00:00As an Asian woman, I've always been really nervous about laser treatments because I hear that it can
00:05actually increase hyperpigmentation. So I've really avoided lasers, but I heard really,
00:11really great things about PicoSure. I hear that it's sensitive for all skin types,
00:16including those with melanin-rich skin.
00:31Hi, everyone. My name is Sarah Tan, and I'm the Global Beauty Director at Refinery29,
00:35and I'm here at the Things We Do in downtown LA, and I'm about to get the PicoSure Pro Laser,
00:41which I've heard incredible things about. It's safe for all skin types, even those with melanin-rich
00:46skin, but I wonder, is it worth the time, the money, and would I recommend it to a friend?
00:51Let's see if it actually works. Come on. As the beauty director at Refinery29, I have tried so
00:58many different treatments and devices, and while technology has really progressed, I will say
01:04that it's not as inclusive as it needs to be or it can be, and it leaves out a lot
01:10of people with
01:11darker skin tones. So that's why I'm really, really excited that PicoSure Pro is here in the
01:17United States, and I get to try it. I'm hoping to address the sunspots, freckles, and I also hear
01:23that PicoSure Pro is great for smoothing skin. I'm so excited to be at the Things We Do with
01:29Vanessa Lee because she is such an expert in the space. She also has a lot of clients with a
01:36variety
01:36of skin tones, but specifically Asian women and those who have melanin-rich skin, so I know I'm in
01:42good hands. Hi, I'm Vanessa Lee, cosmetic nurse of 16 years and the founder of the Things We Do with
01:47locations in California and Hawaii. PicoSure Pro is very different from other lasers in the sense that
01:53treats all Fitzpatrick skin types one through six, so very fair to very, very rich, melanated,
01:59darker skin. It is one of the only FDA-cleared lasers to treat melasma, and it also concentrates
02:06on safely treating hyperpigmentation in skin deeply, as well as improving skin texture, plumpness,
02:12and firmness. At the Things We Do, we really prioritize making sure that we advocate for our
02:18patients' safety. Skin health and beauty is also so intimate, and so we really make sure that we focus on
02:23spending time with you. In traditional dermatological practices, each practitioner is usually pressured
02:29to see anywhere from 15 to 30 patients a day. Our providers will see anywhere from six to eight
02:35patients a day. That's because we want to give you our full attention and give you the best possible
02:40outcome with your treatment plans. I always say that if you are over the age of 25 and you have
02:46skin,
02:46you're a great candidate for the PicoSure Pro. So it's wonderful if you want to improve your skin tone,
02:51as far as removing sunspots, sun damage, if you have acne scarring, and also if you have a deeper
02:58melasma. All of those symptoms are treated wonderfully by PicoSure Pro. Sarah, of course,
03:03is naturally so gorgeous, and we've talked about her skin over time, so I can't wait to show her that
03:08her skin is going to be more even toned afterwards, but also smoother, plumper, and firmer.
03:13Hi! I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for making time for me. So how much does this usually cost?
03:20This treatment for face and neck is $975. A series of three is $2,600. We always have deeper sun
03:27damage
03:27from the damage that we had in our teens and twenties. It starts to show up in layers in our
03:32thirties, forties, and fifties. So it's a good idea to maintain a process or package of three treatments
03:38annually. There are some things that we need to make sure before you come in with your treatment,
03:42you've been staying away from. It's not great to have this treatment right after you've been out
03:46in the sun without any sunscreen. It's also not recommended to have this treatment if you're on
03:51antibiotics or have been using retinol or retin-a-derived products in the past week. First
03:57is numbing the entire face and neck for about 25 to 30 minutes. After that, we have the patient wash
04:03their face off completely, and then we use alcohol and hypochlorous acid to cleanse off the face and neck.
04:08Now we're placing gauze on top of Sarah's closed eyes underneath the goggles to ensure her eye
04:14safety. I'm going to start with Sarah's first laser pass over the entire face. I like to start
04:19off towards the cheek zone and work my way up to the more sensitive areas closer to around the top
04:24of the cheek and the forehead zone. I'm going to do two more passes in the same zones on Sarah's
04:30face
04:30before I move on to her neck. Because the pico pulses are so fast and shattering the hyperpigmentation
04:36from within the skin, the hyperpigmentation is actually leaving you through your lymphatic system,
04:41so it's an internal cleansing of that hyperpigmentation, so there's almost no downtime.
04:46As we move down to the neck, it's an easier pattern, so it goes by a little bit more quickly,
04:51but I'm also going to do three passes in the neck zone as well. After the treatment,
04:55I provide a cooling mask for Sarah. I'm going to give her post-care instructions,
04:59since she'll be on her way. Okay, so you did fantastic. How are you feeling? Thank you.
05:03That was so easy. And we did three passes all over the entire face and also the neck. Okay.
05:08Where we heard a lot of that clacking happened to be a little bit more so on the left side
05:13of your
05:13chin. Yeah. For this laser, where that kind of sparking, almost what it sounds like, is indicating to
05:20us that there's more sun damage there. So you'll start seeing a difference in your skin over the next
05:24five to eight days. Okay. But actually, you'll start seeing a major difference in the skin starting
05:29week two and three. Okay. And that happens all the way up to week four. Okay. And then I'll see
05:34you
05:34again for your next treatment around week four to six. Okay. Okay. Got it. Okay. And then what's my
05:38aftercare? No actives for the next couple of nights, but the most important is for tonight. Okay. No
05:43makeup for today and no workouts for today. Okay. Stay away from sun. You want to make for direct sun
05:47exposure for the next couple of days. Put on sunscreen. Okay, great. Thank you so much. Oh my gosh. Thank
05:53you.
05:53I can't wait. The thing that surprised me the most about the experience was how quick it was.
05:59Like it literally was done in 10 minutes and that even included my neck. The pain level was
06:04surprisingly not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I think the anticipation was the worst part,
06:09but after that it was totally fine. Like on a scale of one to five, like Vanessa asked me,
06:14I would say it was like a two or three. So it's been probably 30 minutes post treatment. And as
06:19you can
06:20see, I'm red. I'm really red around my neck, which I find really interesting, even though she said that
06:25I don't have a lot of sun damage here. And she said that I will still be red for the
06:30next few hours.
06:30And then tomorrow I might have a few spots, but I should be okay. In a week, I'll do a
06:35little vlog
06:35to check in and show you the progress and we'll see whether or not this is worth it. It's been
06:41two
06:41weeks since my PicoSure pro laser treatment, and I'm finally noticing a difference in my skin.
06:47It actually looks a lot brighter. And the real way that I noticed that it's actually working is that
06:55this particular sunspot has gotten a lot lighter. Like it's definitely faded. So have a lot of my
07:01freckles. I feel like my skin tone is just more even in general. Even my husband said that he noticed
07:09that my skin was brighter. So I am really, really excited. And I can't wait to go back for another
07:15treatment in about a couple of weeks because Vanessa recommends three treatments total to see a huge
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