I spent a majority of my youth at the beach, slathered in tanning oil. Little surprise, before turning 30 I had spent incalculable amounts of money on bleaching creams and exfoliating products in a desperate attempt to even out my sun-warped skin. They had little to no effect. Finally, at the suggestion of my doctor, I began a series of PhotoFacial treatments. Although said to be not as effective as chemical peels or laser treatments, I did experience a significant reduction in skin discoloration without side effects or down time.

During a PhotoFacial, intense light is pulsed over the entire face. This process emits light in many wavelengths, allowing the light to treat all the levels of the skin. This is unlike lasers treatments which use only a single wavelength of light. A single PhotoFacial treatment lasts about a half hour after which patients can go on about their normal lives.

Photofacials have been shown to improve the appearance of age and sun related skin discoloration as well as reduce facial and neck redness. Furthermore, mild acne scarring, large pores, dark circles around the eyes, rosacea, and fine lines can be treated with PhotoFacials. Frown lines, deep scarring or wrinkles, sagging skin, puffiness and genetic freckling can not be effectively treated with a PhotoFacial.

Although I have found PhotoFacial treatments to be completely painless, some people do find the treatment itself to be uncomfortable. Furthermore, redness after treatment is somewhat common. Rarer side effects include mild blistering, bruising, swelling and pigmentation.

PhotoFacial treatments are significantly less expensive than laser procedures or plastic surgery. There is a catch though: for a PhotoFacial to really be effective, you must go more than once. An initial series of PhotoFacial treatments consists of approximately 5 sessions spaced 3 weeks apart with the necessity for follow-up treatments 2 years down the line. Personally, I have found the results to be well worth the time and follow-up.