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[Jobee87]

I’ve been coming to the Acne.org forums for a couple of years now. I’ve always been more of a reader rather than a poster unless I had questions. But this time I’ll be a bit different. This time I would like to document my experience with the MiXto Laser procedure. Like many of you, I’ve been going back and forth with the idea of getting laser work done or not. Something happened in my life recently that told me to just “put up or shut up” If I want to make a change, I make the change. Just at a reasonable cost. $800 for two treatments of my nose and cheeks. My major concern is how long redness will be present even after the seven day cycle. My second concern is if anything will change at all. If I could get 50% change after two procedures I would be happy. Another part of my is just happy I’m doing it, at least I can get the idea out of my system for a couple more years until things improve.

Day 1 - 9/24/2008 - 9:00 A.M.

I took these pictures shortly after a morning shave. Many of you will know this as the time when your skin is its most calm. I’m not sure this was the best way to present my skin because it’s the best it looks during the day. Some of these pictures make it look like I have no problem at all. Perhaps my insecurities are not totally warranted, maybe it’s mental and perhaps it’s just the calm aftershave skin; Please meet me halfway : ) I also took the pictures in different light settings hoping you could get a better idea about what my scars looks like. I soon found out that bathrooms don’t have enough lighting to get good pictures.

Day 1 Pictures


I arrived at the doctor’s office at 10:08 A.M. My appointment was at 10:15A.M. They wanted me there sooner than scheduled to get a numbing cream applied to my face. After discussing the risks and signing paperwork I asked about a Regeneration DNA formula listed on the instructions. Apparently they have me apply this $76 moisturizer + SPF 15 formal once in the morning and once at night. I was a bit annoyed by extra costs, but that annoyance pasted. Everyone in the office was very nice.

The Room

These are pictures of me with the numbing cream on. I had to keep it on for 45 minutes or so. They left me in the room and it gave me plenty of time to take pictures : ) The quality is low because it’s from my cell phone.

Numbing cream


The Procedure: 11:15A.M.
No one really discussed with me how the procedure would be going. They put sticky eye covers on my eyes and started to zap my face with the laser. To me it felt like someone sticking needles in your skin at a rapid pace, but to a shallow depth. The most sensitive areas for me where my jaw line and around the nose. Then she did a second pass. The smell of burning skin and burning hair was noticeable. Shorlty after they put Aloe on my face and sent me on my way. Right now there is a slightly throbbing pain sensation in my face, nothing major.


There is about 20 minutes after the procedure. As you can see there isn’t that much of a difference in color. You can see the grid lines and dead skin rising up. The skin has swelled a tad and my scars are of course gone from the swelling. Still weeks or months too soon to tell. By this point I feel like I have a really bad sunburn, but it’s bearable.

Shortly After


This is what my face looks like as I type this day 1 impressions. Its shiny because I put on that Aquaphor. This sounds strange but I don’t know if I used it correctly. I put it on at 2pm and its still on by 9pm, Is it suppose to stay on like Vaseline?


Later That Night

Right now my face doesn’t hurt that much unless I move the face muscles around. I apologize for the goofy coloring over the pictures to hide my face. I’m afraid people I know in real life will find this thread and I’m still a bit too embarrassed to let people see that I worry about my scars.

I’ve seen that either not a lot of people have had the procedure or not many think it’s worth it, there are many mixed opinions online, and that’s nothing new. The issue I had was the lack of people posting pictures and on top of that many of them don’t bother to return when the results really matter, a few months later.

I want to make a promise with this MiXto journal. I want to let you people know that I will continue to post updates of my skin day by day for the first seven days. Then I will post picture updates once a week after that. I will try and answer as many questions as I can about my experiences going through this at least 4 times a week.

How do you like the pictures? Want any more angles or have any suggestions? Do these Photobucket links work for you? Any format changes? Too Long?

[Jobee87]

September 25, 2008

Ok, I slept fine last night. When i woke up this morning I couldnt even tell that anything had happened to my skin. I kept the Aquaphore on all night while laying on my back.

A couple of hours after waking up I gently washed/patted my face with Aveeno Foaming Cleanser without baking soda. (my exfoliant) 30 minutes after that i applied the Remergent AM M moisturizer DNA repair + SPF 15 cream they sold me and it didn't stay greasy like i thought it would. That's good news.


There are the pictures for this morning

[edit]

The color of the effected area isn't showing the best in those picture. I would describe it as a maroon color. Also like that episode of Saved by the Bell when Zach sold everyone that zit removing solution which turned everyone skin maroon.

[Jobee87]

I woke up today with the skin on my face feeling tight. I hope that means it will begin peeling soon. my skin is starting to get ichty. I'm not sure if that's because im not keeping my face moisturized or if that's just a sign of the dead skin peeling off.

I took the pictures with a different camera this time. I think you'll see a lot more detail than you did before and the pictures are much larger.


Here are my day 3 pictures

When i washed my face after these pictures were taken I noticed the skin around my nose is begging to peel off.

[Jobee87]

When i got home from work yesterday my nose was peeling a lot. After I took a shower about 10% more came off and revealed pink skin underneath. I'm getting excited that the peeling is rapidly happening now. I suspect that if this progress takes place I should be completely peeled away by tomorrow night.

There is however one problem I forgot to take into account, shaving. I will have to contact the doctors office and see when they think i can shave again. the pink sink is sensitive so i don't think i would want to shave on that.

Day 4 pictures (flaky skin + pink sink + hair stubble = gross looking)

[Trying1111]

Looks good! Don't shave for a little while! Not worth the risk. I found that for one week after the peeling things looked better b/c of my face still being puffy. When it settled after 2 weeks I saw the true improvements. Thanks for posting your progress.

[Jobee87]

How long did you wait to shave again? Tuesday will be my 6th day since the procedure. I may choose to go into work then or I could wait till Thursday. by that time I'll have a respectable Chuck Norris beard.

I agree that I shouldn't get my hopes up for a while now. How good would you say were "true improvements" are?

How red are you still? My face isn't as red as I thought it would be; however, it seems to vary in different lighting conditions around my home.

[edit]

By the Way, Here are some updated pictures from around noon today. I'm certain 90% of that skin is ready to come off, i just want it to be weak enough to fall off in the shower tonight. I think my darker skin tone is going to work to my advantage in terms of the post redness.

Day 4 Mid-Day

[mooshoo]

thanks for the pics. keep up the photo journaling. a lot of people don't follow up on their threads after a few months . . .

[Jobee87]

Thanks for the support MooShoo. I was always annoyed by people who dont update their journals after a couple of months so im hoping to change that for my own journal.

Ok, all of my dead skin came off by the end of last night. My skin has a skin tone to it. I feel safe to shave, but i told someone i have a small beard going on and they told me to keep it so i may keep it for another week or so. I suppose it doesn't really matter for the pictures considering the real results are not likely to be shown yet. I can see where my scars are now. I cant tell their progress since there is still redness. They are a bit pinker than the surrounding un-scared skinned which i hope fades away. I wasnt planning on going out of the house today but i was invited to my families house for lunch and i thought i would just get use to my new red skin starting today.

I want to make a judgment now, but it really is too soon to say. I also have a second treatment in December.

Day 5 Pictures

[kittykat7]

im having the mixto done on a friday hoping to go back to work on a monday. my face is cleared up but i have red marks on my right cheek. a few on the left. they said they were only going to do use it on the places where i have marks. do you think i would be ok on monday or am i going to have to call in? im kinda freakin out.

[Jobee87]

im having the mixto done on a friday hoping to go back to work on a monday. my face is cleared up but i have red marks on my right cheek. a few on the left. they said they were only going to do use it on the places where i have marks. do you think i would be ok on monday or am i going to have to call in? im kinda freakin out.

By the fourth night I was done peeling. I think you should play it safe and call in on Monday, which is the night you could be done peeling. You do not want to rush the peeling by scratching or rubbing the dead skin. Good Luck!

I spent today with some of my family and the first comment they made about my pinkness was "ooh you got a sunburn!" Thats my story and im sticking to it. I don't plan on shaving till Wednesday or Thursday. I can say its a sunburn for a week or two, but after that the redness will raise suspicion.

[Jobee87]

I believe my redness is starting to come down a little bit. I was looking at my "before" pictures and i liked the calm color of my skin in some of those. We'll see after i shave on Wednesday. I kept the beard on for a couple of reasons 1. To see what i look like with one and 2. To cover up my "sun burns".

I'm still mindful of my skin moisture. I only apply the moisturizer now with SPF15. In the morning my skill looks moist, when if i scratch it there are tiny white flakes. My skin is still healing and i shouldn't let the lack of visible dead skin make me forget that.

I did a comparison of the pores on my cheeks and nose from before the procedure, there doesn't seem to be much of a difference. The pores on my nose may be a bit smaller, but its still too early to tell. Everyone at the office told me it could take months for the collagen to grow.

I do have some good news, although still too early to tell, I did a flash light depth check and some of my smaller scars are not visible and the bigger ones seem to have been slightly reduced. One thing i do like is that the color of my scars and the color of my skin seem to be the same whereas before my scars were a slightly reddish or pinkish color. Again, still too early to tell!


Day 6 pictures- nothing really new from day 5, just with more hair!

[ballgot]

you look fine to begin with man

[Jobee87]

Thanks, but you know how it is. It looks more extreme to the person with the scars than to everyone else. My left cheek looks ok, but my right cheek has the most scars.

Today will be my last day with the dirty man beard. I will shave tomorrow and take pictures. It hard to tell the progress with a beard since it covers up everything. You can also see outlines of my scars where hair doesn't grow anymore. There are still areas of pinkness, which i hope will be gone in a week or so. My skin still gets dry without moisturizer, but not horribly dry.


Day 7 pictures

[partyhard]

I don't know if it's just me or because the increasing facial hair makes it a bit harder to see, but it seems there's been significant improvement! My scarring is somewhat like yours. Like your left side. People tell me it isn't noticeable and nothing to be worried about but it still bothers me. I've never even heard of MiXto 'til this thread. I'll have to look into it now. $800 for two treatments is pretty cheap, in my opinion. What state? It may be a little more expensive in California - especially LA.

Yeah, please keep us posted with your progress.

[mooshoo]

get an electric beard trimmer and buzz the hair short. makes razor shaving easier. and put on some oil before the shaving cream. ur skin will thank you.

[Jobee87]

My skin is slowly starting to calm down from the treatment and as of right now i dont see any improvement. I know if i mentioned this to anyone they would just tell me to wait a few months and see if the collagen builds up like i was instructed. I already paid for the second treatment so i'll be doing that in December. I had this done in Scottsdale, Arizona. I kept reading mixed things on MiXto, but nothing that was from someone in my situation months along. I always read mix things about every treatment for years and $800 was a good price point for me to say "just go for it" I didn't see much on it online either.

I was planning on shaving a taking pictures tomorrow. What kind of oil should i shave with? I dont have any shaving oils. Closest thing is Bio Oil : ) Maybe jojoba oil. I mix up my shaving between a normal mach razor and wet shave w/ brush.

We'll see my day 8 progress with a shave tomorrow for sure.

[mooshoo]

i use olive oil, canola, or thick non-frgrant mineral oil. make sure u take vitamin c and complete protein

[Jobee87]

i use olive oil, canola, or thick non-frgrant mineral oil. make sure u take vitamin c and complete protein

How do you feel the olive oil helps you?

I do take Whey Protein powder everyday along with Centrum vitamin supplement. Should i look into taking additional vitamin c? I was actually going to start a thread on another board here which dealt with me changing up my routine.

[Jobee87]

Ok, here is my day 8 post. The next set of pictures will be posted here next week. I will try and continue once a week for the coming months (could take us into June of 2009)

Right now my skin is still slowly returning to normal. As of today I don't see any improvement in my scars. I do however notice that my skin is much calmer than it used to be. I use to be calm in the morning but it sustained it for the entire day which makes the scars less noticeable. My skin is somewhat flaky as you can tell from the pictures. I’m not sure if this is from my required break on using exfoliatants and not removing dead skin, or just my skin still healing in general. My skin is also a tad pink , but its not that noticeable in my opinion.

I'm not disappointed that the scars look the same, I still have a second treatment to go in December and I was always told collagen build for 6 months.

Day 8 pictures (taken in different kinds of lighting)

Starting next week im going to begin looking for a new routine or additions to my routine in terms of moisturizers and stay on night solutions. I want to stop using the expensive moisturizer the office gave me so i don’t waste it. I may go back to Aveeno Positively Radiant with spf 15 or a lighter moisturizer, any suggestions?

I will try and check back here as much as possible to read what everyone has to say.

Thank you,

[Trying1111]

im having the mixto done on a friday hoping to go back to work on a monday. my face is cleared up but i have red marks on my right cheek. a few on the left. they said they were only going to do use it on the places where i have marks. do you think i would be ok on monday or am i going to have to call in? im kinda freakin out.

Kittykat, just wondering if you got it done and how it went... ?