The short: I developed an ugly angioma right in the middle of my forehead and Dr. Zoe's recommendation of using Thermoclear erased it like it was never there. Took mere seconds at $100/treatment area vs. roughly $2,000 I was told laser removal and multiple sessions would be. I am forever grateful!
The long: Somewhere in 2020 and most likely due to sun exposure, I developed a raised red dot in the center of my forehead that looked like permanent acne. I had no idea what it was and what to do about it and finally saw a dermatologist at Kaiser about it with a diagnosis of spider angioma. I was told that laser removal would be my best option to not have a scar or other noticeable side effects. The waitlist within Kaiser cosmetics was 8-10 months (I actually never got a call at all) and other than that I was completely lost on where to go. A while back, I started following Dr. Zoe on Instagram after seeing a friend of mine promoting her and excited to be going herself. I'd never ventured into this world (really intimidating to me) so seeing a friend around my age promoting it made me feel a little better. Then when I started seeing all these really informative and intriguing posts and stories from Dr. Zoe about all the services offered in a very down to earth and approachable way, I finally pulled the trigger one night to just email her about my situation. Lets just say I can't believe I spent close to 2 years living with something that was affecting my self-esteem so much (to the level of always photoshopping my forehead before I posted a pic of me online) when it could have been resolved so quickly. Live and learn, as then say.
I was completely shocked that Dr. Zoe responded to my email the morning after I sent it. I had inquired about laser procedures and she recommended the Thermoclear along with a link about it. Then I find out its only $100! The reason I was so lost for so long was that its a completely black hole of businesses who do laser removal, nearly all of them have a consultation fee of several hundreds, and most will say its gonna take multiple sessions to remove. The original dermatologist told me to be very careful with who I went to so I didnt end up with a new permanent dot that was lighter than my skin. She told me I was probably looking at $2,000 all said and done. It felt like such a huge and risky (and expensive) decision I just sat on it forever. Then bam, I just get the guts to send an email, get responses right away, and the office calls me and gets me in the very next day to see her.
I feel silly how intimidated I was to go here. I had this thought in my head that once i did, I would be told all the flaws I had and pressure to spend money "fixing" myself. That is so completely opposite of what Perfect Face is about. The place is inviting, a lot of the clients are actually around my age (or younger), and all the staff is friendly. Dr. Zoe met and chatted with me and answered all my questions; the appt wasnt rushed at all. I was actually surprised at how honest she was when I just mentioned that perhaps maybe I might be interested in botox for my forehead and was told due to my "resting lines" I was never going to get 100% results. I didn't know that botox was more preventative and not reactionary and that the damage has basically been done, so to speak. Its not to say I wouldnt have improvement, but maybe 60/70% after like a year of doing it then the constant maintenance. I appreciated the honestly and reality of it all.
But anyway, back to the Thermoclear!! It was barely painful (though I do have a high tolerance), but in preparation she gave me something to hold in my hand for making it easier. And after she finished and said she thought it already looked pretty good, I was in utter disbelief looking into the mirror. It was nearly erased on the spot. OMG I made the right decision, I thought!! I was so happy. As time wore on, the dot started to come back and I was getting bummed that the stubborn bugger didnt want to go away. Thats why I have waited so long to review. I did the procedure on July 19, 2022 and after some time of scabbing etc, it did in fact slowly go away. I could still see where it was since I knew but I was ok with that. Flash forward to now, and I can't see where it is at all. Its like it was never there, which is what I told Dr. Zoe I was trying to achieve. She even checked in with me through Instagram messenger afterwards and reassured me that patience was definitely needed for these things.
So, there you go. I hope it doesn't come back and I am MUCH better about sunscreen on my face all the time now, but if it does, I know exactly where to go to get rid of it. I do have one pretty close to my eye but I think it gives a bit of character like a freckle. The perma-acne in the middle of my forehead was definitely not the character I wanted and I'm so happy is now a thing of the past. Thank you Dr. Zoe!! read more