This summer has been all about maxxing: colors, patterns, accessories—literally everything and anything that fills us with joy. So as someone who finds joy in the quest for the perfect, clearest, most snatched, and glowy skin imaginable (and who often feels bogged down when my skin isn't cooperative and in line with my journey), my interest piqued, and my eyes widened when the term 'Dermaxxing' surfaced in my emails.
Coined by dermatologist Dr. Sapna Palep, the co-founder of Journelle Skin in NYC, 'Dermaxxing' describes a customizable combination of cosmetic treatments optimized to your best outcome—because why take time out of your busy schedule to visit your dermatologist or esthetician and get just one treatment when you can get multiple? Dermaxxing is partially a pick your own adventure experience—except your doctor is picking you adventure and all that's expected of you is trust and the willingness to go along on the ride.
This is a signal that, now more than ever, beauty is all about personalization. No product, tool, or treatment is one-size fits-all and no one's skin is exactly the same. "As beauty moves toward personalization, prevention, and longevity, we believe Dermmaxxing represents the next evolution of aesthetic medicine, offering all patients the opportunity to take a comprehensive approach to achieving their best possible skin over time vs. chasing individual concerns in isolation," Dr. Palep says.
Naturally, I connected with Dr. Palep and scheduled her intriguing Dermmaxxing treatment for the sake of both, hopefully, getting closer to my skin goals and reporting back to all of you. The first step: sending over a picture of my bare face, so she could get to work on determining which stack of treatment would make the most sense more me.
My Skin:
My skin is generally dry but, as of late, has been doing well and feeling hydrated when I stick to my trusted routine. Recently though, I have been noticing some texture along my jawline which, due to hormonal breakouts of the past that still haunt me, is also home to a bit of scattered hyperpigmentation. I'm prone to redness in my cheeks and the occasional under-the-skin pimple that will, for an extended period time, refuse to go away.
The Treatment:
I arrived at Journelle Skin and was first taken into a photo booth for the sake of having references of my skin before the treatments. I was taken into a room, numbing cream was applied to my under-eye area, and I sat with that for about ten minutes before Dr. Palep entered.
Generally speaking, Dr. Palep's Dermaxxing treatment can consist of a combination of the following: XERF laser, Excel V laser, RF microneedling, eCO2 fractional laser, and AGNES Ultra radiofrequency microneedling. Me, unaware of what to expect but fully committed to being along for the journey, quickly agreed when Dr. Palep suggested Sculptra, a collagen-stimulating treatment, to treat age-related volume loss in the eye area. Unlike traditional gel fillers, Sculptra offers a more immediate voluminous look and triggers the body's own collagen production.
With number under-eyes and cheeks, Dr. Palep started injecting. Only a mild pinch was felt in some areas, while nothing was felt in others. "Patients like Sculptra because it delivers longer-lasting results. In 3-6 months post-treatment you’ll a fuller appearance around the eyes, especially under the eyes that softens the transition between your under eyes and cheeks and will continue to see improvement a full year later," Dr. Palep says.
Then, since I went into the my appointment with a broken blood vessel that I desperately want gone, she went into with the Excel V laser at a mild setting (which is recommended for melanin-rich skin for the sake of avoiding scarring or burning) just in that tiny spot.
After that and for similar reasons as to why she prescribed Sculptra, she used a XERF laser on my under-eye area to trigger collagen and elastin production. With her assistant blowing a cold fan on my face and Dr. Palep zapping away, I truly felt nothing.
The Results:
As I left Dr. Palep's office, my skin was a bit red and my injection points were slighlty visible, both of which are to be expected. I also had a little bruising under my eyes in the days after, which was also normal and nothing to be alarmed about.
I did, however, upon viewing a side-by-side of my before and after, notice that my under-eye area was fuller. The immediate results are subtle, which I'm grateful for, and after massaging the area for five minutes, five times a day, for five days, the results settled in even more—and will continue to do so in the coming months.
The next plan in my quest for perfect skin? Returning to Dr. Palep's office for my second Dermmaxing session, which will consist of another Xerf session, a LaseMD Ultra treatment around the eyes to smooth the area, and electrocautery to remove DPN (small bumps that resemble moles or skin tags).
TL;DR:
After a summer filled with maxxing, the term Dermaxxing (coined by Dr. Palep of Journelle Skin) floated into my inbox and, as a beauty editor determined to achieve silky smooth, snatched skin one way or another, I immediately knew I had to try it. I sent over a photo of my skin, and she curated a treatment stack for the sake of addressing the concerns unique to my skin. We ended up injecting Sculptra in my under-eye area to fill the area out, using XERF treatment under my eyes, and using an Excel V laser on a broken blood vessel.
Dermaxxing is for those willing to put complete and utter trust in their doctor. I went into the experience open to trying anything and everything and, mostly, interested in how different treatments can work together to produce more powerful results than they could on their own. While the full results of the treatments take months, a side-by-side view showed fuller under-eyes, but not in an obvious way, which was exactly what I hoped for. I left Dr. Palep's office after stacking three different treatments feeling like I'd had a very productive afternoon.