How the heck are we half way through May? I hope all the mamas had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! My baby FaceTimed me and assured me there is a present waiting for me this weekend in Norman, OK (well, as you’re reading this I will have already gotten it)! My daughter is graduating from OU this weekend and moving back home to Austin. She is nearing the end of an interview process with a local graphic design and marketing company, so fingers crossed she gets the job! I get a little teary thinking about how college graduation is the close of a long chapter that started with a nervous little girl in a dress starting kindergarten at Cedar Creek Elementary! It’s been chock full of so many highs, and of course a few lows, and I doubt either of us would change a thing!
I promise I’m about to segue from childhood talk to Body Tonic talk! Twenty-three years ago, when I was pregnant with my now graduating child, I gained 60 pounds. That created A LOT of stretch marks, big and small. And with weight loss also comes some loose, crepey skin. So Kit and I decided to try out a Halo laser on my stomach for these concerns. As you’re reading this I will be at day 10 post-treatment. As I write this, I am 6 days post-treatment, and I am covered in MENDS. MENDS stands for microscopic epithelial necrotic debris. Explained by Sciton, the manufacturer of the Halo laser: “MENDS are microscopic wounds caused by the laser treatment. This is a part of your body’s normal healing process. The MENDS are treated cells that darken and may feel rough like you have coffee grounds on your skin.” Indeed they do!
Other than the MENDS, my skin is doing well. My hips are a little more tender than the abdomen just because the skin is thinner there. The actual treatment was a lot more tolerable than I expected (wasn’t sure if the stomach would be more sensitive than the face)..after 40 minutes of numbing cream I really didn’t feel much except some heat towards the end of the treatment. The real discomfort comes in that half hour AFTER the treatment where your skin is sensitive and hot. For me it lasted about 30-45 minutes post-treatment and then the heat was totally gone. After that my skin was just sensitive, like a sunburn.
Healing on non-facial areas takes nearly double the time as on the face, so I won’t be posting before and after pictures just yet! But we are hopeful for good results and to be able to offer you a new treatment in the Fall. I say Fall because if you’re going to laser your skin you cannot go out into the sun, and most people do like to enjoy the pool or the beach during the summer months. The last thing you want to do is expose new skin cells and then stick them out in the sun. Exposure to those UV rays can cause pigment changes that might not be treatable.
As soon as I’m healed I will post before and after pictures, although remember that with Halo, some results take a few months to show up, as it is stimulating your collagen to regrow. Short-term results are smoother skin with better clarity. Long-term results are more elastic, pliable skin.
As we are moving into these sunnier months, you can always transition your skin care treatments to Hydrafacials, dermaplanes and even Skin Pen. There are some sun restrictions after these treatments but they are minimal compared to laser or light treatments. We have multiple booster serums to add in to the Hydrafacials, like Britenol for pigment and Alastin Tri-Hex for encouraging collagen and elastin growth. And you can always add on PRP to your Skin Pen treatment to reduce downtime and increase collagen stimulation.
We will keep you posted on the Halo for body areas! And we hope to see you in the spa soon to make use of all those goodies you stocked up on from the Spring Sale!