FAST FACTS
The service: MiXto SX
What it is: A fractional CO2 resurfacing laser that vaporizes the top layer of skin.
Treatment duration: Depends on treatment area, plus about an hour for numbing.
Who it’s for: Anyone looking to treat fine to medium depth wrinkles, age spots, scars or stretch marks without the risk of side effects or surgery.
Pain: Minimal during treatment because of numbing cream. Mildly uncomfortable for the first 24 hours.
Downtime: Two days for swelling to subside, 7-10 days of social downtime because of peeling and redness.
My rating: 5 stars
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Depending on who you ask, the staff at Bella Sante call the MiXto CO2 laser treatment “the big gun” and “the caviar treatment.” These descriptions gave me two very different mental images, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went in for a consultation prior to this treatment.
As it turns out, both versions are appropriate.
Of all the services I’ve been able to test out during the Beautiful You project, this is the only one that I was mildly nervous about. I’ve probably had more than 5,000 needles in my skin over the course of seven months for services ranging from Morpheus 8 and microneedling to Botox, fillers and a Belykra injection that made me swell up like a frog for a week. And none of those made me blink.
Come to think of it, it’s the fact that we were running a laser beam over my eyelids that, well, made me blink. I don’t even like wearing contact lenses anymore, my sensitive eyes get dry and itchy after a few hours, and here I was set to vaporize the top layer of skin around my eyes and over my eyelids. It’s enough to make anyone pause.
This is where the staff really shine — Michelle, a laser technician and Dr. Jubin’s assistant at Bella Sante, talked me through the entire procedure well beforehand. I asked a million questions and got a big package of information to take home and read plus a list of things to prep so I’d be ready to rest after my treatment (a cool vinegar water soaking solution, a clean pillowcase and soothing barrier creams are all essential.) I knew I’d have eye shields inserted to protect my eyes plus numbing cream, local numbing injections and pain medication beforehand to make it more comfortable — and for the most part, it was. Dr. Jubin explained everything that was happening in real time so the time passed quickly.
DID YOU KNOW: There are many laser treatments available in medicine— each with a specific purpose. All C02 lasers work by heating and vaporizing skin on contact. But while traditional CO2 and erbium lasers cause uniform injury in the treatment area, a fractionated laser like the MiXto SX directs short, concentrated beams of light in several small channels into your skin, leaving the surrounding skin intact, so healing time is faster. It’s also depth adjustable so it can be used on thinner tissue like eyelids as well as thicker tissue like on your forehead.
The treatment itself was short — maybe 15 minutes or so — and I was soon home settled in my recliner with a cool, wet compress. Several pinpoint spots began bleeding when I applied the compress but stopped quickly. By the next day, my eyes and temples were tender and very swollen. The swelling subsided in a couple of days (those vinegar water compresses really are amazing) and then it was time for the peeling to start. I won’t lie, it’s not a cute look, so I huddled in the house and didn’t even peek outside (sun exposure at this point would be awful) until a full week had passed, when the peeling was done and the redness had also largely subsided. It’s day 12 as I write this and the treated area is still faintly pink compared to the rest of my face, but easily concealed with makeup if I go out.
I am thrilled to report that my newly-healed skin is fresh and smooth without a hint of a wrinkle. My crow’s feet are gone. The crepey texture that was starting to develop on my eyelids? Gone. My eye area is easily 15 years younger in just a week.
This is not to say I won’t continue to age. I’m an expressive person and I laugh easily. I know I won’t keep the crows away forever. But I also know that using a good skin care program and faithful use of sunscreen — plus a healthy diet and lots of water — will help to keep my peepers looking fresh for a long time to come.
The verdict: This is a big gun service. But the results are really impressive. So pass the caviar, let’s celebrate.
See you all soon,
~Michelle