I have to admit, I was terrified of getting a chemical peel. All that flashed through my mind was Samantha Jones from Sex in the City, and her bright red, severely burned skin. Well turns out that is pretty unrealistic. I like most gals in southern California love the sun, and when I was in college I abused the tanning beds and in turn had some pretty visible sun damage that resulted in dark spots on my face. I started looking into peels to correct the dark spots, and unevenness of my skin. I did my research and found an awesome Groupon deal for a woman with AMAZING yelp reviews.
Process: First the face is thoroughly cleansed. I’d recommend going in without any makeup on, it will make the process quicker and easier on your esthetician. My gal, Erika, then performs a bit of microdermabrasion on my entire face and neck. That by the way feels kind of like a little vacuum sucking your skin up in little sections. Doesn’t hurt, sort of tickles! She then applies a mask of my choosing, which generally depends on my current skin concerns, whether its acne, dryness, etc. The final stage is the application of the actual chemical, which is brushed on and left on the skin. There is a mild burning/tingling for approximately 3-5 minutes. A fan is usually blowing close to the face to alleviate the burning somewhat. And that ladies, is it! The chemical is left on the skin, and you are not to wash your face until the following morning. There are a few limitations following the peel that should be closely observed. You should refrain from working out, or any other activity that might cause you to break a sweat for about 2-3 days. You are also told to stay out of the direct sun for several days after.
The scariest aspect of the peel is the actual PEELING, which usually happens 2-3 days after the procedure. Honestly, I peeled the worst after my first peel, which really was quite scary. I went to work with a normal face and by the time I left for lunch, it looked like my face was falling off. It continued to peel in large chunks for about 3 days. After that I just had some flaking areas, which are easy to disguise. Overall, I would totally recommend you ladies to give peels a whirl, they have done wonders for my skin over the course of a year.
Cost: $55 – 110
Time: 1 hour
Lasting Power: I maintain with a peel every six to eight weeks
My Fave Location: ibella skin http://www.ibellalifestyle.com/peel-bar/
Girlfriends' Guide to Beauty 