For this issue's new "We Tried It!" Susan traveled to Haverhill, MA and got a photo facial at Skin Serenity Medispa. A photo facial is a treatment in which light is pulsed onto the skin to erase signs of skin damage, redness, and wrinkles.

Skin Serenity's facility is set up in a quaint colonial-style house that was built in the 1800s, and each of the rooms exhibits beautiful moldings typical of the time period on the walls and ceilings. Stacey DeIorio, an aesthetician at the spa, gave us the grand tour upon our arrival. The spa offers a variety of both pampering and medical services, including laser hair removal, laser acne treatment, skin tightening, full waxing services, manicures and pedicures, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, permanent makeup, facials, massages, tooth whitening procedures, spray tanning, detoxing services, ear candling, and of course, photo facials. "Our signature touch that we add with every treatment is to massage the hands and feet and then place warm mitts and booties on to help the customer relax. It's important to us for people to relax and enjoy themselves as much as possible," Stacey explains.

Carol O'Connell, owner of Skin Serenity, did Susan's photo facial. Susan wore a spa wrap, had her hair covered in a towel, and climbed into the bed used for the procedure. To prepare her skin for the treatment, Carol washed Susan's face with a warm towel, massaged her hands and feet with lotion, placed the signature warming mitts and booties on Susan's feet, and then washed Susan's face with a deep purifying cleanser. Carol uses the purifying cleanser twice. "On the second cleaning, we use an ultrasonic brush to deep clean the pores so that they will better accept the products used in the treatment," Carol explains. After deep cleansing, Carol applied a 30% lactic acid to Susan's face as an exfoliant. "It's incredibly important to properly exfoliate the skin," says Carol, "because this gives the best chance for skin rejuvenation. We also explain everything to the client as it is performed so that they know what to expect. What a lot of people don't realize is that this is a treatment, not a relaxing facial, so we do everything that we can to make it pleasant and relaxing."

After the lactic acid was applied and washed off, Carol spread a neutralizer over Susan's face. Carol then applied a clarifying astringent and performed a microdermabrasion procedure. The microdermabrasion procedure uses a device to spray tiny crystals across the face, mixing gentle abrasion with suction to remove the dead, outer layer of skin and it is explained as feeling like a cat scratch. After this, a topical anesthetic is placed on Susan's face with a brush so that her face will be slightly numbed during the photo facial procedure. She is then left to relax for fifteen minutes while the anesthetic
sets in.

During her relaxation period, Susan gave her reactions to the treatment so far. "I have a really hard time relaxing, but it's easy here. They made me feel so comfortable and at home – it's truly a high-class establishment. I love that each procedure is explained to me before it's performed. It makes a huge difference, and so far everything has been consistent with the explanations. I've had microdermabrasion done before and it was painful, but this one was fine. I'm surprised that I'm saying that since I tend to have a low tolerance for pain, but my discomfort was minimal." Susan slowly began to feel the anesthetic set in. "I'm feeling a minor tightness, but the warm booties and mitts are so cozy that I don't even notice it!"

Carol returned to the room after fifteen minutes of dim lighting and relaxing music. She washed the anesthetic off and applied a gel to Susan's face. To prepare her for the procedure, Carol demonstrated what the beam would feel like on Susan's hand. "It feels like an elastic band snapping on your skin," Carol explains. "Susan is a great candidate because she has a lighter skin tone with some pigmentation to it. After the procedure, she will get some redness and dark brown spots. The intensity of color and number of spots will vary based upon how much sun damage she has. Within a week, the redness should be knocked out of her skin tone and the texture should be smoother." Carol begins the procedure with the laser at the jaw line and works her way up to Susan's forehead. Carol explained that Susan will feel as if she has a sunburn, especially on her neck, but to minimize this effect, Carol has cold air blowing on Susan's face and another employee rubbing Susan's arm to distract from the heat. Susan jumped a bit the first time the laser hit her face, but after that, she was fine. "The air hose was great, and having my arm rubbed helped a lot too. It hurt, I'm not going to sugar coat it, but it helped a lot to have distractions," says Susan.

After the procedure, Carol applied vitamin A cream and sunscreen to Susan's face. To cover the redness in her cheeks, she also had a powder with zinc applied. Minutes after the procedure, a small difference in Susan's skin tone and texture were already visible. The next day, Susan still had a bit of redness. "The redness on my cheeks is still there, but it can easily be covered by makeup. It feels warm in that area sometimes, sort of how it feels when a person is embarrassed, but it's calming down. I'm really pleased with the results so far!"

Once the redness abated Susan noticed that her skin was smoother and the tiny wrinkles didn't show up quite as much. "What an awesome experience! The staff was such a joy, especially Carol. I would definitely recommend
Skin Serenity!"

To schedule an appointment or for more information on Skin Serenity Medispa, call (978) 374-8300, visit their website at www.skinserenitymedispa.com, or stop by at 545 Main Street, Haverhill, MA.

For more articles by this author or articles on different topics visit the Applaud Women Library.