IPL & Fractional Laser Treatments with Dr. Anzaldo Aesthetics in Orange, CA
About 6 months back, I started my bridal skin prep journey with the Dr. Anzaldo ObGyn | Aesthetics in Orange, CA. During my initial consultation, I expressed how I had wanted to tackle dark spots, bumps and acne scarring on my face; the ThreeForMe laser treatment package (Intense Pulsed Light & Fractional Laser) in conjunction with using a tone evening serum was suggested to me so we started my wedding day skin prep.
What is ThreeForMe?
The ThreeForMe laser treatments are the most affective way to solve multiple skin concers at one time – red & brown spots, facial veins and wrinkles. The ThreeForMe treatment utilizes both of IPL & fractional laser (see wrinkle reduction service) technology of the Icon™. Contact the Dr. Anzaldo office for a complimentary aesthetic consultation to figure out the best course of action for your specific skin care needs.
How does it work?
The Icon™ laser utilizes intense pulsed light (IPL) technology that delivers the best wavelengths to treat specific aesthetic conditions. As the Icon™ laser handpiece moves over the area being treated, intense pulses of light are delivered into your skin and target sun damage, brown spots and vessels without harming the surrounding skin. Once the energy is absorbed by the targeted areas, they will be destroyed and will slowly disappear through your body’s natural healing process. Your brown spots will get darker in color and flake off over the next few weeks. You may also see an immediate improvement in your vessels with continued skin rejuvenation over the next few weeks.
Icon™ uses fractional laser technology to emit concentrated pulses of energy into your skin and can help with wrinkle reduction along with unwanted pigment, scar reduction, and stretch mark reduction. When the energy is absorbed, your body begins to start healing itself and creates new healthy skin in the area that was treated. During the next few weeks, your skin will improve in tone and smoothness.
What To Expect On The Day Of Treatment
Before the Icon™ intense pulsed light (IPL) handpiece is used, a topical anesthetic may be applied to your skin where you will receive treatment if requested. You will also be given eye shields to wear to protect your eyes from the light during treatment. Most people report feeling heat or a tingling sensation during the treatment.
For the fractional laser, there may be some mild discomfort, and we do provide numbing cream to ensure your comfortable during the entire treatment. The Icon™ handpiece delivers energy into your skin targeting the areas of treatment. A few days post treatment, you may also experience some swelling and/or redness on the area treated, but this typically subsides by the third day.
Am I a good candidate for Skin Rejuvenation?
Skin rejuvenation with the Icon™ IPL laser can be safely used on most skin types. During your complimentary aesthetic consultation with our Aesthetic Nurse Specialist, they will determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure based on your unique factors.
How long does the treatment take?
Sessions can range from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the condition being treated and the size of the area. You will see continued improvement of your treated area over the first 6 weeks.
How many treatments will I need?
1 to 3 treatment sessions are recommended depending on the condition being treated. Treatment sessions should be scheduled 4-6 weeks apart.
My Experience with ThreeForMe
I had a total of 5 treatments from September to February (I would have had a treatment in March but I unfortunately had to cancel my appointment due to illness). The first two sessions were mild on my skin in terms of pain level and recovery time (2-3 days). My third session was turned up, so I felt more pain while having the fractional laser administered on my face and my skin had shown more swelling and visible grid marks from the laser handpiece for at least 7 days following the treatment. The third session, we didn’t go as intense since I had an event the weekend following the treatment and I didn’t want to have very visible swelling on my face. For my last treatment, the laser was a bit more intense but I didn’t have the fractional laser applied as much on the sensitive areas of my face (upper lip and forehead). See the process in the video above.
I’ve had a lot of people ask me how the laser feels; each session is 2-3 passes with the laser and I do have a topical anesthetic that is applied. The IPL that is initially administered during the 1st-2nd pass doesn’t really cause much discomfort, but it definitely causes a little zing (like a rubber band snap) when applied. Then with the more intense fractional laser, it gets significantly warmer on the face. I would describe it as feeling like there’s a flame being placed against the skin - but I’ve gotten through it. If it ever feels like there’s too much discomfort, then I just ask for a break, ask to turn down the settings to feel less heat or not do additional passes
After just the first session, I noticed visible results with the bumps and uneven texture near my under eye and temple on the right side of my face - the bumps and uneven texture were essentially gone and my skin had been resurfaced. After another two sessions, blemishes seemed to be diminished and my acne scarring had evened out. By the end of my treatments, my face was noticeably more smooth, even toned and radiant; which made it easy to apply makeup on the wedding day as well as allowed for my makeup to last longer.
We were also addressing the hyperpigmentation on the left side of my face by using even tone correcting serum for the past 6 months. The spot is much more concentrated and harder to break up the spot (and we did try lasering the area as well) so we weren’t able to significantly lighten the spot. But I did see that the dark spot start to break up at the bottom. I think if we had more time with working on the spot, we could make more headway with it. Overall, the laser treatments really improved my skin and was what my face needed to prep for the big day. Find out about the laser treatments, build your own bridal package or learn about the many other services that the Dr. Anzaldo office has to offer by visiting their website here.
Amanda N Hammond was not given monetary compensation but was gifted the services described in the post to compose and publish this blog post. All opinions expressed are of her own.