Afraid of Botox?

‘At forty, you come to a crossroads. Am I going to do something or let it go?’ Words from my dear professional friend Claudia. Coco Chanel once said that until you are 35, you have the body you were given by nature, and after 35, you have the body (and mind) you deserve. Well, wrinkles come. Be happy. It means you have been able to live, laugh, and cry. But I am a bit of ‘team keep it in check’, so I said ‘yes please’ when my laser therapist Annelijn from Skin clinic told me about her new super-duper laser equipment. Let me go through the questions I had beforehand.

1. What is it?

The laser I was treated with is a unique laser (there are only a few in the Netherlands) that can combine two lasers simultaneously. It is a combination of an ablative fractional CO2 laser that controlledly evaporates ‘fractions’ of the skin at the surface, making the skin smoother, reducing wrinkles, skin structures, (acne) scars, and sun damage (bring it on then) and a non-ablative laser that works deeper in the skin to stimulate collagen and connective tissue production, which firms the skin. This way, all signs of skin aging are addressed. It sounded like Vivaldi in my ears.

2. Does it hurt?

When I arrived, Annelijn asked if I had taken a paracetamol. Of course, I hadn’t. No problem, she opened her drawer and took out two. Then I got a bit sweaty, because had I not thought too lightly about this? But I have been lasered quite often (rosacea, hence), so I am used to the pinprick feeling. Annelijn blows cold air on your skin simultaneously with the laser, which almost completely alleviates the burning sensation. Honestly: it’s not pleasant, but it doesn’t hurt.

3. And afterwards?

After the treatment and in the evening, I felt like I had been sitting in the sun without protection all day: burning and a bit irritated.

4. Are you presentable in the days after?

I went straight to the office after the treatment because I feel free among my colleagues. I looked a bit tanned, but really fine. In the days after, my skin felt like sandpaper. Very grainy because a tiny crust forms on the small holes caused by the laser. But no one noticed that. You can also use makeup in the days after.

5. Is it better to do such a treatment after summer because of the sun?

No, you should actually always protect your skin from the sun. That is if you don’t want wrinkles, at least, because the sun does a lot for your face but little for your skin. So if you protect your skin well with a good factor 30 (the products from Lancaster are my favorite) and don’t go out in the sun full on for the first few days, there’s nothing to worry about.

6. The result

My treatment was six days ago and I can really feel that the grains are falling off and a skin is emerging as soft as baby’s bottoms. I am always quite critical of myself, but I must say that today every time I looked in the mirror, I thought: that’s not bad at all, that face. My skin feels soft and those little wrinkles above my lip, I don’t see them anymore. Moreover, small spots caused by the sun and little scars from pimples have all disappeared. And it’s only just begun. The deeper skin is now going to produce collagen, so the process continues. I am very, very happy.

7. Something for everyone

The laser can be applied separately as one of the two or in an exclusive mixed modality, allowing the treatment to be very specifically tailored to the skin condition or skin problem and the wishes someone has to improve the skin.

I had my treatment at Skin clinic of Annelijn. Because she is the best and because her practice is also extremely centrally located in the country (namely along the A2 to Utrecht) and you can park right in front.