This is a review of the Excel V Laser, which I had done in June 2018 at Medicetics in London, from Dr. Vicky Dondos.
I am a firm believer in doing whatever you need to do to feel good about you, within reason. Magazines, influencers, the world in general, all do a pretty good job of telling us what the general accepted definition of beauty is and all too often many of us can get wrapped up in that and take it to an unhealthy level. Although I’m aware even saying that sounds somewhat pretentious. Basically, talking about any sort of beauty these days is dangerous. It’s all about keeping us young, fresh as daisies and pure as snow. The fact is, you can’t freeze time. And I, for one, am trying my best to age as gracefully as possible without going overboard. It’s a fine line we walk these days isn’t it? One step too far with the injections and you’re labelled as a plastic surgery addict, too few and people say you’ve given up. At the end of the day, you need to make you happy. And I’m all for doing whatever you need to do to achieve your own happiness. Screw the judgement. Just do you.
Now, let’s talk Excel V, because it’s something I wanted to do to fix a problem that has truly bugged me since I was a teenager and now there’s a new solution on the block to make it disappear. You bet your bottom dollar I’m the first one in line to get this taken care of.
Since I got my first round of acne, at the age of 13, I’ve always been an epic sufferer of rosacea. Over the years, and after dozens of dermatologists, creams and facials, I finally managed to come to terms with treating the rosacea itself. However, two decades of flare ups have left my skin looking like I’m someone who sips a bottle of whiskey every night. For those of you that don’t know – alcohol does absolute destroy your face. Alcoholics often have terrible veins around their nose and on their cheeks because of the habit. Yes, that’s a word of warning for the young readers. Be careful with alcohol consumption!
So, on a routine visit to see Dr. Vicky Dondos, we started talking about treatment for the veins on my face. Medicetics, Dondos’ clinic in London, was the first clinic in the UK to get the new Excel V laser and this was the first time a right fit had popped up for my particular problem.
Before, we get into the laser, let’s pinpoint the problem head-on. First of all, my facial redness is not as bad as many others. In fact, on a scale of one to ten it’s on the lower side. But, I have some serious problems with sweating around my face (charming, I know), so wearing makeup is very difficult for me. As this is the case, I’m always hunting for any option that means I won’t have to wear anything more than under eye concealer. Getting rid of these veins on my cheeks would give me that opportunity so I was open to anything.
Having worked with Dr. Dondos for years, I was very lucky that she knew I had VERY sensitive skin. I only say this now because, as you will see later, the reaction I had to the laser is not normal. But, I’m working with a doctor that knows my medical history inside and out and it allowed us both to plan for the worst. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Find a doctor you trust and stick with them. Your doctor knowing your history and knowing you personally can put you ahead in so many ways. Please trust me on this.
Now, for the laser. What’s different about the Excel V?
Well, for starters, this is the first laser where the results are pretty much immediate. For anyone that’s had laser before, you’ll probably remember that the old lasers required several treatments to achieve anything. The Excel V does it’s job in one to two treatments. If you follow me on stories, when I was recording the whole thing live for instagram, you could actually see when the laser was striping the vein from my face. It was amazing to watch afterwards (ps… it’s still in story highlights in Beauty if you want to watch it all go down in real time). This laser is also virtually pain free. It’s basically like someone is snapping a light rubber band on your face. Sure, it’s uncomfortable, but not terrible. Basically if I can sit through it, anyone can. Another plus point is that it only takes about 10-15 minutes and you’re out the door. So all in, this is easy peasy. Here’s a look at the treatment in the doctor’s office. It begins with a numbing cream just to keep things as pain free as possible and it follows with what I call ten minutes of “zapping.” Then you’re done.
For most people, that’s the hardest part. They go in, have a little redness and light swelling and are on their feet and ready to tackle the world the next day. For me, however, the down time is not minimal. I cannot stress enough that THIS IS NOT NORMAL for the Excel V. I am an extreme case and, in fact, Dr. Dondos has said she’s never seen anyone react like me. So let’s mark this as absolute worst case scenario, ok? Prepare yourself. This is the aftermath. It took me 72 hours before I was absolutely normal, but I only kept myself out of the public eye for one day after and you’ll see why.
Right After:
Obviously there is immediate redness. You’ve just had your skin worked on!
One Hour After:
The redness is gone, and there is minimal swelling
Morning After:
Yup, this is when it gets bad for me. I woke up with skin that was so swollen and mad at me that I knew the day would be a write off. Sorry about the scary picture, but I want to be absolutely clear here about the results and the side effects. Also….how unlucky am I that my skin is this sensitive? Don’t worry… it gets better!
The next night:
Peak swelling. This is the worst that it gets!
48 Hours After:
The next morning I wake up and things are nearly back to normal. This is two days in! And you can see that all veins and surrounding redness have gone!
72 Hours After:
Completely back to normal and there is no redness, no swelling and I couldn’t be happier with the results!
Now, we are two months on, all the swelling has completely disappeared, foundation is a thing of the past and I couldn’t be happier. The only thing I absolutely have to swear by is sunscreen. Dr. Dondos made me swear up and down that I’d wear it daily and keep my face out of the sun – which I should have been doing already. But now, I am religious about this. I wear factor 50 every single day and I no longer sit with my face to the sun for hours on end. I am, after all, approaching 40 and need to take to this whole skincare idea a little more seriously. This was my first official step and I couldn’t be happier.
If you have any problem with redness, I couldn’t recommend this enough. At least go in and talk to the team at Medicetics. Dr. Vicky Dondos will never lead you astray. She’s there to bring out the best in us and she’s like the little whispered secret around London’s skin goddesses. Well I’m not whispering anymore. I’m proud to call her my skin guru and you know I’m a lady who loves to share.
To get in touch with Vicky Dondos visit https://www.medicetics.com/
UPDATE: I’m writing this in January 2022, 18 months after the initial treatment. I am pleased to report that the results have held up. 99% of the treatment results remain. I only have the slightest tinge of red in one place that is barely noticeable and has only just made a return this past month. The rest is history! I’ve gone back to see the team at Medicetics several times over the past 18 months and we are all VERY pleased with the results. Only now I’m getting yelled at, and rightfully so, for being the worst person ever when it comes to wearing SPF as a 40 year old woman. Yup, brown spots are setting in and it’s my next skin treatment to tackle! So check back in as it looks like I’ve got a new battle ahead. At least the rosacea suffering is well and truly in my past!
Note: This is not a paid advertisement. I see Vicky regularly as part of my personal skincare regime and trust her implicitly and am simply passing on the love…. I hate that we have to say that these days, but I’m putting it out there regardless.
First Written on Jul 19, 2018
Updated January 20, 2022
