In March 2025, I went to Panacea for a chemical peel with their esthetician, Heather, because I…read morewanted to look my best for my upcoming engagement. During my visit, I casually mentioned that my under eye area was starting to look hollow, but that I was nervous about filler in such a sensitive area. Heather recommended Ultherapy, explaining it would help my body naturally produce collagen and in turn plump up the skin. I trusted she knew what she was doing and agreed to go for it. It was the worst decision I have made in my 34 years.
The procedure was extremely painful and right before finishing, Heather said she was going to use a higher setting and treat under my eyes one more time. In that moment, she essentially carved into my face and destroyed the fat under my eyes.
After I finished peeling, my under eyes looked awful. I developed severe discoloration, and I began waking up with under eye bags, something I had never had before ever in my all my life. I reached out to Heather, and she acknowledged the darkness, telling me to wait another week and that I would likely peel again. That never happened, and my under eyes did not improve.
Realizing Heather did not know what she was talking about, I saw a dermatologist for a second opinion. He was shocked Ultherapy was used on me given my age, lack of wrinkles, and low facial fat. He told me Ultherapy should not be performed on patients with low facial fat, especially around the eyes.
I brought this information back to Heather, and she arranged for me to meet with one of the female surgeons, I think name is Kimberly. Both Heather and the Kimberly repeatedly insisted Ultherapy was safe and could not have caused the damage I was experiencing. Because of the discoloration, Kimberly kindly offered me free of charge MOXI laser treatments and told me I could return as many times as needed until the problem was corrected, and that Maria would perform the treatments.
I completed three MOXI treatments with Maria. The first two visits were fine, but by the third, she became dismissive and had the audacity to question whether I expected the treatment to be free. I said yes, because that was what I had been told and I still clearly had discoloration under my eyes. She went on to say I was taking up time on her schedule, benefiting from use of the machine, and because of that I should pay something and would check with Kimberly on how much it should be. Kimberly honored her word (suck it, Maria) and confirmed the treatment would remain complimentary, which I appreciated.
At that point I was turned off completely and I asked whether it would be safe to use a higher setting so I wouldn't have to keep returning. Maria said yes. That was another mistake I made. After the third treatment, my under eyes looked even more sunken, the darkness spread further, and I developed fine lines and wrinkles in the areas she lasered. I was absolutely horrified and became severely depressed.
After seeing three different dermatologists, I finally found one who correctly diagnosed the issue: the discoloration was not hyperpigmentation, but hemosiderin staining. I was told that using high setting, heat based lasers in such thin skin caused fat atrophy which exposed more of my vascular system, and on top of that traumatized the blood vessels, leading to the staining/discoloration.
I have spent close to $4,000 on filler appointments and specialist visits to diagnose and treat the damage caused by Heather and Maria. What started as a $300 cosmetic appointment has resulted in not only loss of significant money but also loss of self-esteem, and permanent damage that I will have to live with for the rest of my life.
TL;DR: The medspa staff at Panacea are ill-informed and uneducated on the lasers/machines that they use and have caused irreversible damage that has deeply scarred me mentally and physically. Please stay clear of getting procedures done at this practice's medspa.
