I did a series of facial peels about fifteen years ago with a dermatologist.  They were expensive and time consuming, and I really didn't feel that I got a lot of benefit from them.  Now that I've recently had a lot of improvement in reducing redness, I've decided it's time to work on texture and fine lines.  I wanted to explore what I could do at home myself first before resorting to something more drastic and settled on doing a series of at-home peels.

Peels are supposed to promote cell renewal, reduce signs of aging and improve texture.  Nothing to lose, right (Except, have you ever seen those pictures on the internet of people where it goes wrong?  Scary.)?

Week 1 - Friday morning is going to be peel day.  I'm working from home just in case some freak accident happens.  I apply, and it feels tingly just like I remember.  I wait, neutralize, rinse off and moisturize.  Everything seems fine, so I go out to the office to work promptly forgetting about my face.  Later I realize that my chin has almost spontaneously broken out with at least five small pimples.  And did I say, there are five of them?  Assuming this is my skin purging itself of impurities (I'm not crazy, I'm just delusional), I vow to continue the process.

Week Two - I'm again working from home, so if another spontaneous outbreak occurs, I'm ready.  After rinsing and before moisturizing, I can already see red patches on my cheeks.  I decide it's due to the acid (duh, this stuff stings, right?), so proceed to moisturizing.  Then I stand in front of the mirror like an idiot waiting to breakout.  When nothing happens after five minutes (Five I'm not kidding.  I'm so not a quitter.), I go to my office and promptly forget about my skin again.  Later, I am almost stupidly surprised that I have three zits on my chin.  At least it's only three this week, and the redness on my cheeks is already gone.


Week Two Update - I realized this morning that my chin actually looks better - less hyper-pigmentation, scarring and fine lines - which leads me to take a closer look at the rest of my face.  I don't see a huge difference on my cheeks, but now I'm excited to do the next peel.


Week Three - I have to go into the office today, so I'm going to apply makeup after the peel.  I don't feel any tingling today, and there are no red blotches afterward.  Why am I disappointed by that?  Since I'm actually putting makeup on, I realize this is the first time I'm looking at my skin with the magnifying mirror immediately after a peel.  Why haven't I done that before?  I think my pores are looking smaller.

Week Three Update - My skin texture is definitely improved.  It's smoother, less bumpy and altogether more even and clearer and no breakout this week.  I'm actually very happy with the progress so far and hope it continues.

Stay tuned for weeks four through six.