WHY I CHOSE THE IPIXEL ERBIUM SKIN RESURFACING TREATMENT
“I knew I needed to start addressing my collagen levels as they diminish from 25. I avoid wearing makeup on a daily basis as I am very conscious of how this sits in my lines and pores. I have used ZO SkinHealth for a while and have massively improved my skin, however, I wanted to take this further and really tackle my pore size and fine lines.
Prior to treatment I was nervous as I know it is certainly not one of the pain free treatments at Health & Aesthetics. Having only really had HydraFacials and a chemical peel, I was nervous about the discomfort. In all honesty, I also knew this treatment comes with some downtime after so that made me nervous as to how red and swollen I would be!
THE TREATMENT
Before the treatment I used the Dermalux LED light therapy to stimulate my healing process. This is also one of my favourite treatments so this did help me relax.
Numbing cream was applied and this was certainly at its best when the first layer of the treatment is done. However, as time goes on you can certainly feel the heat build up and the sensation does intensify.
I had already discussed that I wanted to do this on the most aggressive setting with the team at Health & Aesthetics, so I knew what I had signed up to. I didn’t stop the treatment at any stage as I didn’t want to have to keep restarting, so I was determined to push through to the end.
The cooling fan helps, but in all honesty, your face is hot and it is uncomfortable.
Once the treatment was over, a wave of relief washed over me. From beginning to end the treatment took just under 30 minutes and it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. My face was very hot afterwards and was bright red. I was really pleased when I left the premises as it was really cold outside and this was lovely on my face. On the drive home, I certainly had my window down!
I slept fine, although I was worried about knocking my face. But I followed the aftercare instructions to the letter and took my antihistamine to reduce the puffiness as best as possible.
Day 1: Today my face was incredibly tight from where the skin had started its healing process by scabbing. I did find it hard to have facial expressions, however I did make it through a day at work regardless.
Day 2: The scabbing had gotten darker and the swelling was the worst. There was swelling all over, however my eyes were the most obvious. I would say this was the most challenging day, but mostly down to the swelling, I could cope with the scabbing.
Day 3: Most of the obvious swelling had gone down by this point, my scabbing was now starting to flake off and the redness was going down. There was still swelling around the eyes, however this wasn’t as bad as the previous days. My face felt fine by this point despite the scabbing that remained.
Day 4: Most of the scabbing washing of in the shower, what remained was the forehead and top of the cheek bone/ under eye area. My eyes were still slightly swollen but nothing too apparent. The new exposed skin was slightly pink, but that was to be expected given the treatment of removing the top layers.
Day 5-6: All the swelling had gone now and the scabs were flaking off. The last bit to go was the top of the forehead. This is likely to be because this is where the least movement is, which encourages the flaking.
Day 7: All back to normal now. I had a few breakouts that came to the surface due to turning over the cells. These settled back down once I was back on my ZO products for a week or so.
ONE MONTH ON
My skin was now glowing which makes me so happy. I am getting regular comments on how bright it looks and I am still wearing no makeup! The changes in my pore size I was thrilled to and there is a definite reduction in my nose to mouth lines. My texture is improved and overall I think this is a fantastic result for just one treatment. I will continue to have a second treatment, albeit slightly less aggressive so that I can push my results even further.
CONCLUSION ON SKIN RESURFACING WITH IPIXEL ERBIUM
I would recommend this treatment. It is great for those wishing to address the texture of their skin and fine lines and wrinkles. It is not for everyone as you do need to consider the downtime. It takes me a long time to heal, and I have seen some patients heal in as little as 3 days, so everyone is different. Full results do take 6 months due to the collagen production, however, if you have patience it will happen and I am really pleased I underwent this and would recommend it to someone looking for a great skin resurfacing result.