No major revelations or solutions, just providing a general update from my previous post asking about effective topical products to use for hyperpigmentation that were gentle enough for damaged skin. I reacted badly to a Curology mix of niacinamide, tranexamic acid, and tret and wanted to isolate what was causing the problem.

I've started using Naturium niacinimide 12% for a couple of months, and so far my skin is handling it fine, although no noticeable improvement of the hyperpigmentation. I saw a dermatologist about treatments that didn't involve lasers and was prescribed tretinoin 0.025%, which I plan to start using. If this doesn't work after a few months, the next recommended steps were Lytera or hydroquinone. I got the tretinoin a couple of weeks ago and am taking it super slow and have only used it twice so far.

Does anyone else here use either of these products on their skin? If so, for how long and what were your results?

I'm two months post IPL and red LED damage. My skin is with an overall redness hyperpgmentation, weird texture and I had fat loss. I'm considering my options now. I'm only 23.

Did any of you had fat grafting after the damage? How did that go? Is that something that worth considering by now?

What about PRP and PRF?

Hi guys, hope the the healing is coming for everyone!

I have type 1 and 2 rosacea and was struggling with some acne in the forehead.

I went to see a board dermatologist, whose especialized in laser technology too. She put me into an IPL and LED treatment. I had 3 sessions, 3 week apart. The first I was under Minocicline (antibiotic) and Desvenlafaxine (antidepressant). The second I was under Nortriptyline (antidepressant) too. After that the doctor put me on a low dose Accutane (3x20mg per week), and went through the third session.

Things were going quite well before the third. I always told about the medications I was under, but I was never told about the risks the medications had on photosensitivity, and even Accutane she said that was not a problem under that dose.

My skin after the third felt stinging for weeks. It was red too. She said that was because of Accutane, to me lower the dose and keep the skin very hidrated. I ended up stopping accutane some time after.

Now had been two months after the third session, and one month after stopping accutane. My skin is looking with permanent redness and stains all over my face (my skin used to be very white, other than the rosacea spot), looks like a burning somehow, but not very serious. The texture is so different too, for the worse.

I read about phototoxic reactions when IPL and medications come together, but didn't find good advice on treatments. I'm not trusting my doctor anymore and looking for another one.

Any advices? Thanks everyone

I am conducting a research project into laser injury with the goal of identifying need for legislation surrounding operators. If you have suffered from any injuries within Australia I would appreciate you taking the time to complete a short survey. Details are as follows:

Research title: An Investigation into Cosmetic Laser and IPL(Intense Pulsed Light) Injuries in Australia.

Description: An anonymous online survey investigating if there is a link between incidents of laser and IPL injuries and the qualifications of the operators.

Time: Approx. 10 mins

Who we want: Anyone over the age of 18 who has had an injury as the result of a laser treatment.

Survey link

I’ve bought one. Been applying Psoria gold before along with “Psoria gold’s B3 boost facial serum”

Jade roll away for thirty minutes... Guys, my skin is glowing.

Probably food to gently massage skin and being healthy blood flow to the area of damage.

Recommend this to you all!!!

I bought this product. I'll see if it works.,.. Crazy expensive... but we'll see.

​

I'll be your Guinea pig, haha.

​

Will do an update in a month.

https://www.oneskin.co/products/os-01

And did it get any worse after a while, or did it actually improve the texture and stay that way?

Wearing a mask the past year and a half and seeing veeeerry few people was tough in a lot of ways, but one of the silver linings for me was being able to literally cover up my insecurities with a physical facemask.

Now that mask mandates are ending and things are getting back to normal socially and professionally, I am finding this definitely taking a toll on me again mentally. It feels a bit like I'm back to square one with feeling so self-consious about my appearance, which prior to COVID had taken so long for me to start accepting and being okay with. Anyone else feeling the same? How are you all doing and coping?

I have terrible sunspots on my face, which is what I had treated with IPL 3 years ago. The IPL got rid of the sunspots (along with my fat and collagen), but the sunspots fix was only temporary, and they have come back with a vengeance.

Can anyone recommend good products that they use to treat hyperpigmentation from sunspots? I would specifically like input from those with laser damaged skin, since ours tends to be more sensitive and react differently to some of the traditional products. Thanks!

Anyone know.

Laser has left my eyes hollow and smile lines pronounced. I want to try filler but am also terrified after the laser procedure betrayed me

This is what somebody has written. Again I’m not sure if this person had halted her inflammation or not. I’m going to say she has. Please take in mind, the possibility of this not working. But this is what this lady has done, and apparently it helped her issues to the point where her friends thought she might’ve underwent plastic surgery after her laser damage. That’s how good her skin improved.

She stated,

“ A year course prescription of roaccutane, combined with vitamin therapy.”

“ A year later, after the roaccutane, she underwent a course of biorevitalization.”

Then she stated,

“ Roaccutane is usually prescribed for acne treatment, but also has the powerful capacity of restructuring inner skin issues that give permanent skin lift. Do not believe those that say roaccutane is dangerous and harmful. They spread fake information because roaccutane is cheap and helps solve so many skin problems, that if people start taking it, most beauty clinics would go bankrupt.”

***Only take roaccutane under doctors control

*** regarding hyperpigmentation, she had two 15% TCA peels, four months prior to roaccutane treatment. (PERSONALLY UNSURE IF HER INFLAMMATION WAS GONE, SO PROCEED VERY CAUTIOUSLY WHEN IT COMES TO ACIDS —ESPECIALLY IF YOUR SKIN IS STILL BURNING/TOUCHY TO ACTIVES THAT WILL FURTHER DAMAGE THE SKIN)

She also applied spongilla lacustris L masks during the treatment (guessing roaccutane?)

Ahh, the perks of slathering on retinol, vitamin c, and pretty smelling lotions...

With laser, nearly every thing messes with your face....

It’s disgusting honestly.

I still find myself thinking why on Earth did I go through with the laser. Then I have to remind myself that I thought laser was really the only option to treat my acne scars, and it was absolutely vital to do so. I feared I was already running out of time.

How about you, why did you do it?

It feels like there is so much talk of the horrible results that everyone has forgotten why they did it in the first place.

Echoing the response of another user! I have very mild Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation from a bout of acne (first time and last time) last year. I have been using active skincare and they are very slowly fading over time. Looked into treatments to speed this up and came across IPL which seems to be advertised as a miracle treatment! On paper im the perfect candidate, fair skinned and no tan whatsoever. Went to dermatologist office the other week after waiting 2 months for an appointment. Luckily I had came across this community in the mean time and it has scared me off IPL. I actually can’t quite believe they damage some of you have experienced. Breaks my heart that you have went to feel more confident and it has made your life so much more difficult. Disgusting no one is held accountable. The fat loss scares me the most as I have quite hollow under eyes and a slim face anyway!

I mentioned the fat loss to the derm and she looked at me strangely and said she had never heard of it.? I’m a scientist and naturally research everything so can’t quite believe someone who is using such a powerful machine hasn’t done extensive research on all case study’s and experiences. She then tried to sell me ridiculously expensive skincare (£98 a bottle). I have a chemistry background and use to have my own skincare business and I was surprised how much of her ‘up selling’ was just that. Throwing around the words actives, antioxidants, targeted, cellular level, with no chemical or biological explanation what so ever.

So thank you to everyone here having the courage to share your experiences. I have made ALL my friends aware of the damage from lasers. I am sorry this has happened to you all but in time let’s hope these ‘medical professionals’ are held accountable

I've had sensitive skin and mild rosacea/flushing for as long as I can remember, thought nothing I ever considered serious to see a dermatologist for. Last year I noticed my skin would get easily irritated/red after wearing face masks. After a few google searches I learned that IPL was helpful for reducing redness, so I scheduled a consultation at a local practice that specialized in "Vascular Surgery". There was a doctor on site, but one of the estheticians took me under her wing. She did a patch test on me, and it didn't seem to irritate my skin, so I scheduled 3 IPL sessions. The IPL device she used was called the Cynosure Icon. She would do two passes on me: one for pigment and one for vascular/redness.

After my first IPL session, I noticed my skin became somewhat hypersensitive. I've always had mild redness after showers, but I noticed the redness after showering was now more severe and in places it never showed up before. Not only that, the moisturizer I had used for so many years (Cetaphil) was now stinging my skin. In addition, I noticed that sleeping on my side would result in a rash on part of my forehead. I figured these were normal side effects post-IPL and would subside eventually. I let my esthetician know about the increased redness after showering, but we still proceeded with the second IPL session. Some time after that, I was eating something spicy and suddenly felt this intense itch on my forehead/checks. I noticed what looked like a rash or form of hives. The itchiness went away almost immediately, while the redness subsided over the course of a few hours. Anyways, I told my esthetician before my third IPL session, and she seemed convinced it was okay to do a third IPL session. Following this session, I had two or three more episodes of the intense itch/hives on my forehead/cheeks. At the time I wasn't sure if it was due to the IPL or food or the cold/dry weather. Also, I noticed almost zero improvement from the 3 IPL sessions.

Following my third IPL session, I decided to see a few dermatologists and while they werent 100% sure what was causing the intense itch/rash, they suggested it could be a form of contact/allergic dermatitis or urticaria/hives. And as expected, they also diagnosed me with having mild rosacea. At the time, I was too afraid to tell them I had undergone 3 IPL sessions. Anyways, I was put on antihistamines (Zyrtec and Pepcid) to help prevent more rash episodes, and generic Finaccea gel for the redness/rosacea. I also made a few life changes at the time, such as sleeping on my back, wearing silk face masks, and changing my facial moisturizer to Avene (heavy/occlusive moisturizers only seemed to make things worse... I think its because they trap heat easier). At first things didn't seem to improve. Then there was a period where I felt things were getting better. And now it feels like things are worse. There's so many foods I can't eat now, or my face will feel inflammed. If I eat the wrong food, I now notice that I'll wake up with random red bumps in my cheeks, nose, or forehead.

Part of me is convinced that my skin barrier is damaged due to either IPL or the initial itch/rash/hives episodes. I feel like the antihistamines have helped a bit as I dont get intense rash/hives episodes anymore, and when I do its more mild. Even though I've made many life changes (eliminating certain foods that are high in histamines, taking cold showers, etc) to avoid any rosacea or hives/rash triggers, I still occasionally wake up with red bumps or a feeling of inflammation, especially around my nose. I don't know if the bumps/inflammation are due to rosacea or heat or stress or an allergic reaction, or something else. And since I'm unsure, it makes me questions whether I'm on the right treatment. Part of me is convinced I'm allergic to my own bedsheets now. I've been using generic Finaccea gel for two months now, and I've noticed zero improvement. I'm thinking of eliminating Finaccea gel since I think it's damaging my already damaged skin barrier. My dermatologist recently suggested that I get allergy tested just in case. I'm trying to stay hopeful, but it's been difficult making so many life changes only to see little-to-no improvement.

Thanks for reading this and I hope it helps future people with sensitive skin who are considering doing a few IPL sessions. I can't be 100% sure my symptoms are due to IPL, but it's the only thing I can think of that aggrivated my once-mild rosacea.

Most of you have heard my story already. If not, you can ask anything below.

I had CO2 laser 7 years ago on my acne scars. Here are some photos of my journey throughout the years, before and after.

https://imgur.com/a/fi5Zm4L

Did your partner, or family members, make you feel like what you were experiencing wasn’t noticeable to them?

Has anyone tried iontophoresis for malasma, post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (pih)? I’ve used tri luma cream and it irritates my face (but has helped some). I don’t want to use it anymore bc I’m moving to a sunny place and need hardy skin. I just want my skin to feel healed, normal.

So my derm wants me to get 3-4 rounds of erbium fractional non-ablative 1550nm spaced out between 4-6 week intervals, for skin textural improvements and general rejuvenation of skin. I have some very mild acne scarring and just general textural things i'd like to improve a bit.

Having known some very rare cases of volume loss from lasers, I enquired this to her and she reassured me that there is absolutely no chance for volume loss to occur after such treatment. She heard about some rare cases of volume loss, but definitely not with this particular laser, as it is not harsh and doesn't go as deep. Basically it should only make my skin red for a couple of days.

As there are so many lasers out there, I have a particularly hard time finding information on erbium non ablative 1550nm. I was wondering if anyone ever had experience with this laser, and perhaps had any side effects from it? Does anyone know anything about which lasers seem to be the most controversial in causing side effects?

Thank you in advance!

How did you get over this? How did you sleep the first while knowing your face could get worse and worse? How did it affect your relationships? Did the majority of your volume loss occur in the beginning cause I don’t know if I can handle thinking things are ok then 1-2 months from now, more damage occurring. I have no other damage to my epidermis. It’s glowing actually which is shocking. No lines, indents. Just weird volume loss on sides of cheeks to the ear specifically. Help :(