6th Photoderm

[Guest guest]

Hey!

I had my 6th photoderm tx at Dr. Bitter's office (with

, thankfully, and not the new nurse--she's

still getting the hang of it). When I told

that the flushing was all but eliminated, though I

still had transient bouts of turning slightly warm and

pink (like after friction--applying the zinc-o cream,

for instance), she said that there are probably still

clusters of vessels lurking deep in the skin that we

should treat. So she applied topical niacin (which she

said she had been avoiding doing with me because of my

previous post-tx reactions) about 5 mins before the

procedure, and used the same settings as last time

(590 filter, 45.5 joules, triple pulse, etc.). That

niacin, man--whew, I don't think I've ever flushed

like that pre-photoderm! And she only applied a very

thin layer, too. I could really feel it in my cheeks,

which were also a little more sore after this

treatment than usual. But she said I didn't look any

redder post-tx than usual. I iced it as I usually do

after this kind of thing, and am using the zinc-o

cream, which really helps alleviate that sunburn-like

tightness. And, yes, Jim, I again look like I've gone

a few rounds with Apollo Creed (those swollen undereye

bags appear like clockwork--so funny). Otherwise, my

skin actually feels fine. We'll see in a few days if

the niacin helped maximize the treatment benefits.

As for the treatment plan: We identified the cheeks as

being my trouble spots--the rest is under control. So

suggested that we wait about 6 weeks this

time and then come back for a " touch-up, " meaning just

spot treatment on the more resistent areas. She

suggested this because I've been paying per treatment,

follow-ups are no charge, and touch-ups are included.

So I can get about half a treatment for nada. Once

we've done that, we'll see if I need any further

sessions. I think I've had my last full-facial done,

at any rate. Now it's down to those troublesome

cheeks.

It seemed strange to me that the nurse considered me

almost finished with treatment. I guess I was secretly

expecting to have porcelin skin again once I was

finished, and that's certainly not the case. But it

looks a whole lot better, and it feels better, and

it's much healthier. I think I will have to work to

maintain this, but that kind of work is not nearly as

hard or as time-consuming as treating from the very

beginning. So I'm satisfied for now, and I expect that

I will see even further improvement after this

treatment clears and after my touch-up. I will keep

you all posted...

Take care--

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