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Style Magazine

We Tried It: Face Off

I am not an influencer. No one pays me to tout their products and services on TikTok or any other social media platform!  What I am is a 66-year-old woman who wants to look better and therefore feel better about herself. I have friends who say to me that I should embrace my wrinkles—they’re a sign of life well lived and I’ve earned them. No disrespect to my friends, but seriously? No. My wrinkles are a sign of a life lived in the sun—without sunscreen. Yes, it’s true, everyone eventually gets saggy skin and lines in their faces. It’s inevitable. But if there are things I can do to help lessen the severity of these inevitabilities and delay them a bit, then I’m in. Well, I’m in as much as my budget allows!

When I heard about the latest and greatest in skin rejuvenation that takes little time, has minimal recovery, and is affordable, I jumped at the chance to try it. It’s called Opus Plasma and is technically not a laser although it offers laser-like results. Opus Plasma and lasers are considered energy-based devices. They all work by creating targeted areas of trauma in the skin and stimulating a wound-healing response, which in turn yields an improvement in tone and texture and builds collagen, creating improvement that continues for months. There are tons of articles you can find that get into the science of how this works, but my job is to just give you my impressions of how it felt and worked on me.

Dr. Mimi Sato-Re in El Dorado Hills is who I went to. She is an MD, so I felt comfortable that she really knew what she was doing. She has had extensive training on this new technology and was anxious to find some guinea pigs. Enter me!

During my consultation I was given numbing cream to put on one hour before I came back for my first treatment. This is important. The feeling of the device is like a micro-second burning sensation and without numbing cream, it is NOT pleasant. I didn’t apply enough cream and not as thoroughly as I should have so there were places on my face and neck that didn’t tolerate the device, therefore the doctor had to stop treating some of those spots. I went back a month later for a second treatment and was much more aggressive with my numbing cream.  The second treatment went longer, was less uncomfortable, and I noticed I was redder than the first time. I was given a very heavy-duty moisturizer and lathered my skin with it! After two days tiny little scabs appeared on my face, and I looked like I had a bad sunburn. However, I was able to put on makeup and no one noticed the little wounds! By day seven I was able to use a scrub to slough off all the leftover little scabs. My face was smoother and felt tighter. I went for another treatment a month later, so I had three treatments overall.

Every face is different and, of course, results will vary based on how well you tolerate the treatment and your age. You can do just the face, just the neck, or both. Treatment time is less than an hour.

 

I am sharing photos (which I really can’t believe I’m doing!) showing you my skin right before the first treatment and two weeks after my third treatment. You can judge for yourself, but I’m very happy with the results so far and am looking forward to continued improvement over time!

The cost of the treatment varies depending on whether you purchase a package but is approximately $3,500 for three treatments (the recommended number) and results may last for two to three years! I plan on going back for treatment number four, because I didn’t do as well on the first treatment as I wanted to. Consider this a lesson in numbing cream use!

Bottom line—I’m happy I did this and even my husband noticed a change—and he never notices anything! You won’t get face-lift results, but you aren’t paying face-lift rates either. You will look smoother, tighter, more refreshed. For me, it did wonders for my attitude and self-confidence.  

I can’t beat the aging process ultimately, but I think that after three Opus Plasma treatments, I have won at least a small battle against the ravages of time and the sun.


By Debra Linn