Laser resurfacing

10 Cosmetic Treatments You Should Not Do
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I may make a commission.

You want to look your very best!!

‘Tis the Holliday season. Dinner with friends and family, holiday parties, weddings and special dates.  You’ve bought your dress, shoes, accessories, scheduled your hair and make-up.

You look into the mirror feeling you need a little perk. I know that feeling all too well!!  I’ll wake up one morning thinking I must get some fillers, botox and a facial stat! I’ll look at my calendar and try to plan. If I’ve had a dental cleaning or any dental work, I’ll wait three weeks before any fillers. I don’t want to get a  Biofilm infection.

There is a menu of services and specials at every medical spa, dermatologist or plastic surgeon’s practice during the holidays. It’s very tempting. 

Plan!! Schedule these treatments allowing yourself the proper time for healing or any adjustments. You don’t want to look bruised, swollen or red before your event. Since I am a bruiser, I’ll  schedule my treatments 3 or 4 weeks before any event because sometimes my bruising  lasts 10 days. But, there are times I want a quick fix and this maynot be the wisest decision. If you can’t get in to see your favorite dermatologist, esthetician or injector, my advice is to schedule after your event. I wouldn’t suggest going on Instagram and choosing  a doctor you’ve never meet before. This is not the time to experiment. f you do bruise there are many makeup tips to help cover your bruising or redness. Ask your  doctor or injector about zapping the injection sites with laser. You can usually see bruises  pop out quite quickly. I always get zapped before I leave the office and sometimes have to go back a few days later.  

My favorite cover-up  is from Colorscience. It helps to cover bruising, uneven tone and redness.

Colorescience Mineral Makeup Palette, Beauty On the Go, 5 Neutralizing Makeup Shades

Schedule these treatments at least two weeks before your event

  1. Botox– you may bruise, need a tweak or develop a droopy eye which is very rare but a reality.
  2. Laser– depending on the type and depth you could be red, swollen, itchy, and peeling. One treatment may not give you the results you are seeking.
  3. Mico-needling – you may look red, and slightly swollen. This usually resolves quickly unless its a combination of laser and micro-needling.
  4. Don’t change your skincare routine or introduce new products. Start 6-8 weeks before an event on the off chance you may get a reaction.
  5. Stop any Retin-A treatments a week before you are planning a trip or event so you are not red and peeling.
  6. Lip Fillers- Swelling, bruising and soreness is very common. You may be swollen for 7 days and you really will not see the final result for two weeks. Juvederm swells more than Resytlane.
  7. Filling your eye hollows or tear throughs. This can be very tricky. Bruising and swelling is very likely. There is a chance you could be  overfilled or underfilled. Tweaking this area is common.
  8. Facial Fillers – Two to three weeks in advance. You may bruise, and have swelling. Plus if you need any adjustments you will have time. This includes Juvederm, Volumna, Restylane, Radiesse and Sculptra. Hyaluronic acid fillers (HA) like Juvederm swell. 
  9. Hand rejuvenation with fillers. Your hand will be swollen and may feel hard for several days.
  10. Looking to rid of brown spots with IPL? Chances you will need to have several treatments. Those ugly brown spots turn dark brown before they go away. 

Most importantly always consult a board certified plastic surgeon, dermatologist or a certified aesthetic nurse.

Be Beautiful Not Botched!™

Love,
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Tips for Getting Ready for that Special Occasion!

The time is approaching and you have a special event coming up. You’ve bought your dress, shoes, accessories, scheduled your hair and make-up.

You want to look your best.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about having a facial, a chemical peel, a little Botox, dermal fillers, Laser or IPL treatments. Since you want to look your best, you need to plan a schedule for these treatments allowing yourself the proper time for healing or any adjustments.  Don’t want until the week before your event.

Here are some factors to keep in mind when you make your appointments.

  1. Schedule a series of facials at least 4-6 weeks in advance. If you have sensitive skin you could break out. The goal is for glowing, healthy skin before the big day.
  2. If you plan to change skincare products, start 6-8 weeks before the event. Any change in products could cause your skin to react
  3.  If you are using Retin-A products. Stop one week before the event, so you are not red or peeling.
  4. Schedule any chemical peels at least 4 weeks before the event. You want your skin to glow-  not be red, flaky or peeling.
  5.  If you are planning on having any Botox or fillers- take arnica pre-injection and post to minimize bruising
  6.  Botox should be scheduled at least 2 weeks before the event. You may bruise, it takes 3-7 days to kick in and you may need to tweak the area.
  7. Lip fillers- at least 4 weeks in advance. You may be swollen for 7 days and you really will not see the final effect for two weeks. Juvederm swells more than Resytlane, but Juvederm tends to last longer in the lip area.
  8. Eye Hollows- at least two months in advance. You could have severe bruising in this area and puffiness. I would not take any chances. Two- three months of healing should be enough.
  9. Dermal Fillers – Two to three weeks in advance. You may bruise, and have swelling. Plus if you need any adjustments you will have time. This includes, Juvederm, Restylane, and Radiesse.
  10.  If you choose to use fillers such as Sculptra, you will need to start several months in advance, as this filler requires more injections and time to see results.
  11.  Looking to rid of brown spots with IPL? Chances you will need to have several treatments, Start as early as six months in advance, this advice is the same for any type of laser treatment, even vein therapy.

If you have any questions, ask your dermatologist or plastic surgeon.


 

Is Pearl Fusion worth it??.. update

It has been 2 months since my laser treatment on my chest, neck and peri-oral area.  Is it worth it??

I am not going to give a definitive answer yet, however, these are my observations.

1. My chest area is still slightly bumpy, slightly pink and in the light you can still see the vertical lines from sleeping all these years on my side. It does look a little better and smoother.

2. Hardly any pink around my mouth area. I really so not see much difference here in the vertical lines. The technician was agressive in this area using both YAg and Ablative. I will discuss setting and depth in another blog post. I developed a very small hypotropic scar above my lip line, which I hope resolves. I am not sure why this happened- however, I apparently healed too quickly in this area. I also noticed that my lips looked flatter, consequently I felt like a needed to plump them.

3. My initial reaction is that Co2 Lasers are more effective in building collagen and go deeper.  This seems to be the gold standard. Cutera (http://www.cutera.com) is the manufacturer of the Pearl Fusion and it is not a Co2 Laser.  There is much controversy in the laser resurfacing arena.

So far I am not impressed with Cutera’s Pearl Fusion.  If anyone has had any laser resurfacing experience, I welcome your comments.