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.

Thanks so much for letting me collect my thoughts and frame my course of action. Wanting a MOHS specialist (and not someone who does it in between botox, etc) I found a very well trained physician who is within driving distance at a ranked facility. All done, high level of confidence in the process and outcome. So thank you all! running, I find your comments more matter-of-fact (which I appreciate) than cavalier. I reached out to a friend who is a notable pathologist, and he basically concurred with you and some of the others here. Thanks to all of you for helping me to have good questions. Something I learned from him years ago (overkill for squamous and I didn't do in this instance, but I thought I'd throw it in as a PSA for more serious scenarios) is to have biopsy slides sent to 3 different labs. At his counsel, I did that a few years ago. The first (local hospital) report was terrifying, I spoke with him and we sent the slides to 2 highly regarded pathology labs. Those reports mirrored each other, and the treatment recommendations were a million times better than the original report indicated. The takeaway from my MOHS research is that it's not difficult to tell on the slide if the margins are clear. The precision comes into play when extrapolating the cells on the slide to in situ. To oversimplify, if the slide shows more cells need to be removed at 6 o'clock, they better know where 6 o'clock is on the site... roarah, so sorry about your dad :( Lars, I'm so glad you caught it early, and have someone with his credential close by. jrb and Lars—stay diligent! Thanks again for sharing, and I wish you all the best health!

Jim. Oh dear. You could try putting a basket muzzle on Gracie. She can still drink and you could give her (and Savannah...that's important that they're both fed treats) treats for being good. For example. Get them to sit apart (8 feet) from each other. Both would be on leash. If it's too close (Savannah is trembling, etc.) then move further apart. Gracie would be on leash with you holding (loosely...no tension) a short leash (maybe a foot of leash between you and her). Jerk the leash and say no if she moves towards Savannah or if she growls. She can look at her though. If Gracie is good, give her a cookie saying "Gentle, good gentle). If Savannah is not affected, give her a cookie. You don't want to give her a cookie when she's nervous. Then about 15 minutes later (after separating them), move them back to (7 1/2 feet) from each other...if they did well at 8 feet apart. Otherwise, go back to 8 feet. They should be on leash (when you are both home). Shake it up with not just you holding Gracie's leash. If you want some time away from them, put one in a crate or a different room. This may go on for months. Any time that they're calm around each other...give a treat and say good gentle.