My Facial Peel - The Beginning

I started researching facial peels recently. I'm 51 years old, but look younger. Except for my skin. I don't have many wrinkles. But I years of sun exposure, oily skin and hormone imbalances have taken their toll. I have Melasma and many areas of hyperpigmentation. I also have enlarged pores and my skin is dull, rough and leathery. In the past few years, I've discovered I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis and have been going through peri-menopause, so the hormone issues have exacerbated the skin problems. Also, I moved from New York State to Georgia and took up gardening, and the sun is much stronger here than in New York. I've been very conscious of using sunscreen and a hat when I'm out, but the damage has been done. Below are my 'before' pictures (not pretty).





So I started to do research into treatments. First I thought of going to a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon. But I soon discovered that any treatment would be ongoing and probably cost over a thousand dollars easy. Then on website I frequent, someone mentioned doing a home chemical peel, so I started googling 'home chemical peel'.

I looked at a few online sites that sold products and finally became impressed with one: Platinum Skin Care. Not only were the testimonials interesting, but I looked at other sites that rate products and these were rated very high. The site also has a lot of information about skin care and different skin types and problems. (read everything you need to know about chemical peels here) I decided to take the plunge and ordered a pre/post peel kit.

The way the peels work is that they remove the outer layer of skin. The acid used is a lower PH than your skin, and a few days after the chemicals are applied, the outer layer of skin will become tight, dry, dark and begin to peel, much like a sunburn (but without the UV rays!). The skin underneath is newer, smoother and clearer. Most skin products do not penetrate more than the outer layer of skin, which is basically dead, so if you peel that off, the products you then apply can penetrate deeper. Also, once you become accustomed to peels, you can do multiple layers that will penetrate down to more layers of skin. The post part of the kit contains products to apply after the peel which will then penetrate the new layers of skin.

These peels are done in spas, dermatologists and plastic surgeons offices, but usually at a higher acidic percentage. They can be damaging to your skin. That is why the site recommends beginning at a low % and working up from there. There are also different types of peels, Glycolic, Lactic Acid, Salicylic, Jessners and TCA (Trichloroacetic Acid). Glycolic is a good general peel for all skin types. Lactic is good for dry skin. Salicylic and Jessners are great for oily skin and acne issues. TCA is the strongest and best for damage and pigmentation issues, but also great for acne and oily skin issues. In stronger concentrations, it can also help with scarring. I decided to use the TCA peel.

The site recommends that if you have never had a peel before, you begin with the lowest strength, which is 12.5% TCA. You can dilute any peel they sell and dilution instructions are included with the peel. The first peel should be one layer, then advancing with one additional layer with each peel, up to 5. You can then move to higher percentages of the peel for additional peels.

Before you can do the peel, however, you must prep your skin. This is a minimum 2 week prep that will make the peel more effective and prevent hyper pigmentation from the peel. The prep products include an anti-toxidant (Vitamin C) product, a Retinol product (30%), a daily exfoliation solution (glycolic acid 15%), a healing moisturizer (Emu oil...more on this later), and since I have fair but olive skin and have hyper pigmentation issues, I added the fading gel. The kit is customizable and you can have different products based on your needs. I also added the 12.5% TCA peel (1 oz size) and also purchased a sample 1/2 oz size of 20% TCA peel for later use. You also get a free sample with each purchase, and I added a sample size of the Antitoxidant Enzyme Mask for use after the peel.

The last item in the kit is probably the most important - sunscreen. It is extremely important that while you are using these products on your skin that you prevent any more sun exposure. The sunscreen that you can purchase with the kit is SPF 30, which I use for daily use. But I have also purchased a 85 SPF Nutrogena sunscreen for when I'm going to be out in the yard gardening or other outdoor use. Once you peel off the outer layer of skin, the underlying skin will be more susceptible to sun damage and if you allow it to be exposed to the sun, you can do real damage to it. The total amount of the kit was $248.90, along with the additional TCA which was $32.95 for a total of $281.85. From this kit I should be able to get 34 peels (or layers). Compare to at least $150 per peel at a spa or dermatologists office. So it is economical.

Since my total order was greater than $150, the shipping was free. I received a confirmation email for my order immediately (I placed the online order on Sunday) and also a UPS shipping confirmation the next day. The package arrived that Wednesday, everything intact, no breakage or leaking. Along with the products were instructions on how to use each product especially the peel prep. There was a sheet which listed each product when to use them and how.

Next...the prep.