Favorite & Least Favorite Skin Treatments

I’ve been working on my skin since 2015, doing regular skin treatments to improve acne scarring, texture, discoloration, and other signs of aging. And since I’ve been trying different skin skin treatments for almost 10 years, I’ve experienced many ups and downs along the way. So I thought I would share the treatments I plan to repeat over and over, along with the treatments I’ll leave in the past.

Skin Treatments I Love

Sciton BBL (broadband light): This is a treatment I get done every time I see my esthetician because there is absolutely no downtime and no pain, so it’s a really easy treatment to do regularly. BBL helps with age spots, freckles, redness, small vessels, acne, and more. It just helps your skin look rejuvenated and youthful so it just feels like a no-brainer! I’ve only had positive experiences with this laser and love that you can go on with your day as normal afterwards.

• What to expect at & after treatment: You don’t need any sort of prep before or after this treatment. This laser is super mild and comfortable throughout so you just need to lay there and enjoy the downtime while you have it. It’s a 1/10 on the pain scale with only a few spicy zaps here and there.
• Pros: Noninvasive, no downtime and younger looking skin.
• Cons: Temporary darkening or redness of the skin which goes away with time.

Sciton Halo: This laser is ablative and non-ablative, and if you’re new to these terms – ablative means it removes the top layer of skin while non-ablative heats the underlying tissue of the skin without damaging the surface of the skin. Since it’s an ablative treatment, it will give you more dramatic results while the non-ablative helps with different concerns. Halo will help with skin tightening, scars, lines, and wrinkles, while also improving pores and pigmentation. I LOVE halo. Absolutely love. I love the idea of doing it once a year, but haven’t kept up with that goal. But truly, I think it’s my favorite treatment ever. Below is my 4-month skin improvement before-and-after! You can read more about my halo treatments here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: You will numb before this treatment since it can be very hot and uncomfortable at times. Of all the treatments I’ve tried, I would rate this was 6/10 for pain and just towards the end when the numbing cream has worn off. When you’re having the treatment done, your skin will feel VERY hot. On fire hot. And that can last for an hour or two after the treatment. The heat will dissipate with time and you’ll be left with sandpaper-like skin that gets pretty rough after the first few days before slowly peeling off, revealing new, healthy skin!
• Pros: Your skin looks absolutely amazing and it just gets better as time goes on.
• Cons: It’s expensive with an average cost of $1700. And there is some downtime of 5-7 days. There are also risks like burning, blistering, and/or scarring (none of which I’ve experienced myself).

Sciton Moxi: The Moxi laser is a close second to Halo for me. I love this laser. This is a non-ablative laser which means you’re going to have less downtime, which is always great, and it leaves your skin looking absolutely beautiful. Moxi is going to reduce the appearance of sun damage and aging, correct uneven pigmentation and dark spots, it improves melasma, and reduces scars and pore size. Your skin truly looks phenomenal after this treatment. I have done a Halo + Moxi treatment together and my skin never looked better afterwards!

• What to expect at & after treatment: Similar to Halo, you will numb before this treatment. I have done this treatment without numbing cream and still found it tolerable. This treatment is a 5/10 in terms of pain and is more annoying vs painful, similar to a rubber band snap. After treatment, your skin will feel like sandpaper but heals quickly.
• Pros: Since it’s non-ablative, there really isn’t much downtime and you can wear makeup the next day. You skin will quickly have an airbrushed look to it!
• Cons: You may be slightly red and/or swollen, and it could activate cold sores if you have that virus in you.

ezGEL: I’m newly obsessed with this treatment and I can’t wait to do it again. Since we lose fat, collagen and bone in our faces as we age, everything starts to droop a bit. Filler is something that can help with face shape, but I’ve only ever tried it in my lips and didn’t necessarily want to add any anywhere else. That’s when I found out about ezGel which all comes from YOUR body. ezGel is autologous filler, meaning it’s obtained from your plasma, that helps treat facial asymmetry, helps the body produce new collagen, reduces signs of aging, and reduces acne scars. I used this under the eyes and in the cheek to create more structure around my eyes where I saw the most signs of aging, and it helped TREMENDOUSLY. I absolutely loved this treatment and can’t wait to do it again. Below is a photo of before and after, which isn’t super great simply because the lighting is so bad in the first photo. But you can see that the orbital bone shows less in the photo on the right, which is what I wasn’t able to improve with any treatment, including PRP. It’s the slightest improvement that made me so happy!

• What to expect at & after treatment: The injector/RN will draw your blood to prepare the plasma and then plasma filler. The plasma filler will then be injected under the eye, crow’s feet, eyebrows, lips, chin, and more. The injection is uncomfortable since it is a needle going into your face, but it’s only a 5/10 on the pain scale.
• Pros: Since it’s only coming from your body, there is no outside substance being used, which is always a plus. There is little to no downtime and it stimulates collagen production to create a really natural look with immediate results.
• Cons: It is not a permanent solution. This treatment only lasts 3-4 months.

Microneedling: I think microneedling is a fantastic treatment and I need to get it done again. The last time I did a full treatment of microneedling, I saw such a huge improvement with texture and lines around my mouth. I was seriously blown away. It’s one of those treatments that’s slightly annoying because you need to do 6 consecutive treatments to really see the full affect, but it’s totally worth it when you do! And it can be more affordable compared to some of the laser treatments out there! Below is a picture of what your face will look like right after microneedling. You can read more about my microneedling experience here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: The injector or esthetician will numb your skin and then will use some sort of microneedling tool (the tools and depth of needle will range) to poke small holes into the skin then a serum such as a stem cell serum will be put on top. The pain isn’t too bad, probably 5/10 on the pain scale. Your skin will be red and irritated, but will improve throughout the week.
• Pros: Microneedling can help improve skin texture, fine lines, wrinkles, scars, and reversing sun damage.
• Cons: You will need to do 4-6 treatments about 4 weeks apart so it is a time commitment.

Botox: I’ve gotten Botox since I was maybe 25 or 26 and I’ve had no regrets. I even took some time off when I was pregnant and tried other options like Frownies (which made me skin break out really bad) and I was quite happy to come back to Botox. I have really loved botox for simply slowing down some of the aging process, such as deep lines from daily facial expressions. I think it’s all about finding the right injector who won’t make your eyebrows too heavy since I’ve definitely experienced that in the past. I’ve tried Botox and Daxxify, but I don’t think I really have a preference. It’s just been an all around great experience for me and I have no regrets after 10 years. Below is a picture of before botox.

• What to expect at & after treatment: Botox is pretty simple and pain is really only a 2/10 on the pain scale. Your injector will inject the areas that will inhibit the movement patterns of your face and there is absolutely no downtime after.
• Pros: If you don’t want wrinkles, botox is really where it’s at because your face isn’t moving that way to create those wrinkles. Your skin will look smooth and have a photofinish look to it after about 10 days.
• Cons: You may experience bruising, headaches, and depending on where the botox is injected, there is a chance of drooping eyelids, uneven eyebrows, or a crooked smile.

Lip Filler: I’ve only ever done filler in my lips and I absolutely loved it and still love it years later. I first tried in 2020 then had a small amount added in 2022 after having my daughter, but I haven’t touched them since and still absolutely love them! I used Juvederm which is a hyaluronic acid filler and haven’t had any negative side effects from either of my 2 treatments. You can read more about my lip filler experience here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: Your injector will first numb your lips. The filler is then injected and your injector will use their fingers to move the filler around and shape your lips. I don’t find this treatment comfortable, probably a 6/10 on the pain scale. Afterwards, your lips will be red and pretty swollen, but the swelling will go down within 10 days, revealing your new lips. As time goes on, your lips will settle more and more and have less of that duck-look to them. I started with 1/2 a vial and went back for more vs doing it all in one sitting.
• Pros: When done correctly, lip filler can give a really natural look of volume while also improving the texture of lips.
• Cons: Filler can migrate, meaning it can move and end up in other places vs where it was injected, especially if not injected correctly. There is also a chance of infections and allergic reactions.

Skin Treatments I Plan to Never Do Again

SkinVive by Juvederm: I regret this one so freaking much. I decided to do SkinVive because it’s hyaluronic acid under the skin which means it should improve smoothness in the cheeks while hydrating from within. Well I experienced the complete opposite of smoothness. I now have MORE lumps than I had before from acne scarring on the right side of my face. I really didn’t experience any positives from this treatment and have no idea why people love it, solely based on my really negative reaction. Below is a picture of the texture issues I now have after SkinVive which hopefully will resolve with time along with an even larger bump that I experienced.

• What to expect at & after treatment: SkinVive will be injected by an injector under the dermis layer of your skin. It contains lidocaine to help reduce pain and I would say it’s probably a 6/10 on the pain scale. Afterwards, your skin may feel tender and you may experience bruising.
• Pros: Your skin is supposed to hydrate your skin and give it a great glow for up to 6 months.
• Cons: Along with the swelling and bruising, there is a chance you may experience lumps and bumps (welcome to my world) and/or nodules.

Sculptra: Sculptra is dermafiller that stimulates collagen production and increases volume, which are both things we lose as we age. And this one is tough for me because after my first treatment of only one vial, I loved it and I was so excited to go back for my second treatment. But after the second treatment, my skin was absolutely so pissed. My body is pretty sensitive and it seems like my immune system attacked some of the product and created this big lump near my jaw. It was big enough that I had to go to someone who had an ultrasound and they had to ultrasound the spot while also injecting it with a steroid. And the problem with having to inject a large amount of a steroid is that it also kills the fat, creating a divot in the skin. So I went from having a bump to having a divot. It’s safe to say my skin does not like Sculptra and I will not be doing this again. This was also a product my esthetician warned me about because so many people experience nodules from it, but I thought I wouldn’t have an issue. Turns out, I did. Tough lesson to learn. Both injectors I saw said they had never seen this reaction before so I may be the exception, but it’s possible that it could happen to other people, as well. Below are pictures of my results after my first treatment (which I was super happy with the volume improvement) followed by the picture of the large divot after my second treatment, that should fill back in with time.

• What to expect at & after treatment: After some numbing is injected under the skin, the injector will inject sculptra into the outer border of the face where you want to add volume. The pain is probably a 6/10
• Pros: It can create great volume in the face and smooth out lines and wrinkles, all while producing natural looking results.
• Cons: They recommend a vial per decade you’ve been alive and often an injector will only want to inject one vial per treatment, meaning you’ll need multiple treatments about 6 weeks apart. Nodules can form which have to be cut from the skin. Sculptra can also make a facelift more complicated for a surgeon because it’s more complicated to separate the tissues created by the biostimulator.

Sciton Profractional: I haven’t done Profractional in years simply because I didn’t think the pain was worth the reward. Out of all the treatments I’ve done, I find Profractional absolutely excruciating. I even once did a nerve-block in my face to help with the pain and it still wasn’t enough. I just can’t take it yet some people don’t find it painful at all so I guess we are all diffferent. I also never found that my skin improved as much as I had hoped. After 3 or 4 different Profractional treatments and not seeing the results I thought I would, I decided it just wasn’t worth it, especially after experiencing Halo and those fantastic results. Below are pictures of my first Profractional (I only did around the mouth and on the cheeks – this is also a great picture showing how much my melasma on my forehead has improved through laser treatments) and my last Profractional treatment of my entire face. Yes, it is as painful as it looks. You can read more about my profractional treatments here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: You will numb before your treatment then your esthetician will use the laser on a part off your face or on the entirety of it. Your face will most likely bleed and be extremely swollen and red after. Your skin will then “harden” and begin to crack, revealing new fresh skin.
• Pros: It can improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, uneven skin tone, and other skin imperfections. Plus it can stimulate collagen production.
• Cons: This treatment is a 10/10 on the pain scale for me and I never saw the volume/plump look I was hoping for and what I’ve seen on other people who love this treatment.

Chemical Peels: Let me be clear…chemical peels work, I just personally hate them and hate every day of the entire experience. Will I PROBABLY do one again someday – sure. But I’m hoping it’s done when I get a facelift and I’m under anesthesia and drugged up for a few days after and dealing with the healing of a facelift. I hate how chemicals peels feel in the moment, some feeling like an 8/10 on the pain scale, and I hate how it gets way worse before it gets better. I can’t remember the last time I did a chemical peel and I’m really happy about that. Not once have I thought to myself, “Man, I could really go for a chemical peel right now.” Never. There isn’t enough reward for me so I’ve stayed away from them.

• What to expect at & after treatment: Your esthetician may or may not use a numbing cream before treatment. The chemical peel will be applied to the skin and it will sit on the skin a certain amount of time which may including burning or stinging of the skin. The peel will then be removed and the esthetician will explain at-home care. The skin normally is hot and irritated after the treatment which will reduce with time.
• Pros: It can improve wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne (never experienced that myself), and uneven skin texture.
• Cons: This treatment is a 7/10 on the pain scale for me and I absolutely hate that results take anywhere from 7-14 days – it only gets worse before your whole face starts to peel off. Plus you aren’t supposed to peel off anything so you just live with these giant dead skin patches on your face. No thanks.

I know this is A TON of information, but I wanted to put all of these treatments in one place so people could come back to it as needed. Bottom line – I love Halo & ezGEL the most at the moment and I will never do SkinVive or Sculptra ever again. But it’s important to remember that everyone’s bodies are different and will react to treatments in a different way. What works for me may not work for you. But hopefully this post gives you some insight into some of the lasers and treatments that you’ve heard about!