I’m not going to lie — I’ve never been a huge skincare fanatic. Sure, I’ll do the basic wash and moisturizer; I’ll even go so far as to test out the occasional sheet mask or face wash, but there was many a night in college when I (gasp!) committed the number one skin no-no by sleeping in a full face of makeup. I have also been guilty of committing skin sin number two — picking at my face.
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While I have been blessed with good genes, which, for the *most* part, keep me acne free, I DO have my own skin woes: namely, large pores. I can’t stand seeing dirt or sebum settle into my face, and despite my best efforts and at-home “extractions” (read: mauling sessions), there’s always some imperfection to be seen, thanks to the larger-than-average (sometimes crater feeling) pores I’ve been #blessed with.
Enter the Skin Laundry laser and light facial (FREE for new clients, then $65). This Cali skincare chain, also found in Arizona, New York, Hong Kong, and London, only recently made it’s way to the Windy City, and after seeing everyone from Kristen Bell to Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba sporting those trending at-homeLED light facial masks, I had to see what the fuss surrounding light facials was all about.
The Procedure
I arrived right on time, and was asked to fill out a few forms filling my RN in on my medical background (particularly with regard to my skin) and acknowledging that I would be undergoing a medical procedure.
Once that was taken care of, I was led into a clean, sterile-looking room with a bed set up to hop up on.
As my skin guru, Katie, explained, unlike the at-home LED mask I’d been seeing all over the web, Skin Laundry’s treatment involves a medical grade (read: stronger) procedure and uses a two-part laser/light system for a double skincare whammy.
First up? A YAG (rhymes with wag) laser that would penetrate DEEP into my epidermis (like, two layers deep) in order to vaporize all that nasty sebum, dirt, and essentially, bacteria, that gets trapped in pores upon impact — lovely!
From there, Katie would be going back over my visage with an IPL light to hone in on any dark spots, scars, uneven skin, or red, blotchy areas, all the while tightening and brightening.
After making sure I was mentally prepped, she pulled my hair back, threw some goggles on my face, and got to work. She warned me before she began to zap away, which was comforting, considering I couldn’t see at all!. The feeling wasn’t a painful one — more akin to the static shock you get when turning a light off in a fuzzy sweater, only slightly stronger.
I did immediately detect a faint burning smell, but, as Katie had warned me ahead of time, this was NOT my skin or my hair going up in flames (phew!), but rather all the gunk within my pores being blasted into oblivion — bleh!
About seven or so minutes later, I was ready for phase two: the IPL light. To prep my face, the RN gobbed what felt like tons of very, VERY heavy ointment onto my face. At this point, I admittedly started to panic: Was the ointment really that heavy, or was my face super swollen from the YAG laser and even a little cream felt like a million pounds? (Spoiler alert: the cream is really THAT heavy.) I didn’t have time to worry about that, however, because the light show was about to begin.
Unlike the laser, I didn’t feel the IPL. Instead, there was a super bright flash for each click she made, making me eternally grateful for those goggles. Each section of my face was bathed in flashes of lights for the next five or so minutes (give or take), and then, it was all over!
The Aftermath
When Katie handed me a mirror to check out the results, I was absolutely stunned.
Not only was my face not swollen, as I had feared, or even red, it was DEWY AF. In fact, I was practically glowing! (See for yourself: the above photo was taken mere minutes after the procedure with no filter and no makeup sans for the mascara I applied prior to leaving the house.)
As Katie told me, this particular procedure was designed to be gentle enough to give the client zero downtime. You may need to go more often than you would with a standard IPL, but you also get to skip the recovery time, which she said lasts up to a week in some cases. skin that looks like “raw meat,” as she so eloquently put it.
My skin felt tight and clean, and, though there’s been some heated debate over whether or not it’s possible to actually shrink your pores, if the laser didn’t make them smaller, it sure as heck made them APPEAR less sizable (probably because there was no funk in sight to clog them up).
For the first time in my life, I felt confident enough to leave the shop and venture out onto Michigan Avenue — the most renowned street in Chicago — without foundation.
Before I left, they also came up with a complete skincare plan for me, recommending two treatments per month plus several Skin Laundry products tailored to my skincare needs.
She also suggested using the Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask ($10) this evening, since my skin would be super open to absorbing all the vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and natural plant extracts packed into the product.
While I did see a slight reactive breakout about four hours post-treatment (which she warned me might be the case, depending), a minor spot or two certainly won’t be enough to put me off my new, glowing look.
The Verdict
Honestly, my biggest complaint about this treatment is that I may actually be obsessed with it. I highly recommend doing yourself — and your skin! — a favor and try it (Did I mention the first one is free?)
Would you try an IPL facial? Tell me in the comments below!
xo, Nicole
