(Me last summer. Notice the darker toned, splotchy skin across my face and forehead.) I have been trying to repair my sun damaged skin for well over a year. While I have had some luck and my skin is better than it was before I started working on it last summer, it still isn't where I want it to be. So far, I've tried:
A whole host of over the counter products to treat age spots or melasma. Nothing made a noticeable difference.
A Glytone 4% hydroquinone treatment (prescription). It worked to some degree, but only on the top layer of skin.
A series of three microdermabrasion / 30% acid peels. This definitely made an improvement in my skin, however it also revealed that my skin was damaged on a much deeper level and would need more work.
(Me now. I still have a lot of melasma on my cheeks and overall darker patches across my nose and cheeks. Plus my skin texture is slightly rough.)I had mentioned this to my gal pal Madeleine at La Papillon Spa. She suggested I consider getting a heavier duty peel that will have more dramatic results. While the idea of downtime isn't ideal, neither is having brown splotches on my face. And I really hate that portions of my face don't come anywhere close to matching my neck. So I decided to pull out the big guns and get a Rejuvenize Peel at La Papillon Spa. La Papillon is my favorite local spa for brows and facials. They are always accommodating and very, very nice. I know, a spa should be those things, but lately, bad customer service is following me around like the plague and I am sick of it. That never happens at La Papillon, thankfully. But back to the peel.
According to SkinMedica, the maker of the peel, the "Rejuvenize Peel is an advanced formulation of peeling agents, with a built-in anti-irritant and penetration enhancer that provides controlled exfoliation of the uppermost damaged layers of the skin to reveal fresher and healthier skin. Provides predictable results with minimal down time." I should mention that this is a medical grade peel and only available from doctors and medi-spas.
I haven't had any kind of peel with down time, so this should be interesting. Since the weatherman is calling for several feet of snow this weekend, this is the perfect time to get this procedure. I am told that this peel is basically a controlled wound (scary!) and that I will want to be sure to have a few days where I can semi-hibernate. I am getting the peel done this afternoon (Wednesday) and should be able to go back to work on a Tuesday. Since my office is accustomed to showing up to work wearing hairpieces and having an inappropriate eye makeup during the day, I will see if I can make it through Friday with a peeling face. Hopefully, the bulk of the "frosting" (when the skin peels) will happen over the weekend. I am also told I must not peel the skin myself, which will no doubt be the hardest part.
If you are considering getting this kind of peel, I will be posting pictures along the way, so you will know what to expect. I am told my face will peel dramatically and that is supposed to do that and that I shouldn't be scared when a lot of skin comes off. Consider me prepped!
So what kind of results should I see? Hopefully, this will get down into the deeper layers of my face, removing some of the damage that was probably caused when I was in 5th grade. Madeleine Homes, owner of La Papillon says that I can expect to see, "a dramatic improvement in the overall luminosity of the skin, it will be brighter, smoother and will help diminish the melasma. But don't expect to walk out with a perfectly new face. There is a little bit of an ugly duckling period before the gorgeous swan appears!"
I know it won't get rid of everything in one treatment, but it will be the most aggressive peel I have ever had so I am excited to see what happens. I am not nervous about the downtime, but I did forget to ask if it would hurt. I always forget to ask the obvious...I'll get back to you on that one.
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