Accent Aesthetics / Golden Colorado

ABOUT MY SKIN

I have normal to dry skin with occasional hormonal breakouts. Dark spots on the cheekbones and close to the hairline, fine lines and Rosacea.

WHY IPL?

When asked what is my biggest concern about my skin, hands down, I always say my dark spots. I don’t have many, or so I thought, but the ones I do have, have become darker and larger. I have tried brightening serums but haven’t received the results I am looking for. So I reached out to Ramie and Katherine ( with over 30 years of experience ) at Accent Aesthetics in Golden, Colorado for their expertise. After discussing various treatments, we decided on an IPL of the entire face.

A FEW FACTS

IPL treatments are also referred to as “photofacials.” IPL treatments boast 50-75% improvement rate in treating rosacea, sun spots, age spots, brown spots, chronic sun damage, fine lines and skin. Cost per treatment ranges from $300- $600. You can purchase a package of several treatment visits, which can reduce the total costs. Most professionals suggest 2-5 (depending on damage) treatments for optimal results.  Contact Accent Aesthetics to book your appointment today!

PRE IPL TREATMENT

Accent Aesthetics, located in Golden, Colorado has a beautiful new office and a very friendly front staff. Ramie and Katherine, both licensed medical aestheticians, were extremely thorough, explaining the entire procedure and what to expect in the days following. The treatment starts with putting a numbing cream on the entire face. I’m not gonna lie, the topical left my face stinging and blotchy. Damn you, sensitive skin! How the hell am I going to handle the treatment? The numbing cream takes about 45 min to kick in. I highly recommend this step!

WHAT TO EXPECT

Before the treatment begins, you will be given eyewear to protect you from the bright flashes of light. Ramie then applied a cool gel to my skin, this helps lubricate the handpiece and cool the epidermis during the treatment. Now comes the laser, I have to say, the anticipation might be the worst part. The laser feels exactly like how Katherine and Ramie explained it to me, like a hot rubber band snapping your skin. Now, that description sounds pretty bad, but the entire procedure only lasted 15 minutes. Anyone can handle that, Right? No pain, no gain.

POST IPL TREATMENT

I have sensitive skin which inflames very easily, so my face was like a tomato after the treatment, red and hot. Ramie and Katherine gave me 2 ice packs which helped cool my face. The heat was intense and made me panic, will this last for hours or days? But in reality, after about an hour, my face cooled and felt fine, kinda like the day after you had too much sun, precisely the reason I am getting this treatment in the first place!

RECOVERY TIME

I discovered that the downtime after an IPL Treament in terms of discomfort, is minimal. An hour and a half post treatment, the heat disipaited. Based on my experience, I wouldn’t want to go to work immediately after the IPL, but the day after I did. Waking up the next day, it was crazy to see how dark the pigment was! Since my late 20’s I have been diligant about wearing sunscreen and covering my face when outside for periods of time. Clearly my skin has a lot of damage, damage that I didn’t even think I had! To all my peeps out there- Sunscreen, Suncreen, Sunscreen!

SKIN CARE REGIMEN POST TREATMENT

AM and PM Regimen- 1.) Cleansed my skin with Lamer Cleansing Foam, 2.) Applied hydrocortesone, 3.) La Mer Concentrate     4.) La Mer Face Oil, 5.) Creme de la Mer then 5.) La Mer sunscreen for day. You don’t want to exfoliate the skin until all of the coffee grounds slough off naturally! As far as makeup goes, I was able to wear it the following day, of course you could still see the dark pigment but hey, it was a great conversation starter!

SHOP MY LAMER REGIMEN

RESULTS

I am blown away with my results! Minimal recovery time with a huge payoff, I am beyond thrilled with this treatment! My dark spots that I was most self conscious about are gone, I have reduced pore size, smoother texture and I feel like my skin is more plump, all in just 2 weeks! Ramie and Katherine were very thorough, informative and professional. This is an invasive treatment, so it is impairative that you do your research. I highly recommend Accent Aesthetics! I can’t wait to see my results after round #2!