I’m a sucker for a good sales pitch—especially when it comes to anything involving my vanity. Case in point, my galpal Dr. Amber Botros at Plaza Aesthetics & Wellness gently reminded me that she hadn’t seen me in a while. And by gently, I mean, she pointed out I was starting to look like a speckled Shar-Pei puppy.

Bless.

As an extremely pasty Englishman (and boy of a certain age), I’ve really started to notice how sun damage has taken a toll on my face. In my 20s and 30s, my freckles had freckles. These days those freckles have turned into age spots, blotchiness, and patchy skin tone. Also, I now have pores big enough to fall into.

Given that I have the complexion of Casper, age spots are readily noticeable on my visage. They had become particularly pronounced on the left side of my face—the side that gets extra sun when I’m driving. (Turns out, it’s more common than you think.)

So, when Dr. Amber suggested a new one-two punch of using a Broadband Light treatment in conjunction her new TIXEL resurfacing procedure, I was intrigued. In essence, the process entailed zapping my face off not once, but twice during one convenient visit. (Time is money, people!)

Dr. Amber told me all the pros and cons of TIXEL. For one, it’s a device that safely delivers controlled heat at high temperature to the skin without burning the skin’s surface. She called it an effective—but not aggressive—treatment that toggles somewhere between non-ablative and ablative laser procedures. It’s an ideal (and widely versatile) procedure for nearly any skin type.

Basically, TIXEL uses a one-centimeter titanium plate of 81 tiny, heated cones. This is passed over the face and neck, delivering short bursts of heat energy directly to the skin’s surface, without damaging deeper skin tissues. (Bonus—this stimulates collagen production, which in turn tightens the skin and lessens wrinkles.)

I ain’t gonna lie—it made me wince. Repeatedly. And that was despite having numbing cream on my face for 45 minutes. Good thing I’m of the mindset—no pain, no gain. Mercifully, the settings on the TIXEL are adjustable in the depth of penetration into the skin and the duration of the tip in the skin. (Yes, I had them back it off accordingly because … well, I’m a wuss.)

For several days afterwards, I had an odd sort of grid-like, matrix pattern on my face. Was it noticeable to me? Yes. Was it noticeable to the outside world? Probably not.

But, one week later and—I kid you not!—my skin was glow-y, dewy, taut and tight. This two-pronged procedure easily erased ten years off my face in one fell swoop. I know this to be true because of the insane amount of unsolicited compliments I received over the next few months. Yes, it was that noticeable.

Speaking of noticeable, I’d say 95 percent of all the age spots on my face simply sloughed off. My once patchy skin tone was restored to an alabaster state I haven’t seen since my late 30s. Oh, and I defy you to see even one clogged or pronounced pore on my skin.

If you’re wondering if I’m going back for another treatment, the answer is yes. But I would suggest doing it in the dead of winter. I went towards the end of summer and had to avoid the sun at all costs because it would sting my face. (You’ve been warned.)

If you want to know more about this sublime combo procedure, click here. And if you want to scrutinize my mug up-close-and-personal, then invite me for lunch. (Uh, you’re buying. A girl’s gotta eat.)