Coming to a close on this week’s postings, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve learned. Yes, the fractionated CO2 laser works. Yes, it can be annoying for the first few days, but after the skin peels off, all is greatly improved. Aquaphor is your friend for the first few days. And yes, there is a difference between sunscreen and sunblock.
I have a few pictures for today, though I admit they’re not that different from yesterday’s. Renee has developed a few small red spots near the corner of her mouth, and elsewhere. This is likely from the change in climate, as she’s noted a significant change in how dry her skin becomes, being in a much dryer place.

Now for the good part – tomorrow Renee will post her own thoughts and feelings on things. I’m not TOO worried about what she’ll say. I know she’s not a fan of being on display, but she IS a fan of not having melasma. Everyone please give her a big round of applause for letting us catch a glimpse of the journey, and stay tuned! I’m sure tomorrow will be interesting.

Well, well, well. Here it is the weekend, and everyone is out playing. So is Renee! She has gone on a field trip to a very dry place. Before she left, she washed her face, and voila! Now she’s soft as… well, you can imagine. This can be evidenced by the smile she can’t seem to get rid of in her pictures. No more melasma. No more fine wrinkles. She does have some residual skin peeling, but this should be gone in a day or so.
Because she’s so close to the desert, she’ll need to be VERY careful to stay hydrated and stay out of the sun. It’s getting to be time to start thinking about preventing future melasma spots from forming, too. This will require strong sun block (not just sunscreen), and likely a prescription medication or two.
As you can see, her skin is still quite pink. This is because it is thin. With the passage of time (a week or two) her skin will continue to grow and the coloration will normalize. As advertised, I’ll keep up the daily posts to complete the week. In a week or so we’ll check in again with Renee to show how things normalize.
And now admit it. Only a day before and you were worried. What with the itching and scratching and annoying husband, the slightest doubt may have entered your mind. But this husband isn’t as dumb as he may look. After all, he does this for a living!

That’s right! It’s time for the Itchy and Scratchy Show! Yes, Renee has survived yet another day. Although she must admit, this third day out has been the worst day so far. It’s not so much a pain thing. She’s frustrated with the itch… with the difficulty sleeping… with being tired… and maybe with the husband who drew on her face on the internet. Although she has to admit – it was kinda funny.
But kudos to her, Renee has figured out how to master the problems, and she’s willing to impart her wisdom to you. Because she has a nasty reaction to Benadryl, Renee has used Allegra with great results. She’s one of “those people” who don’t like taking medicine, and has stayed away from Ibuprofen, but Tylenol PM right before bedtime has done wonders. And because she has to move when she sleeps, she’s used a towel over her pillow at night just in case, which has allowed her to de-stress. We’d hate to sully the nice floral pillows!

So here she is today – the Renee-ometer stands at about a 7.5. She’s been a true camper, and she believes me when I tell her it’ll only get better from here on out.

Renee has survived her first day since laser resurfacing. She went to work. People stared. She went to McDonalds. People stared. One guy looked at her and said “ouch!” But if you ask her how she has felt, she would say she has felt great. She went for a run (out of the sun) – she was admittedly a little wary of how she would feel, but she had no problems. She thought she would feel much worse, but most activities have been normal. The only caveat is laughing or smiling, which makes her skin feel tight, and she’s had to cut up her food into smaller bites because she doesn’t want to open very wide.

Looking at her pictures, you can see some redness throughout her face, though you can see more at the top near her forehead and cheeks, as this is where her melasma was located. On the lower parts of her face we took a much more gentle approach.

Also, you’ll note that the darker portions of her skin have become even more so. This is normal, and is a good sign that that pigment will be “lifted” out of the skin. In the coming days I expect for her skin to get slightly redder and tighter, but for the pigment to fade.

Stay tuned for more updates, as her saga continues!