We are coming to an end of my Skin Quest with Clear Skin Clinic. if you have missed the journey so far you should probably catch up! It's been a long old 6 months for me. The not wearing makeup part has been the most difficult part of the whole thing.
But my "want" for perfect scar-free skin has been a driving force in the whole thing. I'm sure those of you who have gone through the same or something similar can relate. I often find that still when I look in the mirror and see the remanence of scarring left on my face, it subconsciously brings back the memories of what I used to look like.
I feel that until that's gone, a part of me will always see myself as that awkward, self-conscious teenager afraid to go out.
If you haven't been following the journey so far-
Here is what you missed:
2: Overview of what is to come
4: The first 3 intensive treatments in one day
So what is RF Resurfacing?
- RF Skin Resurfacing is a brilliant treatment for skin damaged by acne or scarring as it leaves the skin looking much smoother.
- It can also be used to treat the signs of ageing or sun-damaged skin.
- During the treatment, the RF Resurfacing device is rolled over the skin and it causes thousands of tiny, controlled injuries to the skin.
- What happens to your skin when it gets injured? It starts to heal and that’s exactly how this treatment works. It stimulates a healing response in the skin so that new collagen starts to grow in the treated areas.
- RF Skin Resurfacing can dramatically improve the texture of the skin and is a brilliant treatment for depressed acne scars.
- Improvements can be seen after the first treatment however, 3 to 6 treatments may be needed depending on the amount of correction needed.
- The more treatments you have the healthier the skin becomes and the quicker it heals.
- Following treatment, it can take the skin between 1 day to 1 week to heal depending on how healthy the skin is and how heavy the treatment is.
RF Resurfacing was the one part of the journey I was most apprehensive about. At the same time, I was most excited to see the results. I knew the down time would be up to a week, so I would have to hibernate. But for some reason, it was the sunniest weekend of the year in Dublin. Everyone was BBQing and drinking in beer gardens. I was hiding in my sitting room afraid to answer the door. At one point I had to venture out to my local shop in Sandycove as my partner was away and we had no milk. The guy behind the till looked at me as if I had been severely beaten or had fallen asleep in the sun. I could see his mind working overtime to figure out what was wrong with my face. The memories of the way people used look at me when I had acne came flooding back. It's funny how a past familiar look's from a person you don't even know can effect you in a way you didn't think possible. It was the first time I slightly panicked about what I had done. Even though I knew it would heal, I was having moments of "What if's" going through my head.
It all started with Facial numbing
For half an hour I sat with cling film on my face. This part was pain-free. The rest, not so much.
Day One:
Although it doesn't look that bad in the picture, it was roaring red. The treatment (if you can call it that) was intense. After the numbing wore off, it was pretty sore. The smell of burning skin was the worst part. But it only lasted 5 minutes so it's very tolerable. My drive again was scar free skin.
When I came home and the anaesthetic wore off my face felt hot, swollen and sore. The feeling was similar to a severe sunburn with a sprinkle of "throbbing". I had to ice my face on and off to cool it down. And to be honest, I also had to take painkillers.
Day Two:
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The pain had completely gone. And although it looks worse, it no longer hurt so I didn't mind too much. Aside from giving my fiancee the fright of his life when he came home late at night from a work trip. As I opened the door his jaw dropped and he said "Have you seen your face?!!" probably the most entertaining part of this whole experience.
Day Three:
I had been using copper peptide after my treatment which helps the healing process and turns it slightly brown in colour. My skin felt like scales. It was rough and it took all my will-power not to pick it! But I managed to restrain myself. There was no pain what so ever at this point.
Day Four:
After exfoliating my skin on day four, most of the brown scabs came off. I was beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. By day five my skin was much clearer. I definitely noticed a difference in the depth of scarring. Especially when I put my makeup on.
After:
There is still slight scarring and open pores on the right side of my face. But overall my skin is much clearer and brighter than it was. This treatment made a huge difference. I especially noticed when I applied makeup for a wedding I was attending in Malta.
I hope you have been enjoying my skin care journey so far. Up next week is the Vampire facial, you wont want to miss it.
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What are your thoughts on this treatment? Would you go this far to remove acne scarring?
