Stillwater patient Shannan Shaffer
Meet beautiful, fresh-faced Shannan Schaffer. She’s got a great story. Armed with degrees in criminal justice and sociology, Shannan became a flight attendant in the late 1980s. Just like in the movies, she met her husband, a pilot. Shannan tells us that after struggling for a few years to have children, they “hit the lottery” with triplet sons, now seniors in high school. Shannan is an accidental fitness buff. She was such a devoted regular at Harris Y spin classes, that the fitness coordinator encouraged her to become certified. She did and has been spinning ever since – at the Y and the Jewish Community Center. Her favorite part of her job? It’s meeting wonderful people. She actually met Dr. Capizzi at the gym! We caught up with Shannan to learn more about her experience with Stillwater skin care treatments.
STILLWATER: Tell us what brought you to Stillwater for skincare services. That is, what is it about your skin that you were not happy with. What needed fixing?
SHANNAN: I am sure like most people my age (50), you look in mirror and wonder, “what happened?” I don’t want to look younger. I have earned all my 50 years. However, I do want to look good for those years. I felt like I looked exhausted all the time even when I was not.
STILLWATER: Any thoughts on the root cause of the things you were not happy with. Like sun? Genetics? Mother Nature?
SHANNAN: I was a lifeguard for years (when the highest SPF was 4 and baby oil was the main staple of any sun goddess). I also was a chronic cigarette smoker. Even though I quit smoking twenty years ago the smoking wrinkles by my mouth made me very self-conscious.
Cool. So this is what fifty looks like!
STILLWATER: Tell us about your one-on-one experience with your Stillwater aesthetician.
SHANNAN: She answered any and all questions thoroughly and honestly. She did not try to push anything on me but was very upbeat, friendly, and knowledgeable. I imagine there is a fine line to straddle to let people know in a kindly way that they would be a perfect candidate without making them feel old, frumpy, and wrinkly. She did that wonderfully.
STILLWATER: Tell us about your procedure, the Erbium Resurfacing.
SHANNAN: I have to be honest. The procedure itself was not painful but there was discomfort. I think my procedure was pretty aggressive and it did seem to take forever so I would suggest the use of something to relax, etc. By forever I mean I have no earthly idea how long it took but I am by nature not very good at sitting still. It could have been 15 minutes or 15 hours. I have to mention at this point the staff was above and beyond wonderful. They made sure I was comfortable and kept checking on me every few minutes. By the time the procedure was finished I was a bit shaky. Like I mentioned it was not especially painful but it is still trauma to the skin and the body responds to that. Even without any prescription meds I would suggest someone drive you home.
STILLWATER: Tell us about downtime or any special instructions after the procedure.
SHANNAN: For about 3 to 4 days it was fairly painful but with medication and staying on top of the pain it was completely manageable. Since your face is molting off you don’t want to go anywhere anyway for about a week. I watched 5 years of CSI from my DVR. I suggest gauze pads refrigerated in apple cider vinegar to help relieve the sunburn feeling (thank you staff member who suggested that to me). I taught my first cycle class less than a week after the procedure and I did look kind of scary but it was fine. I suffered from some minor acne, which I hear is common for about 6 weeks. And if I exercised intensely my face would be super red on the areas that had been most aggressively resurfaced although it was not painful at all. It was about 6 months before the full effects were noticeable.
STILLWATER: How long has it been since your treatment? How did the procedures work to address your issues?
SHANNAN: It has been just over a year since the procedure and I could not be more pleased. My skin, especially around my eyes and my cheeks look so much tighter. And I no longer look like I am always ready for a nap. The numerous sunspots were either completely removed or diminished significantly.
STILLWATER: Can you give us three adjectives to describe how you feel about your skin now? Refreshed. Awake. Energized.
STILLWATER: Pretend you’re talking to your sister or BFF about a skincare procedure. What would you tell her?
SHANNAN: I would recommend to anyone to get the procedure I received. You get a lot of bang for the buck (can I say that?). I was not ready to go “under the knife” but I knew I wanted something done and I could not be more pleased.
STILLWATER: Time marches on! Are you considering any procedures down the road? What are you thinking about and where will you go??
SHANNAN: I would not mind getting this procedure again and I have noticed a touch of overhang on the jeans (muffin top… just a little) that I would like to address. I would not go anywhere else other than Stillwater. The best doctor and staff that I have encountered.