acne free and loving it.

super shiny, but acne free! yay!!!!!!!

so a few months ago i offered up the question, "how much would you pay for clear skin?"well, i got my answer. in february, i went to get a facial at a local spa and ended up meeting the owner, a registered nurse, who discussed the isolaz laser treatment with me. the product was initially used for facial hair removal, but they found that the patients were also experiencing less acne on the treated areas. the treatment uses suction and a strong pulse of light to temporarily shrink the sabacious gland. my face was out of control, i didn't want to get dressed or even leave the house, so i was ready to try anything. i went home and discussed it with bo, who agreed to let me try it. the treatment is not cheap, anywhere from 250 to 500 dollars a session, but most spa's will offer discounts if you buy them all up front. i suggest doing this, just because if i hadn't already paid i would have gotten discouraged and probably not gone back. after 5 sessions (every 2 weeks) i noticed a major difference and after my final zapping it was like i had different skin. when she steams my face now, she barely gets the pores to open. they are tight and pretty. 

the only thing that sucks is maintenance, you do need to keep it up, but once your skin is clear you can go once every other month. i am lucky that bo agrees this treatment is amazing and worth the dough. i also have been using the obagi clensiderm system and a low dose of prescription retin-a. on top of that i changed my birth control to yaz which is supposed to help in some cases of mild acne. so this mixture has really worked well for me and i just wanted to share the good news. i am not exaggerating, no zits in months. not to say that one won't pop up around that time of the month, but with the treatment they heal soooo much faster. okay so the downsides, there aren't many, it doesn't get rid of post acne redness...only time can heal that crap, it also gives you hickeys, mostly on the forehead and cheeks, from the suction. these usually disappear in a few days. 

i am obviously not a professional so definitely talk to someone licensed before making any decisions. and please make sure they are licensed to use the isolaz, this treatment can and will burn you if the technician doesn't know what they are doing. hope this helps anyone dealing with stupid crappy acne :)