Update: It's been 5 days and I am doing well. Most of the 'peppering' has washed off with my morning & evening routine. I have been using a mild cleanser on my face and can feel the underlying layers of my skin are still slightly tender so a scrub is out of the question. I do have a few areas where the 'peppering' remains and will need to have a facial with microderm abrasion treatment soon. Where the skin has flaked off I have freshly pink unblemished skin and after applying a simple mineral powder the pink is gone leaving me very pleased with the progress.

I have had a few questions so here we go ~

Heather asks: Was it painful because it was hot? Or did it sting? What was the pain like exactly?

Everyone has a different pain tolerance. Ask your husband snap a rubber band once on the underside of your arm. Now imagine that all over your face. During the procedure I never felt hot or burning sensation but about 10 minutes after I felt as if I spent all afternoon outside without sunscreen. Later the same night my face felt tight and the 'sunburn' feeling was significantly less. Applying aloe and a light moisturizer was key to feeling better.

Carabee asks: Is it expensive?

I guess the cost can depend on availability in your area. During the month of your birthday this place gives you a size able 'birthday discount'. If I add up all the bleaching creams, microderm abrasion and chemical peels I've had over the years to attempt to correct the problem (with no success I might add) IPL was a steal at $150 for the entire face.

My birthday is coming up so I decided to have a spa day on Saturday. Instead of having a relaxing facial or massage I opted for a little sprucing up. Nothing huge like surgery but a little something something.

Not sure how many of you spent your younger past life in the sun or the tanning beds but let me tell you in your late 30's and 40's all that sun worshiping catches up with you. In fact, if we were to count my age by age spots I'd be 200.

For years I have tried bleaching creams combined with SPF 500 and no improvement so it was time to bring out the big guns; Photo Rejuvenation or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). For those of you who haven't tried this route I copied and pasted some info for you.

IPL can be used to reverse the signs of aging. It helps to treat pigmentation and blemishes, sun damage and age spots, dilated capillaries and veins, reducing the redness caused by rosacea and improving acne.
IPL, uses a spectrum of light energy to destroy pigmentary changes in the skin, eliminate facial veins and capillaries, and destroy the bacteria and reduce sebum production that causes acne.
The pulses of light feel like the snap of a rubber band.
Some clients may experience some temporary redness or irritation. This generally lasts a few hours to a day.
An IPL treatment is very efficient. It takes only about 15-30 minutes to treat the entire face from start to finish.

Anywho ~ I've had quite a few areas treated before so generally I knew what I was in for but I have to say having my entire face done in one sitting was quite the experience. The technician was nice enough to give me some breaks but I have to tell you it hurt like nobodies business both during and for a few hours after. Honestly I thought my face was on fire about 5 minutes after we finished.

By evening the pain had subsided and I was beginning to 'pepper' as they call it. Each day a bit more 'pepper' washes or flakes off to reveal pink unblemished skin beneath. I am a few more days away from seeing all the 'peppering' gone but can already see a huge improvement with removal of the sun spots and discoloration. I also found the capillaries around my nose - those broken veins around the corners of your nose that are red 3/4 of the year round due to allergies - are gone.

Was it worth it? Yes.
Would I do it again? Not my entire face in one setting but definitely spot treatments.
Advice? Get out of the sun ... now!