Create The Best Me

Your Tretinoin Routine is Missing This

• Carmen Hecox • Episode 146

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Have you ever wondered why your tretinoin routine isn’t delivering that “wow” factor you’re after, even after months or years of consistent use with estrogen? In “Your Tretinoin Routine is Missing This,” I get personal about my midlife skincare journey, menopausal skin changes, and the big results I started to see after adding professional laser skin treatments for sagging skin and loss of elasticity. 

I speak with Karina Moroz of Humminglow Aesthetics Lounge about elevating skincare by combining tretinoin and estradiol with dual Aerolase Neo Elite and ERA Elite laser treatments. We discuss how lasers can boost collagen and tighten skin when tretinoin alone isn't enough for mature, menopausal skin. 

What You’ll Learn

1. Why your tretinoin routine may need a professional upgrade

Learn how laser skin, collagen stimulation, and tretinoin combine to address sagging, dullness, and rough texture in mature skin. 

2. Ablative vs. non-ablative lasers explained  

Learn how Aerolase Neo Elite and Era Elite lasers work, what they treat—from pigmentation to skin tightening—and their safe use across skin types. 

3. How lasers can supercharge the effectiveness of your skincare  

Removing superficial barriers with laser resurfacing allows your creams, serums, and hydrators to effectively treat midlife, menopausal skin. 

4. What the treatment and healing process actually feels and looks like 

I share the raw details from burning sensation during treatment to post-laser swelling, peeling, and my dramatic, Halloween-ready healing face. 

5. Why post-laser care (and the right products) matter more than ever  

Hear Karina’s review of post-laser skincare, covering moisturizers, SPF, exosomes, and products like Epicutis that aid collagen and recovery. 

Music:  Title: Ambient Music by MomotMusic 

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👍 Like this video if you enjoy honest, relatable midlife beauty and anti-aging skincare content  

📕 Resources: 

https://createthebestme.com/ep146 

https://www.humminglowaesthetics.com/ 

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https://www.instagram.com/humminglow.aesthetics  

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Have you been using Tretinoin or estradiol on your face for more than a year and feel like you're not getting the results that you need? Your face is not tightening like you expected it to tighten. Well, that's me. I have been using Tretinoin for, I wanna say a little over year and a half, and estradiol, probably a little over a year, not quite a year and a half, and I'm just not getting the results that I need. I did see Karina of Humminglow Aesthetics Lounge about a month ago, a month ago, from the time that I'm recording this episode. And she did do some facial fillers down in my nasal folds and did do some facial balancing on my lower jaw to give me some balance. And the reason I'm adding this is because, I ever since I was a child, always had less volume on my right side as opposed to my left side. As I'm getting older and losing more volume it's more noticeable and it's affected my confidence. So when I saw Karina, she did mention about doing a dual laser. So she'll talk about what the laser is when I go see her. But she talked about the benefit of one laser goes in a little bit deeper and the other one's more surface, but it will provide the tightening that I'm looking for. So I am going to see Karina right now and have her do some laser work. I will warn you, my face is going to look very scary after she's done, and I will be red for about, I think it's like five days. So I'm gonna look like I've didn't wear any sunscreen, but it's for a good cause. So let's go inside and see Karina now. Alright, Karina. So I am back and I will tell you I absolutely love the results. I love the way you filled in a lot of the negative area over on this side. I love the way you did the nasal folds here. Mm-hmm. And down in here. And I think that my results would look much more better if my face was a little bit more tighter. Because again, as I mentioned to you before, that I do not want to look super tight. Yes. I mean I don't, not super tight, but I don't wanna look overfilled. Yeah, yeah. I mean, what are your thoughts? Yes, I think we are on the right track. And you are here today for some laser treatments that's gonna tighten your skin a little bit more. It's gonna help jumpstart that cell rejuvenation. It's gonna give you more of a refreshed, more youthful appearance. It's gonna help target any kind of blemishes, any kind of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, sun spots, just any kind of like impurities that we can see on the surface of your skin as well as the deep dermal layers of your skin. And I think it's really gonna enhance your, uh, filler results that you had last time. Okay. And last time you did talk about dual lasers. Yes. Can you talk a little bit more about what that entails? Of course. I currently carry two lasers. They're by Aerolase. I love them so much, I've had multiple treatments done myself prior to me investing into these lasers. So there's two different kinds of lasers there, uh, is the Neo Elite and then there's the Era Elite. So the Neo is a no downtime laser. You can do it anytime. It's like a facial. Do it anytime go on about your day, go shopping, go run your errands. Do anything you have to do. And what it does, it targets, the deep dermal layers of the skin and it fights hyperpigmentation. It helps tighten our skin from within, and it builds a lot of collagen. Both of these lasers are actually safe for all skin types. Now the ERA Elite, which is the ablative laser, it targets the water and the tissue, and it kind of ablates that superficial layer of our skin. And it helps with hyperpigmentation as well. Helps with anything that we see topically on our skin. It helps with any moles, any kind of, just things that we don't like. It's awesome for wrinkles, fine lines around the eye area is what I absolutely love it for. Because it does amazing for tightening that under eye and that eye upper eyelids and it's just a great treatment overall. And it's really, it's just safe for all skin types. I think people that are higher in the Fitzpatrick scale, they're often told to stay away from lasers. They're often told they're not compatible with majority of the lasers out there. And now we have just new technology that they're compatible for these laser treatments for both of these, the non-ablative and the ablative. The ablative laser, which is the Era is actually, just as powerful. It's erbium technology, so it's just as powerful as a CO2 laser, but minus that extensive downtime. Minus the extra tissue damage. So it's a fantastic treatment and the downtime is a lot less than if you are gonna be using a super ablative, like CO2 laser. And it will also tighten certain areas of my face as well. Of course, of course. It's gonna tighten your entire face actually.'Cause we're gonna treat your entire face today and you're gonna start seeing results right away. You're gonna start seeing results as soon as you're done healing. In about five days is what I tell people. Give yourself four to five days to kind of rest, and you're gonna start seeing that result in about seven days, you're gonna be like, oh wow, my skin; it's so much smoother. It is tighter. It just feels better all around. And just for the people that aren't aware; I know the first time I did it, I look like I had gone out to the beach and failed to put sunscreen on. Yes, yes. You look, like your sunburn. You look like you've been out in the sun without any sunscreen. You look very red. That first 24 hours, some people experience like a burning sensation. It's not an intense burning sensation where it's not manageable, it's not tolerable. It's usually that first 24 hours and then after that, people feel perfectly fine. They're just red. And then in a couple days you can expect to have like a very light peel, nothing major, actually a lot less than you would like with a chemical peel. So you can expect to have a little light peel in a couple of days. Okay. What's the difference between doing laser and; ' cause I've been doing Tretinoin for over a year and a half. Yeah. I get some peeling, but to be honest with you, I'm not seeing my skin tighten. Mm-hmm. So, is this kind of like a jumpstart to what Tretinoin should be? Yeah, it'll really help jumpstart your skin a little bit as well with, especially with the Tretinoin. We're also gonna take away some of that superficial damage on skin, some of those dead cells. We're gonna just take off that superficial layer and your products, your skincare is gonna penetrate so much better. It's gonna penetrate deeper. You're gonna feel like it's working better. Your regular skincare routine is working so much better now that we have treated that superficial layer of the skin and that deep dermal laser is gonna treat the deeper layers of the skin. So you're gonna see that your products are looking so much better. Even your makeup is looking so much better on your skin. Okay, so is this kind of like; I've been buying different types of eye cream and I mm-hmm. started using the one that you recommended, but prior to that, I felt like I put eye cream on and 30 minutes, 40 minutes later, I'm dry again, and this stuff's supposed to hydrate me. Yeah. So you're saying that doing the laser is going to allow these creams to actually penetrate and hydrate me like they're supposed to? Oh, definitely, definitely. We're going to see, you're gonna start seeing that deeper penetration. Your products are gonna work so much better. Also, depending on what kind of products that you use. I know we talked about there's a handful of products I recommend, especially post the laser as well, that are just gonna enhance your results. But you're gonna see an improvement in your everyday skincare routine and your everyday makeup where you're gonna be like, oh wow, I look like I'm glowing because you are. Alright, sounds good. So which laser are you going to start with first and then move. How does that work? Yeah, so we're gonna do the deep dermal laser first, it is the Neo Elite, we're gonna do that first. You're gonna feel a warming sensation. There's no numbing required actually. You're just gonna relax; I'm gonna, clean your face, you are gonna feel a nice little warming sensation. I'm gonna do several passes, throughout your entire face. You'll tell me if you're feeling a little bit too warm, if you're a little bit uncomfortable. Usually people, they tolerate it perfectly fine and they just feel that little warming sensation. And then if you do feel a little tiny zap, it's actually just some hair removal. So that's kind of bonus. Some people experience a little bit of like a couple darker hairs, maybe around their chin area. Maybe around their area over here; so if you do feel a little tiny zap we're just zapping that hair away. So it's kind of like a two in one? It's a two in one, yes. Laser hair removal, and collagen restoration. Correct? Correct, yes. Alright. And then we will, then we'll do some numbing. Most providers don't actually numb when it comes to the ablative laser. I like to do that 'cause I like to make sure my patients are super comfortable. So then I'm gonna clean your face again. I'm gonna do a little bit of numbing, let you hang out for a couple minutes and then we're gonna do that ablative laser and you should be very comfortable. Alright, let's go. Let's do it. So I am gonna just wipe you down. Okay. I was wondering if you And I like to go over the lips a little bit I do it very quick just so it can rejuvenate that lip tissue as well. With this laser here. Yeah. Yeah. So don't be alarmed, just so we can build some collagen on your lips as well. And I'm gonna give you these safety goggles here. Cool. Weird Science. And let me know if it's too tight or if it's uncomfortable and we can adjust it. How does it feel? It feels good? Yeah. Wonderful. So I am gonna, I'm gonna fire up. You're gonna hear me shoot a popsicle stick, so don't be alarmed. Okay. And then if you're at all feeling too warm, just let me know and I'll turn it down, okay. Okay. So that's me shooting away. So it feels just like that. Okay. We didn't do this one for you last time. No. So if you're feeling too warm, just let me know. This area feels spicy? Little. Little. Let me know if you're too hot, okay. Okay. And I like it, especially for the nose, 'cause it shrinks pores. Oh, I need that. You okay? Mm-hmm. I'm gonna turn it down just a little bit and I'm gonna do around your lips. Okay And your lip tissue to help stimulate that collagen production. It's gonna give you a little bit of a plump, very subtle, but it'll help treat the wrinkles on the lips. Doing okay? Mm-hmm. Do you ever have anybody fall asleep? Sometimes yes. Sometimes people doze off, yeah. This is a very comfortable feeling. Most people really like the warming sensation. Mm-hmm. Okay, we're all done with this part. Okay. Not too bad. No. Not too bad at all. You did great. There's just some parts where I could like, kind of feel like, Yeah like a little, like tingling uhhuh and that's why I jumped. Yes, yes. In some parts. Okay. And then I'm gonna numb you up. Okay. While you're numbing, we're just gonna go over a couple things post-care as well. I know we went over it last time, but I always do a refresher, okay? Okay. I see, everything looks good, perfect. You do have some spots, just normal age spots, sun spots. Mm-hmm. What I like to do is I like to hit a couple of the spots, like a spot treatment harder than the rest of the face. Mm-hmm. How do you feel about that? I feel good. Okay. I noticed the first time you did the laser, 'cause I do have like some, like melasma or age spots or something, like on this cheek in particular. It seemed like when my face was peeling it was more darker. Yes, yes. So I will, I'm gonna do a little spot treatments. Just where you have the little age spots here. So those locations where I spot treat you, you're gonna be a little bit redder for an extra day or two. Okay. Okay. So don't be alarmed, um, you're just an extra day or two, you're gonna be a little bit redder just 'cause I'm gonna hit them a little bit harder. And then the rest of your face we're gonna treat similar to what we did last time, I'm just gonna crank it up just a notch, okay? Okay. Sounds good. Fantastic. So I am gonna give you that numbing cream. Which laser do you personally prefer? I like them both. They just do different things. Mm-hmm. Both of the lasers do different things. The no downtime laser, what I just did for you, the And today what we're gonna do for you today is we're also gonna add on exosomes. Right after your laser, you're gonna see me topically add exosomes after your ablative laser. And why I love exosomes in a laser treatment or microneedling treatment is because, so we derive them from mesenchymal cells and they carry the recipe. They're vesicles that carry a recipe for cell rejuvenation. And it works phenomenal hand in hand, with the laser treatment, and not only are you gonna have less downtime, but you're gonna see, you're gonna see that glow. You're gonna see those wrinkles and fine lines, and those spots start to loosen up, brighten up. You're gonna see results sooner, whether than if you'd had a laser treatment without some exosomes. In regards to some post-care I'm gonna give you Epicutis to take home. You're gonna have a mask and you're gonna have a satchel with the mini products. Actually, I can bring them out so I can show you Okay. So we will mask you here, and then you're gonna get one of these masks, okay. This is my all time favorite. I love, love, love this so much, after any kind of laser or microneedling treatment. It's gonna speed up your results, it's gonna cool down your face. It's gonna enhance your results after your laser, and this is really gonna help you overall with that redness, inflammation. This is very anti-inflammatory. One of my favorite brands to, to work with is Epicutis. And then we have the trio, I'm gonna give you; it's gonna come in a little box, last time I gave it to you was in a little satchel. So the same products as we did last time for you after your laser treatment is you have the oil cleanser. You have the lipid serum, which is basically what is in this mask, except the mask is the lipid serum in here is three times stronger. And then you have your Hyvia cream. So starting tomorrow you can cleanse with the oil cleanser. And I'm gonna do that here, actually. I'm gonna cleanse and exfoliate you right before I do the Era, just to kind of help get away any of that dead cell so we can penetrate even deeper. And then the lipid serum you can start using today, although you're gonna have pretty much enough juices in that mask for you to keep using throughout the day. Mm-hmm. And then the Hyvia cream you can start using tomorrow as well. Okay. That's gonna give you that extra moisture that you're looking for. In the meantime, you're just gonna add on some Aquaphor. So you're gonna do the lipid serum and then you're gonna kind of seal it off with some Aquaphor for the few days and then you can just solely do the Epicutis. Okay. And I love the cleanser, 'cause the cleanser really helps, speed up the peeling process. Yes, yes.'Cause we don't want to use any kind of scrub. We don't want to rub our face, we don't wanna scrub our face. We wanna let that natural peeling process, just take course. With the oil cleanser it so gentle enough and it works so well that it will get rid of any of the dirt, any of just your own oil that your sebaceous glands produce. It even helps get rid of makeup; you're not wearing makeup right now, but you know, even if you are in a couple of days, you totally can. And it's gonna get rid of all of that, but it's gentle enough to actually not do any harm post your laser treatment. And then as far as going out and about, please wear SPF. It's gonna be your best friend, S-P-F-S-P-F-S-P-F. There's different various SPFs that are compatible with the laser treatment that you can put on right over, and you can go about your day. And then if you have one that's not compatible, stay at home. I also carry Epicutis that is compatible to use after a laser treatment, so you can put that on go about your day. But just about four to five days is the downtime. And even on day number three, most of my patients, day number three, they return back to work. Yeah, I like to stay home. I like to stay home, but some people are like, oh, no, Karina, I'm fine. I need just to go back to work. Wow, yeah. How is your face feeling? It feels pretty numb, yeah. It feels pretty numb? Mm-hmm. Cool. Yeah. My, my lips feel weird. Yeah. Yeah. They're gonna, your lips are gonna feel a little bit like they're extra, an extra accessory to your face. Yeah. Right now they just like down here, below it just kind of feels like weird just kinda. Yeah, kind of like you're at the dentist. Yeah Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna cleanse off your face in about a minute or two. Okay. I'm gonna exfoliate it as well. And then we are gonna do the ablative treatment and you should be fairly comfortable. Okay. And like I said, we'll do the little spot treatments, then I'm gonna do the ablative on your entire face, and then I'm gonna put some exosomes topically. Sounds good. I am gonna wipe you again one more time. You are just squeaky clean. Okay, I'm just gonna see some here, here, here. Okay. I'm gonna do a couple on that side of the face. You'll hear me fire a test around this. This lens is gonna be very loud, okay. I think I remember last time I jumped a lot. Yeah. This one's very loud. I'm gonna do a couple of your spots right over here Doing okay? Mm-hmm. Okay. I'm all done with this part. Okay. Alright, my dear, now the fun part, okay. Mm-hmm. Now the fun part. We're gonna turn it up a little bit more. That's okay? Mm-hmm. Okay. Alright, my dear. I'm gonna do those upper eyelids, okay? Okay. You will feel me pulling on your eyelid here. You're doing amazing. I know the eye areas are not fun. Doing okay? Mm-hmm. Good Alrighty. Good job. I'm gonna go on that other side. Okay. You are doing amazing Okay, I'm gonna do your upper eyelid, just like we did the other one. This laser is actually very, very safe for that area. You handled that like a trooper. Suck it up. Haha haha, I know the eyes are not that fun. I think it's that the other side, the left side was more, was more sensitive. More sensitive, yeah. Alright, my dear I'm gonna do those exosomes. It's gonna feel very nice and soothing in a moment. You're feeling very nice and hot. You did amazing. You did very, very good. How was it compared to your experience last time? Now that I went a little bit higher on that energy, did you notice it or Not really? Okay, good. That's what I was thinking right now. Okay, and if you remember about the mask last time, it has two layers. It has the blue and it has the white. Mm-hmm. This little plasticy, we remove the plasticy layer and that gets tossed. And we're gonna put this one over; it's gonna feel cooling in just a second. Right now you might probably feel like it's a little intense, but in a moment it is gonna be like life changing. You are doing amazing. Now I'm gonna peel the blue layer off and I don't actually like to toss it because it has a lot of juice, so I'm gonna put it right on your neck. Okay. You might not like me for it because you're feeling a little cold, but your neck will thank me for the additional treatment of the lipid serum. And I like to get it just right When I put on this mask the last time you gave it to me, Uhhuh, my dog ran away. No way. Oh my gosh. He scares easy. Yeah. How are you feeling? I'm good. You're feeling good? Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah. It's been some time. We can actually take your mask off. The big reveal. You're gonna be a little puffy. You are gonna be a little bit swollen, a little bit puffy. You're gonna look even wrinkly. And that's not your wrinkles. That's the mask. That's the areas where the mask, The little creases was folded and crease. Well, the last time you did it for me, Yeah. I looked in the car and I'm like, oh Yeah, I know it. You know, I went to the bathroom here. Oh, that's right. And I looked at myself in the mirror and I'm like, oh Yeah. I tried not to look at anyone. I'm like, it's only, it's gonna be the creases. It's not gonna be your actual wrinkles. But most of that redness should have, you know, went down. Yeah. Like, see that. Yeah. Very swollen. Scary looking. Yes, it is. Don't be alarmed. You're not gonna look like that. And you know, give your body about 10 minutes, five to 10 minutes for all the creases and bends to wear off. It reminded me of, yeah, this is what I'm gonna look like when I get old if I don't do anything. Well, you're not gonna look like that. You're gonna look amazing. And I'm gonna give you the rest. I really do like the fact that there's so many juices on here, and I do like to give it back. Helps soothe it out. Yeah. Because why waste all this goodness. And we can just leave it on there. It's a funny area where I work here because most of my neighbors, they do hair and they do lashes and eyebrows and, and all, and all, you know, nails and all their, you know, clients come out living a little bit better than they did before. Mines come out feeling little rough around the edges, but that's okay. My clients come out a little, a little red. Except for the Botox people. Yeah. Even with the Botox people, they come out having a couple of bumps and, you know, little bumps where you inject 'em, where a little red spots. The very first time I saw myself like this Uhhuh. When I was in the car, the first thing I remembered was, like Snow White Uhhuh the witch. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Because, you know, her her wrinkles are like really over exaggerated. Yeah, yeah. I'm like, oh my goodness I look like the witch. No, you look, no, you're gonna look great. Just, just a little scary for right now. So when you come home, once your lipid serum is dry mm-hmm. You can go ahead and put, Aquaphor. Okay. All over your entire face. Aquaphor, Aquaphor. The key is we wanna be moist. We don't wanna be dry.'Cause the longer you go being dry, the longer you're gonna heal. So if you're moist and you're consistent with the skincare I gave you, you're gonna heal a lot quicker. You're just gonna have better results in general. Yeah. I kept putting the Aquaphor, the only thing that was kind of annoying is that the Aquaphor, it makes my hair stick to my face. It makes, yes. So wear that pony tail. I know, it makes it very, very sticky. I do like using the cleansers just to kind of wash your face off at the end of the day, you're like, oh, this feels good. And then you're like, well now I gotta put it back on. But it is, it's very sticky, icky. But you only need to do it for a few days. Once you're feeling like your face is pretty hydrated, you can just keep up with the lipid and the Hyvia cream. Keep with the lipid, Hyvia cream, use it all up. Okay, yeah. Alright. All done my dear. Okay. Sounds good. Oh, and then, you said, I can put makeup on; when can I start wearing makeup? You can start wearing makeup on; usually I tell people, give it a couple days. Some people they feel like, well, I have a, you know, I, I wanna go somewhere real quick to the grocery store, can I put makeup on 24 hours later? It's kind of like your discretion. My recommendation is that you limit any kind of, you know, promoting bacteria to your skin. You limit all those kind of interactions.'Cause I don't know what kind of makeup you're using at home. If it's new, if it's old. If it's in a constant, reusable, reusable container, you know, we don't know how much microbiomes you have or bacteria, I mean how much bacteria you have in your makeup container. So I recommend give it two days, no makeup, just the skincare. And then usually on that third day, people will be like, oh, okay, I'm gonna go back to work. I'm gonna put on some foundation. And I'm like, you're welcome to do so. But I recommend two days, nothing other than the skincare. Okay. Okay, and then you can incorporate some, makeup. Some people like a tinted SPF. Mm-hmm. Where it's not very cakey, it's not heavy, it's not like full on foundation, but there is a tint. It is a SPF and it's actual skincare. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And that's what I, I usually use, I use the tinted one. But, when I did it, I noticed that it kind of burned Some, some do do. Mine doesn't burn normally. It doesn't, it just, it, it's after I did the laser, I was gonna go out for a walk with my husband. Yeah. And so I put it on and I'm like, huh. Oh my gosh. Maybe it was too early for you. I, that's what I thought. Maybe, maybe it was too early. There's two brands that I do like, I like the Epicutis tinted sunscreen a lot, and it's very low on the tint. It's very, very natural. I wouldn't substitute it for makeup, but it is compatible and it's actual skincare and it actually tightens your skin as well. And then I like the Skin Better tinted sunscreen as well. That is a little bit more makeupy. Actually, I use it; I don't wear foundation that is my makeup when I wanna wear makeup, like today, for example, I'll do that SPF, and then I'll go with over some, a little bit of powder, like loose powder, and then I'll do my, you know, my blush and my little highlighter over. But that's like my substitute foundation. Is it as gentle as the Epicutis? It is gentle, yes. It is gentle and it has clinical says where it's safe, approved to use after lasers and there's two of 'em. There is more of a lotion and then there's like a compact. When I feel like my skin is more naturally, I have oily skin, but I feel like when I do my microneedling and when I do lasers, I like to use the lotion one. And then sometimes I use that as my everyday one as well. But when I'm like going to work, I like that compact one, just 'cause it's more compatible, I think with my really oily skin where I'm not as too oily when I do the compact. Okay. Alright. Sounds good. That's good. We will see what I look like So it's been about two weeks since my Aerolase Neo, and ERA laser treatment. Some of you might be asking why did I get laser treatment after getting my fillers? And if you didn't watch that episode, I'll make sure to link it in the show notes or right here or here so that you can watch that. Well, I love my filler results, but I felt like my skin could look much better. Karina started with the Neo Elite, which as she mentioned, treats the deep skin layer and stimulates collagen. It does help with acne and redness, but that wasn't my problem. The Neo was somewhat loud, as you can see in the video, I jumped due to the sound. It was not painful, but it was loud. How did it feel? It felt warm, like warm air was being blown on my face. It wasn't hot like I was up against a fire, it was just warm. In fact, I almost fell asleep during the session once I got used to the sound coming from the Neo Elite. When Karina cleaned my face, which was a pampering session of its own and began to numb my face to get ready for the Era. As mentioned earlier, in July of this year, I had one session of Era, but it was at a lower intensity. The Era is an ablative laser used to treat fine lines, wrinkles, and scars. Because my face was numb, I did not feel any pain, but I did get startled from the sound of the laser from time to time. Karina did increase the intensity in areas where I have some age spots, those areas felt tender, but it wasn't too bad. If you saw me shaking during the treatment, it wasn't due to pain it was because I was cold from holding the cold air device Karina told me to use to cool down my face if needed. Pairing Exosomes and the lipid recovery mask after treatment is Karina's secret weapon for enhancing results, and jumpstart collagen production for faster recovery. I know I looked very scary after she removed the lipid recovery mask, but I promise you the creases on my face were gone within 30 minutes. On a funny note, I didn't have to dress up for Halloween because my face looked semi scary. I followed Karina's instructions and used all the products provided lathering my face with Aquaphor. By day two I think I scared my in-laws because my face was not ready for makeup. My face looked like it was going to crack if I smiled. Scary. Overall, I love my results. The Neo and the ERA are not going to give you facelift results, but they will make your skin look smoother, tighten areas, reduce the appearance of some fine lines and lighten age spots or scars. And I noticed my facial cream and makeup are gliding smoothly on my face. Before my laser treatment, I felt like my makeup wasn't applied evenly or I didn't apply it correctly, but now it looks great. Would I recommend Aerolase laser? Yes. But remember, it's going to enhance the appearance of your skin. It's not going to give you facelift results. Now, your turn. Have you ever tried laser treatment? If so, which laser and what were your thoughts? Would you do it again? If you're in the Sacramento County area and would like to book a consultation with Karina of Humminglow Aesthetics Lounge, you can find her information below in the show notes. And for those wondering, I paid for my treatment. I recorded my experience to share it with some of you who have considered it, but are unsure what to expect. I hope my experience has been helpful. If you would like to learn more, you can find that information at createthebestme.com/ep146 Until then, keep dreaming big and remember, you are beautiful, strong, and capable of creating the best version of yourself by loving that woman you see in the mirror every day. Thank you for watching. Catch you next week. Bye for now.