Sharing my experience of getting a CoolPeel CO2 Laser for sun damage at Aesthetic Artistry Laser Center in Arlington, VA with before and after photos!
It’s no secret that I’ve had a good amount of sun exposure in my life (10+ years in Hawaii will do that!) and admittedly, I spent A LOT of time in a tanning bed in my younger years. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I have worked hard to try to rectify my ways. Since we moved to DC, I have been working with Ashley at Aiyana Atelier to meet my skincare goals with regular facials, skincare treatments, and medical grade skincare. She was very upfront and honest that reversing sun damage is a multi-modal process that takes time, so when I had the opportunity to go to Aesthetic Artistry Laser Center after they opened in Arlington, VA I jumped all in. Today I’m sharing my experience (including before and after photos) getting a CoolPeel Co2 Laser with Evelyn at Aesthetic Artistry, and whether or not I’d do it again. Plus, I’m offering a discount if you scroll all the way to the end!
My Experience Getting CoolPeel CO2 Laser For Sun Damage
First things first, if the name Aesthetic Artistry sounds familiar, it’s because they have multiple locations. Arlington is the newest location, but they also have laser centers in Rockville/Bethesda and Annapolis.
I will be honest and say that intense laser treatment for my face isn’t something I took lightly and I was a little nervous. If you Google or go on social media, you can see horror stories about facial lasers gone wrong, including permanent pigmentation changes in skin. When your face is on the line, it’s a pretty big deal, in my opinion. Thankfully I knew Evelyn from Aiyana Atelier (she consults there one day per week) and trusted her implicitly with my face. I knew she wasn’t going to give me something I couldn’t handle or wasn’t comfortable with, so after asking about 100 questions, I committed to reversing my sun damage with a facial laser.
One thing I really loved about the process was the Evelyn took a good look at my face and didn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. She looked at my problem areas, what I didn’t like or wanted to fix, and then made her assessment of the treatment she thought would work best (there are many out there!).
The day of my appointment I arrived to the laser center, which sounds really sterile, but it isn’t that way at all. It’s very welcoming and has a cute West Elm vibe. Anyway, I arrived with a just washed face and no makeup. The first thing we did was go through exactly what the process for the day was and what I could anticipate. Then, it was time for the numbing cream. I was most excited for this, because I didn’t want to feel anything, LOL.
The numbing cream stayed on for about 15-20 minutes and we chatted about what came next. She was going to first use a 532 laser, which is a type of laser therapy that uses short pulses of light to treat pigment concerns, i.e. sun damage. Since this type of treatment is targeted to specific areas, there is no concern that it damages normal tissues. Next, she would use the CoolPeel CO2 laser, a non-ablative laser that creates tiny openings in the skin, which promote your body’s natural healing response and stimulate collagen growth. Cool Peel is basically a low energy CO2 laser. The result is smooth, fresh skin.
I was ready! But holy crap was it going to hurt? I was about to find out. She put the protective goggles on my eyes and got to work. The first step was doing a test patch, which I didn’t even feel. The entire face (both lasers) only had a couple points where I could actually feel anything and it was a tiny sting, almost like a brief little sunburn, but not as painful as a rubber band snapping (which I had read online). On a scale of 1-10, I’d say the pain was a 2 and only for those brief moments in sensitive areas (upper lip and corners of nose).
After Evelyn was done with the lasers, I got to look in the mirror and I think I was expecting like, a charred face or something, I don’t know, but all that it looked like was a bit of red, very much like I spent too much time in the sun. That’s it! And honestly, that was my very worst appearance, more on that in a minute. She gave me all my after care instructions (two creams, sunscreen, and a vinegar-based toner) and I was on my way. Start to finish, my appointment was 90 minutes and I snapped this photo below when I got home.
CoolPeel Facial Laser Aftercare
I wasn’t sure what to anticipate for aftercare, but it was as simple as two creams (one to moisturize and one to protect my skin barrier), a daily high SPF sunscreen, and a vinegar-based toner to use on days 4-7. There was no point where I was ever in any pain and my face did not swell. The first night I slept with my head slightly elevated (an extra pillow worked fine) to encourage drainage, but the rest of the nights I slept normally.
The sloughing started to become noticeable on day three for me, and it was a true slough, not full-fledged peeling (which is what I had in my head for some reason). I used the DIY vinegar toner Evelyn instructed me to make two times daily (morning and night) and could see little bits on the cotton ball. I used separate cotton balls for forehead, each cheek, and my nose/chin area just to make sure I wasn’t swiping dead skin cells over fresh skin areas.
At the one week mark, I went back to Aesthetic Artistry for my check-in and I truly could not believe the results. While I won’t see my full results for another couple weeks (I’ll update this post then), the results I’m already seeing are so impressive to me. Note I got my laser done wearing a tank top and my follow-up appointment I was wearing a sweatshirt. That is Virginia weather for you!!
CoolPeel CO2 Laser Before and After
Would I do a facial laser again? Absolutely yes. 100 times over I would do it knowing that the process was so seamless, painless, and with such good results. The above photo isn’t even my final results and I’m blown away by how my sun spots have essentially disappeared and my redness has subdued. If you’ve been debating Cool Peel CO2 laser treatment, I cannot recommend it enough.
If you are local to the DMV and go to Evelyn, be sure to mention KAITHANSON10 for a 10% discount on the service!
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