42 replies to this topic

[R07]

They do this treatment at a clinic in my town centre. Its £375 per session though

[zelio78]

I'm surprised there isn't more discussion of this laser. It was apparently 86% effective on a group of people with a variety of acne. It carries zero side effects but its pricey. Somewhere around the $400 mark and they say you need 4 to 5 treatments in total. Essentially you could be looking at spending $2000 to clear up your skin. Not such a high price to pay if you ask me. I would drop that in a heartbeat if I knew it works. They don't offer it around me though

[fern49]

My husband did this yesterday (in San Francisco). It was $250 for his face and it took about 15 minutes. He's always had acne, not severe, but enough to cause embarrassment maybe every other week. He has oily skin and enlarged pores. The doctor recommends he have about four treatments, three weeks apart, and that after this his skin will be improved for a few years.

I must say, his skin looks much better today than usual. There are a few small red marks, kind of like hickeys, but the skin looks smoother. He says it just feels really, really clean, not oily. He does say that $250 seems steep for such a short session with a machine, but if it works, in my opinion it's money well spent. Hopefully there'll be some competition once more doctors start using it and the price will go down.

The procedure didn't hurt, was just a little uncomfortable at times. One side effect, according to the doctor, is that he'll temporarily lose some of the hair above his lip, but that it will grow back.

My 14 year old daughter, who also is starting to have skin problems, is going to do this next week. I will keep you updated on how well it works. So far, thumbs up on this procedure.

[ubercool]

My husband did this yesterday (in San Francisco). It was $250 for his face and it took about 15 minutes. He's always had acne, not severe, but enough to cause embarrassment maybe every other week. He has oily skin and enlarged pores. The doctor recommends he have about four treatments, three weeks apart, and that after this his skin will be improved for a few years.

I must say, his skin looks much better today than usual. There are a few small red marks, kind of like hickeys, but the skin looks smoother. He says it just feels really, really clean, not oily. He does say that $250 seems steep for such a short session with a machine, but if it works, in my opinion it's money well spent. Hopefully there'll be some competition once more doctors start using it and the price will go down.

The procedure didn't hurt, was just a little uncomfortable at times. One side effect, according to the doctor, is that he'll temporarily lose some of the hair above his lip, but that it will grow back.

My 14 year old daughter, who also is starting to have skin problems, is going to do this next week. I will keep you updated on how well it works. So far, thumbs up on this procedure.

What doctor did this? Was it Hyo Kim?

[dlucilled]

I had this done twice so far. The first time I noticed my skin felt really clean and smooth. The next day I broke out in small pimples. That was suprising, but I guess it makes sense since everything was sucked up to the surface. I did this again yesterday. No change noted so far. I am hoping it will work. I have also enlarged pores and usually have aleast one pimple on my face. It is nice to have an option that doesn't involve drugs.

[Yvette2]

Hi there -

Who is the Dr. in SF? I live near SF and though I'm on Accutane now, if my acne returns, I would consider this if it works.

Thank you.

Yvette

[ubercool]

Yvette, the doctor is Hyo Kim. I had the Aesthera PPX treatment he provides last Thursday and now I can report that my face has been clear for a week, which is highly unusual for me. The treatment takes less than 15 minutes, but prep, waiting, etc., took an hour.

For those of you considering the Aesthera treatment, I highly recommend it based on just one treatment. While Dr. Kim uses the older PPX and not the Isolaz, here's what I've learned from a company representative:

"The primary differences are power (fluence) and treatment setting options. The Isolaz has more power, double and triple pulsing capabilities, and the ability to vary the treatment settings a bit more, thus will more effectively treat coarse dark hair and facial vascular lesions. Both treat acne, epidermal pigmented lesions, and provide deep pore cleansing nearly equally."

I read that to mean that the Isolaz provides slightly better treatment, given its higher power output and variable pulsing settings, but I had a very good experience with the older PPX.

If you need more information, please feel free to ask. I'm an analyst that specializes in the Fountain of Youth and Beauty.

Hi there -

Who is the Dr. in SF? I live near SF and though I'm on Accutane now, if my acne returns, I would consider this if it works.

Yvette

[fern49]

It's been a couple of weeks since my husband and daughter had this done. My husband's skin continues to seem a lot better. My fourteen-year-old's skin was noticeably improved for about a week, now it's broken out again. So it's not a magic bullet. I think it just gives a person a leg up, and if one uses something strong, like Retin-A, on a consistent basis afterwards, the effects will last longer. My daughter uses a salicylic acid wash and benzoyl peroxide (recommended by her doctor), which I've concluded aren't strong enough for her skin.

Yvette, the doctor is Hyo Kim. I had the Aesthera PPX treatment he provides last Thursday and now I can report that my face has been clear for a week, which is highly unusual for me. The treatment takes less than 15 minutes, but prep, waiting, etc., took an hour.

For those of you considering the Aesthera treatment, I highly recommend it based on just one treatment. While Dr. Kim uses the older PPX and not the Isolaz, here's what I've learned from a company representative:

"The primary differences are power (fluence) and treatment setting options. The Isolaz has more power, double and triple pulsing capabilities, and the ability to vary the treatment settings a bit more, thus will more effectively treat coarse dark hair and facial vascular lesions. Both treat acne, epidermal pigmented lesions, and provide deep pore cleansing nearly equally."

I read that to mean that the Isolaz provides slightly better treatment, given its higher power output and variable pulsing settings, but I had a very good experience with the older PPX.

If you need more information, please feel free to ask. I'm an analyst that specializes in the Fountain of Youth and Beauty.

Hi there -

Who is the Dr. in SF? I live near SF and though I'm on Accutane now, if my acne returns, I would consider this if it works.

Yvette

[fern49]

I agree that the procedure doesn't work miracles, and I'm sorry it didn't work better for you, Cubs. In my opinion, it does do more than a good facial, however. And we've never had good luck with pore strips. If the price went down to $150 or so, it would be worth it. That's all it should cost, really, for the amount of time it takes and skill involved. I guess doctors want to recover the cost of the machine as quickly as possible.

[vpm]

I am interested in trying this.
I contacted 2 local places that offer it and am trying to find out what the price will be here in Portland, OR.

I have mostly clogged pores with the occasional deep nodule.
I have my skin doing really well right now, but my problem is that even professional extraction leaves marks on my skin - it is so prone to PIH.
I think that suction is the way to go for me.

Anyone with PIH prone skin - darker skin - tried this?
I would love to hear how it worked for you.

EDIT: I made an appointment for early February.
The place has the ppx machine and it is $250 like in SF.
I will keep you updated.

[vpm]

I had my first PPX treatment on Monday morning.
I had the rejuvenation treatment as my biggest concern are the red marks, my acne is pretty much gone at this point.
The PPX device has different tips for different treatments: skin rejuvenation (lines, discolorations, etc.), acne (active acne clearing), hair removal.

The device takes about 3 times for the results to be noticeable, for some it takes more depending on how serious the condition is to begin with. She said that the first few treatments don't show the results. The skin "gets used to it" before it responds very much, for lack of a better explanation.

It felt like a tiny rubber band snap, but wasn't too bad.
The upper lip makes you jump a bit.
The esthetician started on level 3 for me out of 6. I think it may have something to do with skin tone (I am olive skinned) as well as building tolerance with more treatments.
She treated the nose (and my red marks on a second pass) with the smaller more concentrated tip at level 2.

I was really pink for about an hour afterward and the red marks were extra red for another hour after that, they almost looked bruised. Then it all calmed down.
I did feel like my skin had a smoother texture and was much more clean with less noticeable pores right away. My nose was really oily later in the day though. I used a few oil absorbing sheets.

I recommend that if you are NOT doing the hair removal you shave/remove the hair before treatment - just don't irritate the skin. The hair absorbs a lot of the laser energy and that takes away from the benefits for the skin. The hair burns off during the treatment too. I was told to shave for next time.

I use a japanese women's face razor once in a while during winter on my lip & side jaw anyway (summer sun bleaches the hair and then it isn't a problem). I can't wax or use chemicals on my face for hair (they irritate my skin and make me break out).

I will keep you posted on my progress.

[dust_in_the_wind]

so far i haven't been impressed with this treatment. it removed a few blackheads and whiteheads but larger red blemishes have popped up all over. the brouchure said there should be some immediate improvement in skin and i have not observed that at all. i've had 2 sessions and i swear my skin looks worse!!!
i was really hopeful for this treatment...looks like another waste of time and money. sorry to dissapoint anyone...

[vpm]

I have had a bit of breakout.
But, it is tiny little pink spots that are not very noticeable.
I don't know if it is the treatment or something else. I had a similar response that was a bit of a rash from fabric softener just a month ago (of course I don't use fabric softener anymore, I use those dryer balls instead now).
Anyway, I have my next treatment on Tuesday, so 4 days.
We'll see.

I do hope it helps, I am trying to get rid of red marks more than anything.
Darker skin can be so tricky, because lots of treatments risk discoloration.

EDIT: The bumps were definately my rash resurfacing, sometimes that kind of rash will come back from heat exposure. The treatment uses light/heat so it may have been a factor. Anyway, it went away quickly and no problems there.

[vpm]

UPDATE:
I had my second treatment this week (Feb 12th) and it went well.
She did the same strength but 2 passes over my whole face this time.
I was super pink for about 2 hours again, but then normal; she said that she has never had anyone get as pink as I do, and most of the people she treats have much more fair skin than me, odd.
I got a bit of a hicky from the machine clogging at one point and sucking my skin too hard - but I barely felt it at all, and it will go away.

My skin is definately very smooth and clean and the red marks are diminishing.
I have noticed a difference the next morning after each treatment, and then over the week after treatment it gets even better.
I have had some tiny dark crusts form on some spots and then they flake away, like super thin scabs, leaving no mark or much less mark when they come off.
They sort of flake off in tiny pieces, it is barely noticeable at all.

So far, I would say it is improving my skin, slowly, but much faster than on its own.
The esthetician keeps saying that I will notice the real improvement after the 3rd or 4th treatment; that is encouraging, as I have had improvement already.

My next appointment is on the 25th, and it will be #3.
I am hoping to only need 4 treatments because it really adds up.

Also, I have had totally clear skin during the past few weeks, no breakouts at all!

[jmlee08]

I have had about 5 treatments with this so far..and I am really happy with the way it is working. It is $200 per treatment, but at the doctor I am seeing, that includes a chemical peel as well as the ppx. I have tried everything (accutane, birth control, topical meds, antibiotics, etc, as well as other laser treatments) and this seems to be the only thing that has given me consistent results. it is expensive, but for the results i have seen well worth it!! not only has my skin dramatically cleared up, but my overall skin tone seems to be improving.

the only problem is not a lot of doctors offer the treatment yet, so i have to drive about an hour away to get it done (i live in the chicagoland area) but i would definitely recommend!!

[Spades]

I have had about 5 treatments with this so far..and I am really happy with the way it is working. It is $200 per treatment, but at the doctor I am seeing, that includes a chemical peel as well as the ppx. I have tried everything (accutane, birth control, topical meds, antibiotics, etc, as well as other laser treatments) and this seems to be the only thing that has given me consistent results. it is expensive, but for the results i have seen well worth it!! not only has my skin dramatically cleared up, but my overall skin tone seems to be improving.

the only problem is not a lot of doctors offer the treatment yet, so i have to drive about an hour away to get it done (i live in the chicagoland area) but i would definitely recommend!!

Where did you get it! (I live in that area to)

[roserita]

the only problem is not a lot of doctors offer the treatment yet, so i have to drive about an hour away to get it done (i live in the chicagoland area) but i would definitely recommend!!
[/quote]


Yes, where did you go? I went to Thrive Medical Spa and it was $180 just for the jaw and chin, was yours $200 for the whole face?
PS Thrive was great, but I'd love to spend less!

[dust_in_the_wind]

Well, I have completed 4 isoloaz treatments now. Due for 1 more. Still no change in my skin. It seems all it did was initially make it worse then take me back to where I started....except with a lot of extra red marks left over. AND a pitted scar from where an inexperienced techician performed an extraction on my cheek. VERY unhappy about that. I honestly feel like i just flushed a lot of money down the toilet. It's very dissapointing. I think it's actually made me more depressed to watch another treatment fail. I'm due to start accutane next month. Maybe I will finally find relief.