Rambles

I'm still awake at this hour!

Tired but somehow I feel my emotions are too unsettled to have a good night sleep. Crazy things are happening at work, which overwhelms me much. Maybe because I'm such a newbie in the department of office politics. Or maybe it is just tough to be the only good guy. 

But what's wrong with being the good one and doing the right thing? The only part which is wrong for now is, I'm not strong enough.

But what do I need to be afraid of..since I have got boss on my side?

Post-Fraxel update. Day 6

I'm totally upset by the result so far!! :(

My skin turned so sensitive, still pink, and breaking out a lot. I asked Jenny (Fraxel consultant), she replied because it is a much higher setting this round, thus a longer recovery time.

'Oh ok..'

But miracle pls!! Tomorrow is my birthday, I need to wear makeup and look pretty...... How to if my skin is so intolerant to almost anything???

Post-Fraxel update. Day 5

It's the 5th day post-fraxel. And my skin is really taking its time to recover. I remember by day 5 after my first fraxel treatment, my face was so ready for bb cream and full makeup. But not now. I guess it might be due to the higher setting in this treatment, so theoretically there is more repairing work to do and more recovery time?  I'm not sure. Will have to consult the expert tomorrow.

Generally the dead skin flakes are completely gone, I'm having a very pink tone all over, which is how my skin is screaming for attention again.

Yes the pores are still very visible now. According to my dermatologist: it takes 4-6 weeks to see best result, because that's how long our body need to produce collagen.

Till tomorrow.

Post-Fraxel update. Day 4

I am still red! Went to work bare-faced, the guy from my next-door office teased me saying it is like 'monkey face'!!??? :-/

Generally my face is a better version of yesterday's, flaking and peeling is the most happening thing right now. My new skin is saying hello, it is super super SUPER sensitive, and screaming for my extra attention all the time. I tried using pure aloe vera gel, however I still feel Avene skin recovery cream and the thermal spring water does the best job.

And...it is kinda bothering me that there are several tiny whitehead-like breakouts on my forehead and chin, as well a pustular one on my right cheek. Yes the same symptom occurred as after my previous session, which is a normal response after Fraxel treatment. Just imagine the the top layer of skin is covered with all the dry and dead cells, meanwhile the inner is actively producing sebum, so when the sebum cant come out, they get stuck, there are then acnes.

So now I'm waiting patiently for my skin to get less sensitive, will see what I can do.

Post-Fraxel update. Day 3

Happy Sunday to everyone!

I'll do a very quick update on my post-Fraxel laser treatment day 3 progress. Sorry for the slightly different lighting, but the iPhone camera still did a good job in capturing the details:)

I'm very happy to see about 70% of the swelling is gone!  The black-colored pixels started to flake off, some fresh and new skin is peeking thru. My forehead and both jaw areas seem recover a bit slower, so they are still covered with the dirty-looking black dots. Yes the itchiness is still going on, so Avene thermal spring water spray come to rescue!

Patience, for my new skin. 

Post-Fraxel update. D1 and D2

After my Fraxel treatment this time, there is this sudden thought to document my daily recovery progress thru picture, for the benefit of those who intend for this laser treatment, this may give you a rough idea how much downtime you need to plan.

 

Day 1

Day 1 is all about the swelling and raw redness. My whole face was so swollen until when I looked down, my cheek blocked my partial view. LOL

My face felt taut, as if I am having a peeling-mask on, but no discomfort or whatsoever. 

I went to work without any makeup, my colleague commented this effect made me look 'grumpy'.

It is okay to wear makeup?
Not advisable, because we dont wanna put anything extra on the raw skin.

Day 2

The swelling is still there, it subsided a little but I am still upset with this all blown-up look.

The pixels of redness turned to black color, kinda dirty-looking, my skin right now is super rough and dry to touch, has exactly the same texture like sandpaper. 

Itchiness developed on my whole face, which is part of the natural healing process, however lotsa facial spray helps to calm it down. I got Avene Thermal Spring water to take care of that.

Is it okay to wear makeup?
Yes.. But I'm sure it doesnot give the best look, due to the skin's current texture, it is hard to blend the foundation on nicely. I just allow my bare skin to breathe freely.

When I came back just now, J actually asked me if I went for suntan yesterday! :D

My Fraxel experience

As many, I have been troubled by my gigantic facial pores which is a constant unpleasant reminder of my long term struggles against acne since as a teenager. While my acne is getting under better control now, living with enlarged pores is not any better to deal with. Even with makeup on, they dont look great.

In my quest of finding the right and effective treatment, Fraxel was offered to me as a trial one month ago. About one week since after then, I have received a good number of compliments on how my pores are shrunk and how youthful my skin turn to. Yes I absolutely love it!

So I had my 2nd treatment today. While the experience is still fresh, I'd like to write it down for those who are on the fence about doing Fraxel, you might wanna put all these into consideration.

As shown on the picture, I got the 1550nm wavelength, which is for treating enlarged pores and stubborn scars. According to the expert, this fractional laser works by producing thousands of microscopic laser columns that penetrate deep into the layers of skin that stimulate its own natural healing process. The body then produces collagen to replace the damaged skin. The results are more youthful, smoother and healthier appearing skin.

Is it painful?

Personally I have very good pain tolerance level. As being warned it is the 'very aggressive kind of laser' prior to Fraxel treatment, I took oral Codeine 30mg and Arcoxia 120mg, and used topical anesthetic cream all over my face as instructed by my dermatologist. At the beginning, it felt just a little tingling which can be ignored. I started feeling more and more as the roller repeated back onto same area(8 passes in total). And towards the end, the pain was like some hot iron rolling on my face, I was holding my breath each stroke and breathed in quickly inbetween every two strokes. With the distraction therapy kindly provided by the girls, I still teared, embarrassingly... But I survived it. Even requested for a higher setting on my 2nd treatment session :) The amazing result I had from my first session convinced myself the pain is worthwhile. 

What to expect after the treatment?

The pain was almost gone within 5 mins. What I saw in the mirror was a pinkish and swollen face, as shown in the picture above. Not a good look, and the bad news is.. not advisable to put makeup within 24 hours. 

It took 5 days for my skin to recover and looked like skin again, and almost 7 days for all the redness and swelling to disappear completely. 

Post treatment at home?

Here is my regime. Please use as what your dermatologist recommend.

Face wash: Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser

Moisturizer: Avene skin recovery cream

Sunblock: Heliocare ultra gel SPF 90

Avoid sunlight.

Avoid using any products that may cause irritation.

Avoid using abrasive exfoliating scrubs, toners or products contain glycolic acid, or retin A. 

Elevate head when sleeping, so swelling(edema) go off sooner.

Final result?

I was very happy how it brightens and evens up my skin tone, my pores are noticeably smaller in size and doesnot so deep as before the treatment! Generally my skin look so much younger. I will definitely be going for the 3rd session. :)