Finding Community & Confidence With Beleza

Key Takeaways

Fractional skin resurfacing is a non-ablative skincare procedure. The laser used creates heat in the skin without injuring the surface. And because this procedure uses a fractional technology, treatment is targeted, allowing the skin to heal faster than it would if the entire area was treated.
If you’re looking for an impactful skin procedure that helps stimulate elastin in your skin to rejuvenate your appearance with minimal downtime, fractional skin resurfacing is worth exploring.
These sorts of treatments should be administered by licensed professionals like the team at Beleza. Your skin isn’t worth the risk to get a “deal”!

The world feels… chaotic. Am I right? So many things are draining our time, our health, our energy, our patience. No matter what role you take (front liner, advocate, educator, voter), everyone has the right to recharge their battery.

For me, that primarly means two things:

Reconnecting or deepening relationships with people who lift my soul.
Seeking the nourishment of personal care, whenever I am able.

I’ve said it time and time again… The team at Beleza Plastic Surgery & Medispa are some of the kindest, most supportive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Yes, it’s their job to make me feel comfortable and cared for. But you know the difference when someone is going through the motions and when they’re genuinely showing they care. Everytime I visit the Beleza office, I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone.

Reconnecting with people who lift my soul. Check.

Now, for this series of visits, I was receiving fractional skin resurfacing. I’ll describe this all in more detail below. Here’s the thing… it’s not a relaxing procedure, but there are relaxing parts to it, particularly when I’m receiving a little face massage or while the numbing gel does it’s thing for like 30 minutes or so.

(I definitey fell asleep. And it was glorious.)

Plus, having done this procedure before, I knew what the results would be like and I was excited to give my face and neck a little elasticity bump!

The nourishment of personal care. Check.

Keep scrolling for more details about my experience, post-treatment care and cost for the procedure.

This is Karli! She always makes me feel welcome when I walk in.

This is Nicole! She has been all up in my skin many, many times over the years. We’ve had some fantastic conversations about movies, books, politics, and life generally while she zaps my face! She’s amazing.

We started with some targeted treatment, zapping dark spots and scars. This step is really amazing. The first time I did fractional skin resurfacing, I had one of those cherry angiomas on my forehead. We zapped it, it got darker, and then after a day or so, it flaked off and was gone for good. It was such a small thing but it made me feel so much better!

This step feels a little like a rubber band snapping on your skin. Not terrible at all!

Here I am getting numbed for the real serious lasers. Believe me when I say, I would not be able to do this procedure without the numbing. It’s the good stuff! I had this on my skin for about 30 minutes before Nicole came back in to get the second part of the procedure going.

And here we are, with the ResurFX gun, getting the core treatment done.

What is FRACTIONAL SKIN RESURFACING?

Fractional skin resurfacing is a non-ablative procedure. Ok, what does that mean? The laser used creates heat in the skin without injuring the surface. This allows for results that are more subtle. And because this procedure uses a fractional technology, treatment is targeted, allowing the skin to heal faster than it would if the entire area was treated.

How does fractional skin resurfacing work?

The fractional laser stimulates the production of new collagen and elastic fibers in the deeper layers of the skin. The laser is delivered with precision and integrates some cooling to help make the procedure more comfortable.

That said, you are getting zapped with a laser. So that numbing cream is clutch!

Why fractional skin resurfacing?

The procedure is meant to address the early signs of aging. It helps with skin texture and overall skin appearance. You may notice a change in pore dimension and a reduction of dark spots and acne scars.

Ok, what was the procedure actually like?

I had three fractional skin resurfacing treatments over the course of three months, and we increased the intensity each round. By the third round, it was quite uncomfortable, despite the numbing. If you’ve ever seen one of those rechargable aim & flame lighters that sort of spark, that’s what it felt like on my skin. When it was done, my face and neck looked and felt like I had a mild sunburn. After the first couple of treatments, my skin got back to normal after a few days. After the third, it took my skin about 5 days to fully heal.

I used a mild cleanser and made sure to keep my skin moisturized. I previously tried using my usual daily moisturizer and found that it did not temper the itchiness that resulted from the dryness and flaky skin. So I switched to SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair, which Beleza carries in their office. It was a game changer!

It was also EXTREMELY important to avoid all sun exposure for at least three weeks and to wear 40+ SPF sunscreen all day, every day. The winter months are definitely the best time to receive this treatment, so that you can avoid the sun (or, as Pittsburghers know all too well, the sun can avoid you).

How much does fractional skin resurfacing cost?

At the time of my treatment, each session cost $925 to treat my face and neck. The team recommends using ProNox, which is an FDA-approved mix of nitrou oxide and oxygen, offering pain and anxiety relief. And when you book multiple sessions, you do receive a discount. So the total cost would be about $2,600.

I feel it’s critical to work with certified professionals who know what they’re doing whenever you choose to receive a medical treatment. Whether it’s something simple like Botox or something more complicated like fractional skin resurfacing, it’s not worth it to get a “deal”.

As I’ve said before, the staff at Beleza is incredibly knowledgable. They have never made me feel pressure to receive a treatment. And in fact, they have listened to my goals and helped me understand why one treatment would be better for me versus another. If you’re interested in fractional skin resurfacing, I highly recommend speaking to the staff at Beleza. They can give you all of the information you need to make an informed decision about whether it’s the right procedure for you!

I hope this post has been helpful. Ask me anything! I’m more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

This post was created in partnership with Beleza Plastic Surgery. Beleza provided these services and skin care products to me at no cost. All opinions expressed are my own.