Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

When I was thinking of buying this I read ALL the reviews. I was a little disappointed that so many of them were written right after getting the device, which wasn't particularly helpful for a product that is intended to be used over a long period of time. I promised myself I'd come back and add a longer term review, so here I am. I am in my early fifties. I hit menopause fairly early, and one of the fun features of being post menopausal is that your face starts falling off. OK not really, but the quality of your skin really does change, and not in a way that makes you happy. I am a fan of Paula Begoun and read on her site that the technology behind this device was sound, so I thought I'd give it a try. I don't have the budget for professional fraxel treatments, so that wasn't an option, but for $500 this was worth a shot. The short review: this works! not a miracle worker, but I have a noticeable -- maybe even considerable -- improvement in my wrinkles and in my skin tone. The more detailed version: It's a lot of work. You really do have to stick with the program. I did 5 days a week for 12 weeks. At first, my skin looked worse. Quite a bit worse, actually. It became rougher and the dark spots got darker. I'd say for the first five weeks or so, and then things started getting better. But the real improvement came in the month 'rest' period after I finished the treatment period. Also, it hurts. I used the highest setting. This machine is already quite a bit weaker than the professional device, so I figured I'd best get as much effect out of it as I can, right? And what these lasers do is selectively injure your skin in a way that causes the collagen to rebuild. If it doesn't hurt, how much of that is happening? As I went through the 12 week treatment period it actually seemed to get a bit more painful, and I looked forward more to those two days off. I got a tube of Alocane gel, which is a topical burn/sunburn treatment, to put on afterwards and that was very helpful. So if you are frustrated with your skin but don't want to fork out for professional laser treatments you might want to give it a try. However, I wouldn't recommend this for younger people who are just trying to stave off aging skin - I think it would work for that, but I just don't see too many people being willing or able to put up with the level of discomfort /hassle for some potential future gain. It's one thing to sign up for a painful afternoon at the skin spa once a year because you'll look better years later, but to fit this into your daily routine? Probably not going to happen. But for people like me who are motivated by the obvious changes they see but can't justify the expense of professional treatments, this is a winner. I'm starting another series of treatments this week!