jemdanyd...that sounds like the same treatment that I had last week. I was surprised by the itching and the dead skin is now peeling off in big sheets. I look like I have dandruff but it all from my face. It's a little strange. But on the up side, the skin under all the dead stuff is soft and normal. I hope it accomplishes what it the Dr. wants. jeff...good luck and it will all be fine. The treatment itself was not painful. It was very warm and I felt some stinging while the light was on but nothing I could not tolerate. Do exactly what they tell you to do when you leave the office and you will be fine. A cool compress helps on the day of the treatment, some Ibuprofin (sp) and some moisturizer. You might want to clear your calendar; my treatment was one week ago today and today is the first day that I feel comfortable enough to go out in public. Still not back to normal but today is the first day that I will not frighten small children. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Sooey

I'm wondering if different kinds of lasers give differing results and side effects? I had a series of 4 IPL's done a few years ago through my dermatologist. My skin was a little red afterwards, like a mild sunburn; nothing major for the first three treatments, but I did get some swelling with the final treatment. It did get rid of brown spots ... after a few days they turned dark and then later peeled off. Some around the hairline were not removed completely, but they were lightened significantly. I feel it greatly improved the condition of my skin and the results are long lasting. I get a mid-grade peel every now and then for maintenance. I've not heard of the "staying in a darkened room" restriction after an IPL, but that is the case when IPL or Bluelight is combined with Levulan to treat precancerous lesions (actinic keratosis). Yayagal, I'm wondering if that's what your sister had? Now that involves a scary-looking recovery; very red and much more intense than plain IPL.

So happy for you, Lynn, that your DH discovered this, and that now you are fine! And I appreciate your reminder that we need to be tuned in to changes in our skin and that a good dermatologist is important for our health care. My dermatologist is a good friend; I see him regularly; several years ago he found and removed a squamous cell carcinoma on my collar bone that was just a tiny pink bump. Here we are in California and he rails against the sun and "the beach"; he is all for sun bloc and sun glasses and more time indoors. He's right!

Lars, when my late husband had each of his cancerous cells removed, and there were many from the size of a pea to the size of a half dollar, they gave him pain killers, but he stuck to Tylenol. These were cancer cells on his head caused by the immune suppressants he had to take after his heart transplant. The first surgery kept us at the hospital from 7 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. They had to remove a good portion of his ear. He did not suffer any of the dizziness or wobbling afterwards so I think the painkiller was your villain. When I had the breast cancer surgery, I took 600 mg. Ibuprofen a time or two and was fine. Each person's body is different, but if either of us had the symptoms you have had, we would have contacted our doctors as soon as possible. Take care and do call your doctor just to be on the safe side. An ounce of prevention, you know. Madonna