Seeing Herself Differently at 50

Ginger Martin had worn glasses most of her life. When she had laser surgery last year at the age of 49 and didn't need glasses anymore, she was surprised by what she saw in the mirror. "I looked 10 years older than I thought I did," says Ginger. That eye-opening experience left Ginger wanting to look "more fresh and youthful."

Ginger lives in Marietta, Georgia and has four daughters, four grandchildren and a busy job as the office manager of a real estate title company, where she handles corporate events and entertainment. She has been divorced for 10 years and would like to remarry in the near future. She would also like to increase her self-confidence in her personal life and at work. "I am working again with a lot of younger women," she says. "The competition in the workplace can be trying. I could definitely use a lift."

Fraxel^® Laser Treatment has given her the lift she wanted. Ginger received treatment of her face and hands from leading dermatologist Dr. Rutledge Forney of Dermatology Affiliates in Atlanta. After her fifth and final treatment, Ginger is impressed with her results. "The results are amazing. I have no doubt my treatments will improve my self-confidence, both personally and professionally," she says. Ginger has been dieting and exercising since the treatments began to look better overall. "It has given me a boost to be the best I can be at 50," she adds.

Taking The First Step

But she wasn't always so sure. Before her first treatment, she was nervous. She wondered if it would hurt and what she would look like after the treatment. After some internal debating, she gave the go-ahead and had her hands and face treated. Her face stung and then began to puff up in the car on the way home. She stayed in most of the weekend, but over the next few days following treatment, the swelling subsided and she saw improvements in her skin. With Ginger's second treatment seven days later, she had very little swelling. She had a normal, busy weekend, exercising and walking 10 miles with her boyfriend. By her third treatment, the results were really starting to show. "After all of the sun worshipping I did over the years, I doubted that even coarse sandpaper could remove my sun spots! But I was looking great," she says. "My cheeks looked like a baby's."

A little more than a month after her first treatment, Ginger just had two more Friday treatments left. The cumulative results continued to improve through her fourth treatment and then her fifth and final treatment. Swelling and redness that were more typical with the first couple of treatments decreased. "I looked like I had a sunburn. My face was hot, but not blistered or in pain," she says.

For Ginger, her early morning trips to the doctor and some minor discomfort with her first couple of treatments were more than overshadowed by the outcome. "Again, the results have been amazing. My oldest daughter commented on how smooth my face looked. I had a passport photo taken for an upcoming trip to Egypt and my skin looked so refreshed and pretty," says Ginger.

Back in the Game

As an avid soccer player and a busy soccer referee, Laura Matkin has spent a lot of time in the hot Texas sun. She recently turned 50 and wanted a way to reverse the sun damage and restore a more youthful appearance.

When she's not playing soccer, being a soccer referee or taking college classes toward a degree in Organization Communication, Laura likes to jog, spend time with her 22-year-old daughter, read fashion magazines and watch foreign films. Laura entered the "Make 50 the New 40 with Fraxel® Laser Treatment" contest to erase her skin damage and build up her self-esteem. "Fresh skin would really boost my spirits," she says.

Fraxel Laser Treatment

Laura's first treatment on her face, neck and chest left her with some swelling, redness and slight burning. The tingling disappeared after a few hours and the swelling continued to decrease over the next couple of days. Laura started to notice the positive results quickly. The crease of her smile line had diminished and lines under her eyes and between her eyebrows were fading. Her face continued to look sunburned, but she was excited about the prospect of her next treatment. "Dr. Nikolaidis was terrific, and his staff was very attentive," says Laura.

After her second treatment, Laura really started to notice significant improvements in her skin. "The wrinkles around my eyes had really been reduced, especially the vertical lines," recalls Laura. Even better, the second treatment produced very little swelling, which left Laura eager to see the end results of her treatment regimen. The third treatment brought even more progress. Her skin was getting firmer and appearing even smoother than after her second treatment. The skin above her upper lip, which was a focal point of concern for her, was greatly improved. She also began to see fewer large freckles and sun spots, and the skin on her neck and chest looked and felt prettier and more youthful.

With three treatments complete and one more to go, Laura has seen a remarkable difference in her sun-damaged skin. And that has given her self confidence a big boost. "I have always felt and thought 'young,' but now I look youthful as well," says Laura.

Overcoming a Difficult Year

Even as she endured a harrowing year that included her mother's death and her own bouts with breast and bone cancer, Kathleen Horay strove to demonstrate a positive attitude. She continues to maintain her positive outlook as she works to keep up a healthy lifestyle for both body and mind. As a personal treat, she wanted to have Fraxel® Laser Treatment to help reduce the signs of aging in her face. "I wanted the treatment performed so that the outside of my body would match the positive inside of me." says Kathleen.

Kathleen is a divorced mother of two who is expecting her first grandchild in December. She is excited to be a grandmother, but as she says, "I don't want to look like one." To stay in shape, she likes to workout at the gym and power walk. She also likes to cook, read and spend time with her children.

Two months and three treatments later, Kathleen has regained her more youthful appearance and the confidence she lost during her difficult year. She says her skin is smooth and the fine lines around her eyes are gone. "I think the greatest impact the treatment is having on my life is that it has given me back the confidence and attractiveness that I had lost after my fight with cancer," says Kathleen.

The Starting Point

Kathleen was nervous before her first treatment, but when she arrived at her doctor's office, they helped calm her nerves by thoroughly explaining the procedure. A topical anesthetic was applied to her face to keep discomfort to a minimum. Kathleen says the treatment felt like a bad sunburn, but she applied ice packs at home to cool her face and ease swelling. She awoke the next day with some swelling, but still went to work. Her swelling was completely gone a couple of days later. Just a week after her first treatment, her friends and co-workers could already see a difference in her skin. "I felt really good that the results were starting to show after just one treatment," says Kathleen.

Her second treatment followed a couple of weeks later and then her third treatment a few weeks after that. Both treatments had similar side effects to the first one - some swelling and redness that decreased each day until it disappeared several days after the treatment. However, the results kept getting better and better, more and more noticeable and significantly improving with each treatment. After three treatments, Kathleen was really seeing the results she wanted. "Friends and co-workers can't believe how nice my skin looks," she says. "It has really made a difference in the way I look at myself and feel about myself. Best of all, I have lost the stressed-out look in my face and feel pretty again."

Turning Back the Clock on Years of Sun Damage

Like many women her age, Betsy Cantor liked to lie in the sun when she was younger. And she did it a lot. Now at the age of 50, Betsy says her years of sun worshipping have caught up to her. "My skin is wrinkled and discolored," she says.

Betsy, a mother of two, enjoys exercising, shopping, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She has worked as a marriage and family therapist and a clinical dance/movement therapist for 25 years. She has a private practice with children and families, and consults in early childhood education centers.

During the past year, Betsy kept looking in the mirror and seeing her mom, rather than the youthful woman she felt herself to be. As she enters the second phase of her life, Betsy wanted to regain a more youthful appearance. That was especially important to her with her daughter's Bat Mitzvah approaching at the end of the year. Betsy would be reunited with old friends and family at the celebration. "My dream is for my face to glow on that day and reflect the youth and vitality I feel inside," says Betsy. "It will be a new beginning."

Betsy is well on her way to that new beginning after the third Fraxel® Laser Treatment on her face. She says her skin looks and feels completely different. Her brown spots are gone and she has regained a pink coloring after years of a dull, beige tone. "My skin looks and feels fresh and smooth, like a baby's bottom," she says. Betsy spent years searching for the perfect skin treatment only to throw money away. "It's a great feeling to look good without any effort and not to worry about makeup and concealer," says Betsy. Her younger looks are also affecting how she feels, . "I feel lighter, freer and more confident. Because of that I am able to impact everyone around me in a more positive way."

Her First Treatment

Like most patients, Betsy was both a nervous wreck and an excited trendsetter leading up to her first treatment. After a topical anesthetic was applied, the treatment began. "Overall it was uncomfortable, but manageable," reports Betsy. "Small dues for the results ahead." The next day she woke up with her face swollen and red, looking sunburned. Ice packs helped relieve the swelling. A few days later, her face was still a little swollen and looking sunburned, but beginning to transform. Skin was flaking off and underneath she could see layers of smooth, pinkish, fresh skin.

Her second treatment was stronger than the first treatment and again led to some swelling and red splotches. A few days later her skin began to flake and continued to look sunburned. Ten days after treatment Betsy's skin was smooth and showed good, even color. Not only was she seeing the results, but others were as well. "I went to 'Back to School Night' for my daughter, and I could tell people were noticing something different, but they didn't quite know what was changed," says Betsy.

By her third treatment, swelling and redness were pretty much gone. A week and a half later, Betsy was noticing some major changes. She says her skin looked completely different. "I felt confident going out of the house with just some moisturizer and tinted sunscreen," says Betsy. She's also stopped wasting money on over the counter cleansers and moisturizers that were not effective with the amount of sun damage she had. Betsy works around a lot of younger women and had begun to feel self-conscious about her age. The treatments helped her regain a more youthful appearance. "I don't feel like the granny anymore," she says. "Overall, having these treatments has given me a new beginning."