My Experience with Laser Facials

Back in January of this year, my skin started breaking out worse than it had done in a long while. I continued to get consistent breakouts until about June, which had left my skin quite scarred; I had red marks everywhere, my skin tone was blotchy and though I had pared back my skincare routine and was getting fewer actual blemishes, I had a lot of congestion and closed comedones. Now, by no means was the acne chronic, or hugely noticeable after makeup, but it was enough to really affect my confidence.

I think it was down to multiple things including extreme final semester stress, going out a lot, bad diet and a bunch of products that I bought early in the year. I invested in some really expensive skincare, including luxurious oils and thick moisturisers to ease my dry winter skin. As always happens in these situations, I then started to wear high coverage foundation which ended up contributing to the problem. This was a very, very bad idea. I have dehydrated oily skin that is very sensitive to getting clogged up, and it seems like every few years I completely forget this fact. It took me around three months to realise this, and when I finally cut all of those products out of my routine, the amount of blemishes I was getting immediately reduced. Unfortunately by that point my skin was so congested it was going to take something more invasive to clear it up completely.

So, in addition to my new, simple skincare routine that I’ve detailed here, I started to go to the D. Thomas Clinic. They are skincare specialists who are most famous for their signature tailored facials, of which there are three levels. About a year previously, I had received the DNA Essential Skin Grade 1, which involved extractions and tailored products and advice, but this time I wanted to go a step further and involve some of the laser services which the clinic is well-known for. Whilst they have a DNA Ultimate Laser Grade 3, I thought that the DNA Laser Complete Grade 2 was the best option for me, being a newbie to any laser treatments.

Before we get started, one of the major downsides is that the treatments are really expensive, partially I think because each involves a personalised experience and involves a lot of heavy equipment. For me, I think it has been worth it just because of the effect it has had on my confidence, but you can’t argue that it seems a little extortionate.

For my first facial, I had to do a laser patch test, so we essentially did the Grade 1 again. My facialist Nuria analysed my skin, and then did a huge number of extractions and a few chemical exfoliation treatments. For the extractions, they prick any raised blemishes and then squeeze them. This can be quite an uncomfortable experience and a little painful, but it’s a much safer way than attempting it at home and helps prevent scarring, as well as clearing out the skin. They are real perfectionists here so expect to have blemishes you didn’t even know you had squeezed. Later that week, I went back to do my first Grade 2 facial. Thus far I’ve had about five or six different lasers as far as I can tell, all of which have slightly different purposes (antibacterial, pore reducing, resurfacing/getting rid of scarring etc etc). Some are a little more uncomfortable than others but none are particularly painful. In general, the facials are quite medical feeling and not designed to be a relaxing treatment but rather an effective one. The rooms are bright and filled with heavy machinery.

Since then each facial has been slightly different depending on my skin’s needs. I always come out with skin looking slightly worse than before because of the extractions, but it never lasts longer than a day or so. I’ve never had to have any downtime because of the laser or any peeling because of it. The long-term effects have been outstanding. My scarring has almost completely cleared up, and my blemishes have massively reduced; I’m now back to having one or two spots a month (anything you might notice on my skin is usually just the result of me picking something I shouldn’t…). I am still getting a little bit of congestion, some blackheads and stuff between treatments, but it is much, much better than it was. I have stretched out my appointments from every four weeks to every six and I am so impressed with the results. I am going to keep going just to maintain and continue to improve my skin if possible.

So that’s my little skincare secret, let me know if you’ve ever tried anything similar and how you’ve found it.