clear skin, and be thinking, "Gosh...if I had ONE wish, it would be to just have to not worry about my skin anymore."

Anyway, last week, I saw an ad for Isolaz on my local news channel. After doing a couple hours of research on my own, I decided to give it a go. I know treatments are pretty expensive ($150 - 300 a pop), but I figured I'd try one or two and see how it went. After all, I'd already spent tons of cash on all those other products, right? So I set up an appointment at Renu Medspa here in DC, a very reputable place, to have a session done on Saturday.

The technician I had wasn't awesome or anything, but she made me feel comfortable and was knowledgeable -- she gave me all the necessary information and answered all the questions I had pretty well. She went on to say that she had a number of patients and all of them had had great results using a combination therapy of Isolaz and a microdermabrasion + mild peel. I was hesitant at first, but figured what the heck. I'm there anyway, let's just do this.

The entire three-step process took about 45 minutes or so (about 15 mins each). I'd never had a microdermabrasion or a chemical peel before, but those were fine. The Isolaz itself was relatively pain-free, as well. I had a few sensitive spots where I'd feel a very brief "shock" of sorts, almost like a very quick burning feeling, but that was it. I was more scared about the reports of bruising of the skin, since I tend to bruise and get red spots on my face rather easily. In fact, very early on during the Isolaz treatment, my tech actually got up and brought over a physician's assistant, asking her if my reaction to the laser was normal! That freaked me out a bit, as I couldn't see my skin at that point. But the PA said that was totally normal and said everything was fine.

Anyway, after all of that, my tech applied some soothing balm & sunscreen and I was done. I was scared to look in the mirror, but it turns out I was freaked for nothing. My face looked fine -- just a little bit flushed overall and maybe in a few very small areas where there was a bit more redness. But honestly, it was nothing compared to what I had normally. And after an hour or two, a lot of that had faded after my face calmed down a bit.

So that was Saturday (4/5) morning. It is now Monday (4/7) afternoon, and I am happy to say that I have ZERO active pimples on my face. Nada, zilch! (Well, I actually have a small one on the side of my hairline, around my right temple, but since that's an area that the Isolaz didn't treat, that doesn't count.) Not only has Isolaz flattened the active pimples I had before my treatment (and I counted at least a few that were flaring up), but it has noticeably made my pores smaller -- especially in the t-zone where I get those constant blackheads. And best of all, my skin just FEELS good. It's not overly oily, as it would always get during the day.

Oh, also...the PA and the tech there recommended I go on Clenziderm, which is a pharmaceutical acne skin care line. It is similar to Proactiv in that it has three steps, but two are salycilic acid, and one is benzoyl peroxide. I've been using this the past couple of days since my treatment and it seems to be working well. It does smell kind of funky, and it leaves my face very tingly for an hour or so after I use it, but nothing really out of the ordinary.

I am cautiously optimistic at this point. I have another treatment in two weeks, so I plan to report back on how things are going. I know this is long and rambly, but I just thought it'd be useful for others who are considering this treatment. I know vpm and some others have written about it, so I thought I'd add my experience as I go through it.

First of all, thank you so much for posting about this. What I'm really wondering is if your tech told you to extract all your zits after you had it that night? I had my first session and she told me to do this. I've always been told "extracting" or popping them causes scarring and infection to spread under the skin which causes more new zits to form. THANK YOU!!!
By they way, I agree that it was not that painful and my skin looked smooth and less oily and many of my zits flattened out and started to scab and heal right after the procedure that night. I felt like I made them worse when I had to extract them though........ My tech said they would harden back up and get big if I didin't. Did your aesthetician tell you this? Mine was also not that great, but she did make me feel comfortable which counts for alot.

[NK80]

Is Isolaz supposed to be a permanent solution?

[adultacne1913]

i'm a black female (medium brown complexion), 34 years old. my first experience w/acne occurred shortly after 9/11/01. since that time, i've deveoped cystic acne and haven't been able to shake it. primarily the acne is located on my cheeks and chin. every once in a while, i'll get them on my forehead. as a youngster, i had the occasional pimple, which would come and go on its own. i feel like the guinea pig for acne, as i've tried just about everything, except accutane. ironically, i went to the derm about 4 months ago and was all set to give accutane a try. lo and behold, life happened and i decided against it, based entirely on the side effects.

i remember seeing an ad for isolaz and decided to look into it. unfortunately, all of the info seemed based on non-black women. i figured what the heck and went for it anyway, especially since there seemed to be minimal to no side effects and a 85-90 percent success rate. i had my first treatment on 5.5.08. thus far, no improvement. my skin is extremely oily. i no longer use any lotion on my face, as i think it makes my acne worse. next isolaz treatment is scheduled for 5.27.08. any black women on this forum, who have tried isolaz? if so, what has been your experience?

[kavik]

Hi

I'm a South Asian female, 42 yr old w/light brown skin, who developed inflammatory cystic acne about 3 years ago. Prior to that I got the occassional zit that would clear on its own -- never anything cystic! I too have tried everything short of the pill (at my age and given family history, the risk clots is signifigant) and Accutane (which I just can't see myself taking due to the side-effects).

I had my first Isolaz treatment 2 1/2 weeks ago. I too was very concerned about my skin color but the they assured my that it was safe for darker skin types. I did insist that they use the lowest setting for both the light and suction (just to be safe -- I don't want to take the chance of looking even worse!). My skin looked better immediately. A couple of pimples that were on their way to becoming cysts cleared up and the rest of my face looked clearer (less redness and dark spots from previous acne looked lighter).

A couple of days later I developed 2 small pimples on my chin where I had lots of bumpiness (my derm said these were pimples under the skin). In the last 3 days, these pimples have become cysts (inflammed and UGLY!). Despite this, I think ISOLAZ worked well for a first treatment. I say this becuase I was in FL for a few days this week and I think the heat/humidity caused those 2 small pimple to flare up the way they have.


Anyway, my next treatement is next week. I have my fingers crossed that this will work!

[Miracle_please]

i just had my first treatment
last Friday...I have a lot of
inflammation around my mouth
and cheeks as well as forehead.
The first treatment went well but
i think because i have so many
inflamed areas its gonna take a while.

dont get me wrong i did see
a big improvement! A lot of the
redness was reduced and the older
pimples got smaller. I have a total
of 6 treatments and i have two more
this week. I hope this works! And i have faith
that it will.

[SweetAndNatural]

Can anyone please comment on which settings they are using? (i.e., which Level and which treatment heads)?

Thank you.

[MostExtreme]

.

Edited by MostExtreme, 23 November 2010 - 10:04 PM.

[MargoQ]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share with you my experience with Isolaz. This is my first post at this site, but I've been reading messages for over 1.5 years now...

First, some background on me. I'm 31 years old, and have had mild/moderate acne ever since about my frosh year of college. I never really cared that much, figuring it was a phase and that it would go away. Finally I got sick of it and started on Proactiv, which worked great for a few years.

Ever since then, I've constantly battled acne. I might go a week or two with clear skin, but then the stuff would always come back. Nothing too major, but enough to increasingly get on my nerves, the longer it stuck around. I'd always have blackheads around my t-zone (which I would tediously try and unplug as best I could every week or so), and a few whiteheads on my forehead, cheeks, chin, and under my chin. Another bad thing is that I'm a habitual picker, so if I ever saw a zit that was ready to pop, I'd go for it.

I've tried everything -- Murad, Neutrogrena, AcneFree, Botchla's regimen (Clean & Clear products), some stuff from Origins, a load of different moisturizers, jojoba oil, etc. None of it really made a difference. I'd either have super dry/very oily skin...in addition to the same or increased breakouts.

The past year has been particuarly stressful for me. My acne has gotten a bit worse, to the point where I don't even have a day of clear skin. And for some reason, I've become more and more depressed, anxious, and self-conscious about it, and how others perceive it. I even caved in and bought a combination concealer/healing sulfur base, which I'd use to cover up the bad spots every day. It was getting to the point where daily, I'd look at people and see their clear skin, and be thinking, "Gosh...if I had ONE wish, it would be to just have to not worry about my skin anymore."

Anyway, last week, I saw an ad for Isolaz on my local news channel. After doing a couple hours of research on my own, I decided to give it a go. I know treatments are pretty expensive ($150 - 300 a pop), but I figured I'd try one or two and see how it went. After all, I'd already spent tons of cash on all those other products, right? So I set up an appointment at Renu Medspa here in DC, a very reputable place, to have a session done on Saturday.

The technician I had wasn't awesome or anything, but she made me feel comfortable and was knowledgeable -- she gave me all the necessary information and answered all the questions I had pretty well. She went on to say that she had a number of patients and all of them had had great results using a combination therapy of Isolaz and a microdermabrasion + mild peel. I was hesitant at first, but figured what the heck. I'm there anyway, let's just do this.

The entire three-step process took about 45 minutes or so (about 15 mins each). I'd never had a microdermabrasion or a chemical peel before, but those were fine. The Isolaz itself was relatively pain-free, as well. I had a few sensitive spots where I'd feel a very brief "shock" of sorts, almost like a very quick burning feeling, but that was it. I was more scared about the reports of bruising of the skin, since I tend to bruise and get red spots on my face rather easily. In fact, very early on during the Isolaz treatment, my tech actually got up and brought over a physician's assistant, asking her if my reaction to the laser was normal! That freaked me out a bit, as I couldn't see my skin at that point. But the PA said that was totally normal and said everything was fine.

Anyway, after all of that, my tech applied some soothing balm & sunscreen and I was done. I was scared to look in the mirror, but it turns out I was freaked for nothing. My face looked fine -- just a little bit flushed overall and maybe in a few very small areas where there was a bit more redness. But honestly, it was nothing compared to what I had normally. And after an hour or two, a lot of that had faded after my face calmed down a bit.

So that was Saturday (4/5) morning. It is now Monday (4/7) afternoon, and I am happy to say that I have ZERO active pimples on my face. Nada, zilch! (Well, I actually have a small one on the side of my hairline, around my right temple, but since that's an area that the Isolaz didn't treat, that doesn't count.) Not only has Isolaz flattened the active pimples I had before my treatment (and I counted at least a few that were flaring up), but it has noticeably made my pores smaller -- especially in the t-zone where I get those constant blackheads. And best of all, my skin just FEELS good. It's not overly oily, as it would always get during the day.

Oh, also...the PA and the tech there recommended I go on Clenziderm, which is a pharmaceutical acne skin care line. It is similar to Proactiv in that it has three steps, but two are salycilic acid, and one is benzoyl peroxide. I've been using this the past couple of days since my treatment and it seems to be working well. It does smell kind of funky, and it leaves my face very tingly for an hour or so after I use it, but nothing really out of the ordinary.

I am cautiously optimistic at this point. I have another treatment in two weeks, so I plan to report back on how things are going. I know this is long and rambly, but I just thought it'd be useful for others who are considering this treatment. I know vpm and some others have written about it, so I thought I'd add my experience as I go through it.

Hello,
PLEASE HELP!!!
I am a new member and deciding whatever to try Isolaz... There are some mixed reviews here. Did you complete your recommended number of treatments and how are you satisfied with your overall success?
THANK YOU!

[MargoQ]

Hello everyone. I have been an acne sufferer for 10 years. I am recently trying the Isolaz treatment. I have an amazing doctor. After my first result, I notice a difference. My skin was not oily and for days did not have a single pimple emerge and that has not happen in years. Few days later though I did get some. After my second one treatment I notice some more. Nothing major though. How I hope it is because the laser is speeding up the process of existing acne. I have my third treatment tomorrow. The Dr. also gave me a gentle fash wash and a probiotic lotion to use. I am going to have a good talk with her tomorrow to see what is going on. Acutane is my next option. I have tried EVERYTHING UGH! I did the chemical peel, and that never worked....

Hello MostExtreme!
i am a new member here and just wanted to get a sence from those who tried and completed their Isolaz treatments about their overall satisfaction? Did it "cure" your acne completely/ do you need maintanence?
I also wanted to let you know that one of your comments made me lough out loud on a very bad acne day.... thank you for that!!! (the comment was "my acne is a relentless motherfacker"
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Thanks.

[Synderella]

Would it help for red marks?