As you guys may know by now, I try to do my due diligence and take good care of my skin. A good skincare regimen has become more and more important to me over the last few years as I have really started tell my skin is aging.
I make sure to wash my face nightly, use good quality skin care products and stay out of the sun. So I started to wonder what else I could do to improve the appearance of my skin. (I’ve always had cystic acne and uneven skin tone, so beautiful skin has always been something that I felt was out of reach for me. Heck- I still feel like that most days as I’m currently having a weird outbreak of cystic acne on my neck and some sort of weird eczema on my legs).
When Dawn, the Para-Medical Aesthetician that I see at SandoAker, suggested I try a combination of dermaplane, BBL and a light chemical peel– I was ready to give it a go!
This is a fairly quick “procedure”, takes about an hour in the office and has little discomfort. AND Y’ALL: I really could tell a difference in my skin a week later! Here are the details and pricing:
You might be a candidate for BBL if:
- You have age/brown spots, sun damaged skin
- You have uneven skin tone
- You have sagging or loose skin
- You are looking to have tighter, brighter, more even skin-tone
A study from Stanford University even confirmed that BBL can not only reduce the effects of aging- but REVERSE them, too! Here is an excerpt from this study:
“The study supports the hypothesis that regulators of aging can be altered in human skin using BBL technology to provide a functional change, rather than just a cosmetic mimic of youthful appearance. BBL treatments promote the appearance of youthful skin. This study reveals that the appearance of younger skin may be due to the differences observed in gene expression patterns of aged skin becoming more like young skin. Treatments from the study were performed on the FDA-cleared Sciton Joule using the BBL module.”
I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I went in for this service. I’m thinking to myself, “how big of a difference can one treatment make?” Guys. IT DID make a difference and I am happy to say, that I will be purchasing further sessions in the future!
The Process
- First, Dawn recommended that we do a dermaplane, basically using a scalpel to shave off dead skin cells, exfoliate the skin and also help with deeper product penetration (which came into play during step 3, the chemical peel).
Pre BBL-dermaplane.
- An ultrasound gel is applied to your entire face and you put tiny little goggles on (remember those goggles we used to wear in the tanning bed? Think those ladies, lol!) These goggles are to protect your eyes from the blasts of light that come from the laser.
Side note* Have you guys seen the video of Cardi B getting this done? I almost lost my shit laughing! I can’t find the video of it on the internet, but if you’re feeling bored hunt it down- I promise you wont be disappointed!
Does it hurt?
A lot of you asked me from my stories if it was painful. I have to say- it didn’t feel great and wasn’t particularly comfortable, but it wasn’t awful either. It felt almost like someone was flicking a tiny rubber band on your face with a decent amount of pressure. The strangest thing for me tho was the brightness of the light from the laser. I know this sounds weird- but it was like I could see the bright flashes of light in my head? That bothered me more than the discomfort from the laser itself.
- Chemical Peel- I personally thought this was more uncomfortable than the laser because this had a little stinging/burning sensation but stopped shortly afterward. Dawn did a light chemical peel- and my face really didn’t peel at all from it. This could be because I use a lot of exfoliating skin products and high quality skin products at home, and my skin might have been used to it.
After the procedure(s)
Your face will look slightly red and blotchy (but feel super tight and smooth.) You can apply makeup immediately afterward if you wish, but it’s not recommended to exfoliate for at least a week afterward. Here are some photos of my skin immediately post treatment- you can see some of the brown spots that were brought out by the laser (sorry about this in advance, I’m sure none of you may want to see my face this up close and personal, but also thought I should provide it to show you what your skin may look like immediately after).
AFTER PICS:
Notice you can see a few little dark spots that look like dark freckles- these were some of the spots that turned into “coffee grounds”.
A few days after the procedure, you will begin to develop little tiny dark specs on your skin where you had the most pigmentation before the treatment. These will look like little bits of coffee grounds- don’t worry, this is normal and they will slough off when you exfoliate eventually!
Results
Smoother, glowy skin! Dawn recommends that you do a succession of 4 BBL treatments a year for optimal results, and you can also purchase these in a package of 4, which is a way better deal than buying them separately (I’ll put the pricing down below!). I also noticed my makeup went on smoother and really, my overall skin tone was much improved!
Pricing
- Dermaplaning by itself: $75
- Dermaplaning as an add-on to BBL: $50
- 4 BBL treatments: $975
- Dermaplane/peel combined: $125
Unfortunately, we got to chatting in the office and didn’t remember to take before pics, but I’ve included the immediately after pics, and a pic below, of me without makeup on now (zero filter and zero touch up), a few weeks post treatment!
If you’re in the Indianapolis area, I HIGHLY recommend Dawn for botox, fillers and any kind of medical grade skin treatment. She is so knowledgeable and has years of experience, I won’t trust anyone else! She does however, fill up super quick and has jam packed schedule, so book your appointment well in advance!
Contact info:
My Plastic Surgery Group: SandoAker
www.myplasticsurgerygroup.com
317-848-5512
Ask to book with Dawn Dillinger.
A big thanks to Dawn and Aly at SandoAker for setting this up and providing this service!
Now down to the fun part- I’m teaming up with SandoAker to gift one of you with an awesome package including:
- one BBL treatment for face, neck and chest (value $650)
- a Silk Peel treatment ($150)
- a Sando Aker Aesthetics skincare bag w product (value $354)
- To Enter to win: Follow me @bighairandfoodiefare and @sandoaker on instagram
- Tag three Indy ladies who would like to win this package!
- For a bonus entry, follow Big Hair and Foodie Fare on Facebook, link here. * Comment this post on FACEBOOK with both your name and handle so I can make sure your bonus entry counts!
- Giveaway starts 12/3 at 8:00pm and ends 8pm Thursday 12/6. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced via instagram/facebook.