3rd Day - Out Damned Spot!

It's been 3 full days since I did the 2nd peel. My faces has been dry and tight, with dark brown spots in the areas that I used the 20% TCA acid during the 2nd layer of the peel. These were the spots that had extra pigmentation that I'm trying to get rid of. The rest of my face just feels tight and is flaking a bit, but these spots are going to have deep peeling.

I was out in the yard today, and so had my face slathered in sunscreen (SPF 85!). When I came in my face looked white in spots and I thought it was the sunscreen, but looking closer, it was skin starting to peel off. The dark brown spots are all starting to peel. One spot, under my left eye was almost all peeled off. I rinsed my face with water and the dead skin came off.

I had a brown spot under my left eye caused by sun damage. Although I've been careful the past couple of years to use sunscreen when going out, I went out this January, in the winter, to vacuum and shred leaves. It was a nice day but cold. I never thought about getting sun. But I must of because a few days later this brown spot just appeared from out of nowhere. I think it was this new spot that pushed me to start doing peels.

Well when the dead skin peeled off, the skin underneath was nice and soft AND the spot is about 70% faded. It appears just slightly darker than the surrounding area. It was a dark brown spot, sort of like a mole, but it was flat. And it's almost gone! From one application of 20% TCA. I'm very excited. It's great to spend money on something and go throught the process of using it and then seeing it actually WORK. I've spent a lot of money and time on drug store solutions for age spots and none of them work. I had not seen one iota of difference with creams, exfoliants and other lotions. This is really just one application, since I didn't use the 20% last time.

I'll try to get pictures soon, so you can see the difference. But the rest of my face still looks pretty awful, so I'm going to wait a few more days to see if these spots peel and have the same result. I'm also going to be slathering that faded spot with Copper and Emu-oil and sunscreen as often as possible. I don't want that spot back.

For my next peel, I'm going to mix some of the 20% TCA with the 12.5% solution to get a higher overall percentage of peel. I think my skin is too resistant to the 12.5% solution now that I've done two peels, I feel comfortable taking it up a notch. I may also spot treat with full 20% TCA and do 3 layers. We shall see.

2nd Peel

I've spent the past 3 weeks preparing for the next peel. I resumed the daily regemin of Vitamin C and Retinol in the AM and Glycolic Acid and Copper in the PM. Along with Emu Oil for moisture. The spots on my face that had the most intense frosting and peeling had the most improved appearance which continued to improve in the weeks after the peel. I was also able to extract a few more impacted pores of white and black heads.

I thought I had used the incorrect gauze the first time and didn't get even coverage. I did order the gauze pads and special toothpicks with cotton from Platinum Skin Care. I also ordered a glycolic acid brush (to apply the glycolic acid for a peel) and a face brush (to help exfoliate when cleaning your face). Unfortunately I didn't not pay for expedited shipping and didn't get he package by Saturday in the mail so I decided to go ahead with it anyway. Then when I looked in the box with the original shipment I received (with the TCA acid), I found a little package with gauze, the toothpicks and a little plastic eye dropper. I completely missed that the first time. So two new rules. Always pay for the expedited shipping and always look at everything in the package.

Again I prepared by not using the Retinol the day of the peel. I cleaned my face with the clenser and toned with isopropol alcohol. This time I did it twice, especially over my T-zone, forehead, nose and chin. I barely got any peeling in that area and maybe it's because that skin is so oily.

I used the tiny eyedropper and measured out 25 drops of the 12.5% TCA into the small plastic cup. Then I put the gauze that was supplied with the TCA shipment. I applied the TCA in first a horizontal and then a vertical pattern to ensure complete coverage. I made sure to get around my nose and under my eyes, places I missed in the first peel. Because I had the eyedropper and was able to dole out the proper amount of acid and had the correct type of gauze, the TCA went on more evenly. I felt a tingling sensation, but nothing like the intense burning I felt the first time.

I then waited 5 full minutes and did the 2nd layer. This time felt more intense tingling going to a burning sensation, but again, not as bad as the first peel. I then waited a full 5 minutes again.

I wanted to do a stronger peel in spots, mainly the dark spots on my skin. So I took out the 20% TCA acid, and put a few drops into the plastic cup and wet the toothpicks that were covered in cotton. I swiped this over the spots that I wanted to have a more intense peel. I felt it burning right away in these spots, but since they were small, it wasn't that bad. I went over them all until I ran out of TCA.

These spots began frosting immediately. I waited a full 8 minutes, then gently rinsed my face with water. I applied Emu-Oil and later an aloe gel I have which contains lidocaine. I didn't have any pain on my face like the first peel, but it did itch quite a bit. Ironically, I used to use that aloe lotion when I had a sunburn.

One Week, Post Peel

It's been a week. Most of the peeling/flaking is over. I used the Enzyme Mask and it helped get rid of some of the last flakes. Over all my skin feels cleared and fresher. The spots that I suppose I covered more heavily with the TCA are the most improved. I do feel some pimples under the skin, ready to come out. I've expected that and it tells you in the literature with the products that all of these products will begin to draw out whatever is buried under your skin. I'm happy that I've resumed my skin care regimen: cleanser, toner, Retin A, Vitamin C (copper at night), Glycolic Acid and Emu-Oil. I'll do this for two weeks then do another peel on April 13th. I've got the rest of that week off from work, so I can peel in privacy :)

I plan on doing a two layer TCA peel, 12.5%. I hope to get more even coverage this time. I may also use the 20% TCA on the larger of my pigmentation spots, to get things going there. I'll resume the blog then. I didn't take any pictures at this point, because I don't think the subtle changes will show up well.

Day 5/6 Post Peel

I had to go to work yesterday without makeup. A few people asked me if I had been out in the sun because my skin turned brown over the bridge of my nose and cheeks. The hyper sensitivity is almost gone and the peeling/flaking is increasing. I had large pieces of skin peel off my cheeks and I can see the new skin underneath. Soft, pink a bit blotchy. I'm still applying the copper/emu-oil.

Today something wonderful happened. A patch under my left eye peeled off, revealing a slight bump. I had felt this bump for awhile under the skin. It was a whitehead, but so clogged that it could not be extracted. It had turned hard under the skin. Well after the top layer of skin peeled, the pore was exposed and the sebum came out with just a slight amount of pressure. I know I have these kinds of 'bumps' all over my face, and I'm looking forward to getting all of them cleared out so that my skin will be cleared and smoother.

Day 4 Post Peel

About the same. There are several patches that have turned brownish and very rough and crinkly, but not peeling yet. I think those spots will have the deepest peels (they also had the most frosting). Other spots are just flaky. My skin is still sensitive to the touch and I have to be careful about what I use on it. I've been using my old mild dry skin cleanser and toner. Then emu-oil sometimes with copper. The petroleum jelly helps with dryness. I was out in the yard again today, and when I applied the sunscreen, it stung a bit.

I think I know why I wound up with such uneven coverage with the peel. I used absorbent gauze, and you are supposed to use regular gauze. So some of the acid was absorbed into the gauze instead of winding up on my face. I'll use the correct gauze next time. I was also watching some videos on you tube of TCA peels. Instead of doing a full 2 layer peel next time, I'm considering using the 2o% solution on spots as the second layer. I do have a lot of dark spots that need special treatment and I want to accelerate that.

I have to go to work tomorrow with a brown crusty peeling face and no make up. Should be fun.

Day 3, Post Peel

My skin feels less tight today, and I'm getting peeling (flaking really) around my chin. I've been applying the emu-oil, but this AM, since its the weekend and I'm not going to work, I applied some petroleum jelly over the emu-oil to help with the tightness. I have used petroleum jelly before at night (especially on my feet) and it does help greatly with dry skin.

I have one very rough, brownish patch of skin on my left cheek, the same area that was heavily frosted. It seems that the acid penetrated this spot more than any other. Whether it has to do with that patch of skin, or my application technique, I'm not sure. The rest of my face just feels and appears as if there is a coating of Elmer's glue on it and it's dried.....My next peel, I need to ensure more even coverage. I also need to utilize q-tips to get the acid in tight spots under my eyes and around my nose. I think I missed those this time.

As I said yesterday, I was out all day today in the yard. I had applied my 85 SPF sunscreen, wore my hat, safety/sun glasses and even wore a face mask to keep the dust out. So I don't think I had any sun exposure. LOL, I must have been a sight.

Day 2, Post Peel

It's been about 20 hours since the peel. Last night my face was sensitive and I did take an advil before going to bed. I figured it is as if I had a sunburn, so it would help. When I got up, my face felt tight, so I just splashed water on it and applied copper and emu-oil.

I was working from home today, so I didn't need to put on suncreen, but I did wind up putting it on later because the room I'm in gets a lot of sun and the suncreen from Platinum Skin Care has a lot of emollients in it and I thought it would help. I did wind up going outside for a bit because it was a beautiful day, so I reapplied the sunscreen.

Right now my face feels ok, tight, but not as tight as last night. And the heat and stinging are gone. It is still a bit sensitive, and when I applied emu-oil just now, I had to be gentle. I have already had a bit of peeling on my jawline. I think because this is my first peel, and I have a lot of dead skin, I'm going to get peeling quickly and have a lot of it. Bring it on! That's what I want.

Tomorrow I'm going to be out in the yard all day. It's going to be sunny, but cool. I will be using my Neutrogena 85 SPF and have my hat and sunglasses on. I'm not taking any chances.