Beaulieu says my face will be swollen, or “quilt-y” as she calls it, and to expect small, square-ish marks on my skin where the lasers hit. But it’s not that bad the first time. In fact, there are hardly any marks at all, so I wonder if it even worked. I know my acne is pretty stubborn, but is it really stronger than a freakin’ laser? I’m inwardly cursing my skin until Beaulieu says she used the lowest frequency for the first treatment, so I shouldn’t expect much change.

Over the next month and a half, I go back three more times. She uses a stronger frequency each time, and it gets more painful. The last one hurts like hell, and I walk out with chipmunk cheeks. But I’m excited because that means it’s working (right?).