5 replies to this topic

[ComplexIssues]

I just wanted to share my experience with this laser treatment.

Skin background: I have oily skin that is also sensitive.

About two years ago, my derm recommended laser treatment as a way to treat
my mild acne by directly shrinking the oil glands without any damage to the skin.

A win win situation right?

There were supposed to be about four- five treatments, but I only ended up having two.

The specific type of laser he ended up using is called Aramis. It may be similar
to IPL, but I'm not sure at the moment.

The 1st treatment was kinda painful, but afterwards, I didn't really have
any side effects so I thought OK, this is good, 3 more treatments to go!

The 2nd treatment was again kinda painful, but this time, I had a lot of
redness on my forehead, the temples, and side burn/cheek areas. I was told
these side effects were completely normal and they gave me some creams
to put on...

The thing is, from that point on, the skin around my temple and sides of my face
have never been the same since. The skin tone always seem to look a bit red and
darker than normal and the texture seems rough and "tight". Washing my face
seemed to exasperbate the redness/roughness...

It's now been about two years. I went in to see the derm and he diagnosed the real
problem as being foliculitus or seborrheic dermatitis; yeast growth on my face!

But how can that be? How can it be so wide spread? Well, I had gone to a followup
visit with the derm right after the second treatment of the Aramis, and the Physician
Assistant had said that the laser may have altered the oil glands not just by shrinking
them, but in a way that makes yeast more likely to grow...This completely shocked me
and I refused to believe it. In these forums, another member had also suggested this
side effect...But from what I understand, it's fairly rare so I guess I'm one of those
unlucky 1% of people who end up being susceptible to yeast.

Back to my most recent visit. The derm prescribed a special shampoo in which I'm to
use on my face as well as on my scalp and it is to be used chronically as there is no
"cure" to the damage done...

I suppose it's not as bad as other more deadly conditions, but I just wanted to give
some caution to those thinking of laser therapy that a lot of this stuff while FDA approved
(or not) still haven't been fully proven to be safe especially for those with sensitive skin.

I'm hoping I can find a way to treat my condition holistically, but for now I will need to
use this shampoo to improve the redness/inflammation and even flakiness I now
experience...

[BarryAllen]

I'd actually read about foliculitis online somewhere, I'd google it. A man had the condition and is was misdiagnosed as acne, he suffered for years. I wish I could remember it, but it may've been www.earthclinic.com. I hope they can leave this link up for you, if not PM me and I'll send it to you anyway. But google your condition no matter what, I know it's out there online and a great treatment he found for it. GOOD LUCK, sorry for the reaction it gave you and thank you for sharing! HANG IN THERE and focus on solutions, I believe you'll find something, somwhere if you keep focusing on it and stay positive.

[ComplexIssues]

Thanks for the response/message. I did visit the earthclinic site and I'm going to be trying ACV to see if it can't help my situation; it seems like a miracle cure! Additionally I've been prescribed a ketoconozale shampoo to apply to my scalp/face. I hope the diagnosis is accurate and that I can begin to get some visible improvement.

[add123]

Vinegar is natural and great for yeast shot glass 2 day...Apple cider..Also a wonderful toner for folliculitis acne ect...Keep your skin moist so the hair can come thru..If your drying it out the hair will turn back in...Think pushing a needle thru leather as opposed to fabric..

Micro dermabrasion and a pore cleanser that has suction like the panasonic pore cleanser help and bring blood to the surface for healing, oxygenation and lymphatic drainage..You could try cupping as well Research it!
Retina a and keeping moist..People are drying out their skin to much and it does the opposite of what your trying to accomplish..If you want to get rid of a shiny face use a chaffing gel that will give it a matt appearance and disguise pores ect without overdrying if makeup isn't an option great for men and under makeup if your oily or have scars or large pores...Smashbox photo finish or even Monistat chafing relief same thing 1/10 the price but found in the womens care section........

You may want to also check into PRP therapy you could have cell damage deep like radiation damage that will get worse in the areas treated by the laser..You also need skin cancer screening it those areas..

Good luck

I don't believe non invasive lasers are safe and should be banned..They cause irreversable cell damage that leads to cancer...

Killing a cell on the surface to be replaced by healthy cells is one thing altering the structure deep below the epidermis is another....
These docs are not radiation oncologist they go to a one day course and buy a laser to make money,,bottom line..
Don't assume it's safe because a doc with finiancial incentive is offering it...The FDA doesn't test or make sure medical devices are safe..FDA 510k approval is simply a letter stating a predicate device.No testing or trials required like with drugs...
Big industry Big money..Think tobacco endorsed by derms...
Do your research
Melanoma has risen 50% in women not men since the 80'S when these lasers came out...Other skin cancers have tripled in women under 40..I think the numbers speak for volumes since 97% of the people who get cosmetic laser are women and men get more sun exposure..It will only get worse as more and more young women get hair removal ipl fraxel thermage ect...

[christpunchers]

I've probably had about 5 sessions of Aramis in 2008 throughout the entire year.

My issue was red marks post-acne and oily skin overtime from using too many products. My oil glands on my cheeks would not stop producing oil at one point near the end of 2007. In Spring of 2008 I had my first Aramis session and it was great. Zero pain due to how the laser works and the cold metal tip.

Within a few days, right away I noticed an improvement in my redness, scars and pore size. Most importantly is that my face isn't constantly oily anymore. After the 3rd treatment the improvement seemed to have stopped. By the time all 5 were finished, months later I still do not have problem with skin oil. In fact, I could go on for 2 days straight and not even wash my face with water and still have decent hydration.

I still get the occasional pimple here and there but it's nowhere as severe as before. I'm no longer prone to a huge cluster of acne or anything really large. When I did break out the following Aramis session did a really good job at stopping the pimple right in its track.

For myself, I guess I'm very lucky. Today, if anything, my skin is a bit drier than I would like. Perhaps it is the same for you. That's why your skin is "dry". The seb derm that you are experiencing is perhaps normal. Since your oil glands were overactive before, had you not done the Aramis, overtime your oil glands will normalize themselves and you would have got seb derm anyhow. The yeast that is on your skin is completely normal, there is no way to get rid of it, everyone has it. It's just that in some people the yeast tend to overgrow. However it is easily solvable with mild topical and using the right cleanser.

I had a bad case of seb derm in the beginning of '09. Turns out to be an issue with Cetaphil as its main ingredient for its cleansing power is from a common detergent used on skin (sodium lauryl sulfate). SLS that's in cleansers, as well as in many shampoos can greatly increase your chances of having a seb derm breakout. I switched to Spectro Jel which contains zero SLS and since then I only very rarely have a bad case of seb derm. Only now in the winter time does my skin get red and flakey but I'd rarely deal with that than crazy oil glands that produce too much when not needed.

Just think about it this way. By avoiding certain chemicals your seb derm can be easily controlled. If even at that point it is not satisfactory you can still use very mild topicals to control it. Seb derm will not damage your skin to the point of acne (which is infinitely harder to control), as it cannot cause scarring or long term discoloration. All you have is dry skin, which many "normal" people including great politicians have as well.

[trichick]

Laser that treat acne do not cause cancer. Tanning in a tanning bed may cause cancer. The increase in skin cancer is caused by tanning etc... The rise of the 20 something year old tanning has increased right along with skin cancer rates. Most women in their 20's do not run out and get laser treatments. Sunblock is the key and a healthy lifestyle.

Please everbody read facts from reliable sources:


Also, try a B vitamin supplement or Rx: Nicotinamide. Natural but ask your Derm and Pharmacist first.

Vinegar is natural and great for yeast shot glass 2 day...Apple cider..Also a wonderful toner for folliculitis acne ect...Keep your skin moist so the hair can come thru..If your drying it out the hair will turn back in...Think pushing a needle thru leather as opposed to fabric..

Micro dermabrasion and a pore cleanser that has suction like the panasonic pore cleanser help and bring blood to the surface for healing, oxygenation and lymphatic drainage..You could try cupping as well Research it!
Retina a and keeping moist..People are drying out their skin to much and it does the opposite of what your trying to accomplish..If you want to get rid of a shiny face use a chaffing gel that will give it a matt appearance and disguise pores ect without overdrying if makeup isn't an option great for men and under makeup if your oily or have scars or large pores...Smashbox photo finish or even Monistat chafing relief same thing 1/10 the price but found in the womens care section........

You may want to also check into PRP therapy you could have cell damage deep like radiation damage that will get worse in the areas treated by the laser..You also need skin cancer screening it those areas..

Good luck

I don't believe non invasive lasers are safe and should be banned..They cause irreversable cell damage that leads to cancer...

Killing a cell on the surface to be replaced by healthy cells is one thing altering the structure deep below the epidermis is another....
These docs are not radiation oncologist they go to a one day course and buy a laser to make money,,bottom line..
Don't assume it's safe because a doc with finiancial incentive is offering it...The FDA doesn't test or make sure medical devices are safe..FDA 510k approval is simply a letter stating a predicate device.No testing or trials required like with drugs...
Big industry Big money..Think tobacco endorsed by derms...
Do your research
Melanoma has risen 50% in women not men since the 80'S when these lasers came out...Other skin cancers have tripled in women under 40..I think the numbers speak for volumes since 97% of the people who get cosmetic laser are women and men get more sun exposure..It will only get worse as more and more young women get hair removal ipl fraxel thermage ect...