For lack of a better word, I will call that valley between the sides of the nose and the curve of the cheeks as “nose wing.” It has always been a troublesome area for me—it’s where the pores are always plugged up with dead skin cells and oil deposits that have formed skin-colored bumps.

I know I am not alone, as I recall the popularity of nose pore strips that one wets, sticks on and yanks off when dried, taking with it lumps of hardened oil that causes milia, whiteheads and blackheads.

I go for regular Glycolic facials to clear out the debris. But if I miss a monthly facial date, the dirt goes back all over again. Well, the wear and tear of my pores has been devastating as they have been overstretched and have become visible gaping holes that a mosquito could actually get stuck in.

iPixel laser

I brought my concerns to Dr. Jean Marquez and she suggested I try iPixel laser to refine the pores and control grease production.

I have always been hesitant to try Fraxel because it’s painful and you need several sessions. iPixel is seven times stronger, so less sessions are required. In fact my problem can be solved by one session.

So, to try it out, I agreed to have iPixel treatment only on my problematic areas—the nose and nose wings.

How it works: iPixel skin resurfacing is based on the principles of micro-thermal treatment zones, which means removing the epidermis and upper dermis. The treatment is supposed to trigger the body’s natural healing process, stimulating the growth of new, healthy skin tissue, while treating small zones of the skin, leaving surrounding tissue untouched and intact.

These large unaffected areas act as a reservoir for more effective and rapid tissue healing and collagen production.

Bottom line: new, healthier, smoother tissue in place of skin imperfections.

Sans anesthesia

Pain factor: Despite the numbing agent, heat is still felt as the top two layers of the skin are burned off. But it’s not as painful as I expected. I think it is doable sans anesthesia for non-heat-sensitive people.

After care: Avoid the sun for two straight weeks and apply healing cream to the treated portion at night. My face was lightly scabbed like shallow scratches that dried up.

The next morning it was pink; in the succeeding days it was reddish brown, later on becoming grayish and leathery like old leather. I had to use sunblock SPF 50 inside the house till sunset, reapplied every two hours. I also had to put a towel on my head and face when I stepped out of the house or sat beside a window, even inside the car. At night, I used Skin Specialist acne lotion for the rest of my face and acne cream on pimples.

Result: My recovery was surprisingly fast as I completely shed the burned skin on day 5. The outcome was whiter and smoother skin with pores that were 75 percent smaller in appearance.

Clean slate

The acne cream flaked off the brown zit marks, too, so it was pretty much a clean slate all around.

With the disappearance of the bumps and the clearing of the pores, an old problem came back to haunt me. A puncture mark on my cheek from 20 years ago when I pierced a cystic acne bump with a brooch pin, hoping it would deflate, became glaringly obvious. I would have to go for several more sessions for that, but I dare say my huge pores were corrected in a single session.

The tiny brown spots on my nose lightened, but would require more visits. I have yet to decide if I will try stronger products or come back for more sessions.

For inquiries on iPixel or the products used, call 3748087.