Dear Diary
Months of lockdown, mask-wearing, anxiety and stress during the Covid-19 pandemic all had a negative effect on my skin. Wearing a mask caused my skin to become reactive: red and sensitive and it felt very rough. I also had uneven skin tone and new fine lines as I could not use all my normal active ingredients at that time. The worst of all was how fragile my skin felt with a compromised skin barrier and it was sagging too. I felt I had aged beyond my 62 years!
My skin is used to regular treatments but with lockdown and the clinic closed for a time, I had none of my usual treatments that keep my skin looking radiant and healthy: micro-needling with PRP and IPL.
This time, however, I felt that I needed a treatment that would go deep and that would take my skin from zero to hero long term. I opted for the Mosaic Fractional Laser.
This laser provides deep regeneration in the dermis, stimulating new collagen and elastin. The dermis of the skin can be likened to a mattress – when it starts to sag you need to fix the springs and this is what fractional laser technology does for the skin!
I had a mild chemical peel to help prep my skin two weeks before the Mosaic laser treatment and I applied a skin barrier cream with hydrating ingredients and lipids regularly to get my skin barrier functioning optimally.
Thursday Day 1
Treatment day and I am excited! The Dermalaser therapist prepped my skin with a local anaesthetic product which stayed on the skin for half an hour before the treatment to numb the skin. She then first wiped off the excess local anaesthetic and placed special glasses over my eyes to protect them from the laser light and the treatment commenced.
Discomfort levels can vary from person to person with this treatment and I found that while I did not feel any pain, my forehead area was sensitive during treatment due to the underlying bone in this area. However, it was soon over and treatment commenced on the rest of my face and I was completely comfortable throughout the rest of the treatment… both cheeks, nose, upper lip and chin. The surrounding eye area was also treated – the laser was used as close as possible to the goggles but for safety reasons could not go right up to the eye, although they treated the laugh lines on the side of the eyes.
My skin became red and very warm during the treatment and there was a little sensitivity (again this varies per individual) but it was nothing I could not handle. To tell you the truth, I absolutely love the feeling of warmth and heat as I know it is this action that helps to stimulate the deep regeneration of collagen and elastin and which will continue to improve the wrinkles, firmness, clarity and smooth texture of the skin in the months ahead. After the treatment, a cooling cream and a sunscreen were applied before I left the clinic.
Friday Day 2
My skin is still red today but not warm and I have a little swelling which I was told also depends on each individual’s skin. My skin feels a bit taut but not too dry. I applied an occlusive barrier cream to protect my skin from the surgical mask I have to wear at work today. It is not uncomfortable at all and I think to myself there can be no better time to have this treatment as I am not socializing outside of work and when I do have to go out to work or to the shops, the mask covers my face!
Saturday Day 3
The redness has started to break-up and is a bit more blotchy … I apply my barrier cream generously throughout the day and as I am at home I don’t need to wear a mask or make-up to cover my skin – this gives my skin a good chance to recover post-treatment. It is not quite as dry as I was expecting but regular applications of a rich barrier cream are helping this tremendously.
Sunday Day 4
The redness is only in the areas of my face that needed some extra anti-ageing attention – nose, upper lip and around the eyes. In all the other areas, my skin is a pale pink – hardly noticeable and calm. Today was the first day my skin felt very dry for some reason and a bit like sandpaper (this varies according to individuals) so I upped my application of barrier cream and water. Another day at home and another day make-up/mask- free day!
Monday Day 5
My skin has started to flake a little but mainly on the nose – years of sunburn as a child have taken their toll and I asked for a few extra passes in this area with the laser so hence the flaking! My skin is very comfortable and I love the feeling that I am reducing years of damage to my skin. It is a workday, so I apply an extra layer of rich barrier cream as I have to wear a mask but the trade-off is that no-one will see the flaking on my nose. The rest of my skin is starting to feel great and to normalize.
Tuesday Day 6
My nose is still flaking which means my laser therapist did a good job! The best part is that I can see that the large pores, also caused by sun damage, have shrunk on my nose and chin area and the ‘barcode’ lines around my mouth are softer and more smooth.
Today for the first time, I introduced some gentle active ingredients into my skincare routine as my skin feels comfortable enough to handle them. I had been told that I could not use any active ingredients until all redness and dryness had dissipated which they have. I applied a gentle exfoliating product as part of my cleansing routine and serum with mild Vitamin A and E plus my barrier cream. Today I showed my work colleagues my skin and they all commented on my healthy glow!
Wednesday Day 7
My skin feels great – my nose has a few very pale pink areas which is barely noticeable but once I apply my foundation, you cannot see that and the rest of my skin is smooth and the roughness has disappeared. My skin feels happy and I can see and feel the health benefits of this deep rejuvenating treatment.
Conclusion
For me, on a personal level, the pure magic of this treatment is that there is very little downtime and that I can feel the skin regenerating from the inside out and outside in …. my skin feels stronger and more resilient. I can almost feel the collagen and elastin fibres strengthening inside and I can see my skin has more clarity and a brighter skin tone, a smoother texture, reduced pores size and best of all a reduction of fine lines and a softening of the deeper wrinkles.
Another benefit of this treatment is that the collagen and dermal elastin fibres are constantly being regenerated post-treatment and continue to improve for months after, enhancing results long term.
This treatment that I have recorded was the second of my three Mosaic treatments. It is generally recommended that you have 3 to 4 treatments, spaced one month apart if you have never had this treatment before or not for a long time and have quite a lot of sun damage. The beauty is that after these initial couple of treatments, results can be maintained with a follow-up treatment once or maybe twice a year going forward.
There has never been a better time to have this fractional laser treatment than right now … because we are spending less time socializing and we have a mask to hide behind when necessary. Also, most of our skins are in need of renewal and rejuvenation after a long hard winter and just in time for the summer season!
Please note you will need a pre-treatment assessment to check that your skin is suitable for this treatment.
Sandy Webster
September 2020
Post-script: I am now a month post-treatment after my second Mosaic and my skin is looking clear, healthy and radiant – it does take a little time to get here but it’s worth it and it will continue to improve with time! I cannot wait for my third treatment shortly.
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