Provider Facility
Radiance Medspa

Treatment
IPL

Address / Location:
Butterfield Road
Wheaton, IL 60532, United States

Rating
No effect

Benefits
Did not go through with the procedure

Drawbacks
Did not go through with the procedure

Details
I visited the Radiance Medspa to scout out what procedures for skin resurfacing they provided; I was hoping to find a Fraxel, Portrait, or CO2 laser provider, get pricing, and maybe see some "before" and "after" pictures of their work.

The provided an interesting skin analysis assisted by computer imagery that used some sort of algorithm to determine how my skin rated in terms of sun damage, wrinkling, pores, etc. I don't really know how accurate this was but the imaging did seem to highlight areas of freckling, acne breakouts and other problems.

I ran into a problem, though, when the consultant kept trying to steer me toward their IPL treatment. I had emphasized that I wanted to reduce fine lines and tighten up skin tone; I knew perfectly well that IPL was not suited for this but the consultant kept dodging the issue and pushing the procedure anyway. I asked to see any research results that showed the effectiveness of IPL (for other than hair removal and reducing discoloration). I was told it existed, but was not offered any specific references.

I was also given a pitch for a procedure called ionithermie. From the description it sounded like the 21st century version of snake oil, and I asked once again if I could see the results of published scientific studies on this procedure. Again, I was told there was research proving the effectiveness of the procedure, but they could not provide copies or specific references.

Finally, the consultant recommended an expensive topical product called Nouricel-MD, that she said had been developed for burn victims and proven to rebuild skin. I asked again about study results and evidence; I was given a brochure and assured that there were indeed scientific studies. At home, I did more research on this product and found that this product seemed to have sound science behind it. (I've been using it for about 3 weeks now and haven't seen any clear results yet; it may need more time.)

Conclusions
Do your homework - know what you can & can't expect from the procedure before buying!

Price (paid by reviewer)

Web SmartSkinCare.com