My Honest Experience with Chemical Peels
In early February, I got a Melanage Peel for the first time since middle school. Long story short, I have really struggled with my skin since I was in my early teens. In middle school, I did a round of chemical peels to try and get my skin under control. They worked for a while, but were so expensive to maintain for a teenager with constant flareups. Around high school my skin got so bad, it became nearly impossible to avoid breakouts and scaring damage. I had no idea to stop the constant flareups and every treatment I tried led to zero results.
Nearly a decade later, my skin is finally no longer experiencing the hell of puberty, but still showing the signs of years of horrible breakouts. With our wedding less than a year away, I didn’t want to look back on pictures from our special day and think omg my skin is the worst.
After some research and a consultation, I decided to get a round of peels at my dermatologist’s aesthetics practice. I have a lot of faith and confidence in this dermatology office because it is also where my mom and I have received excellent care for skin cancer biopsies and treatment.
What is a Melanage Peel?
A Melanage Peel is a medical grade peel used to treat hyperpigmentation, acne scarring, fine lines and improve overall skin texture and clarity. The peel I received was a blend of retinol (vitamin A) and lactic, phytic and azelic acids that work together and stimulate collagen production. Often, these treatment produce the best results when received in a series.
First Thoughts
With the peel I received, it was applied in the dermatologists office but washed off at home after 2-3 hours. No joke, my face was stinging and SO uncomfortable for those few hours. When you receive your treatment, you should be sent home with a cleanser and other products to ensure the best results from your peel. I received a cleanser, anti-redness cream, SPF and a night cream with special instructions how to use each. After my 2-3 hours, I washed off the peel and the stinging immediately went away, only leaving behind a faint redness.
In the Days After
In the days after, I knew to expect my skin to begin to shed pretty rapidly. When you skin begins to shed, it is vital that you don’t pick or pull but rather let the skin fall off on it’s own. Pulling and picking causes discolored spots that are apparently more difficult to get rid of than acne scars, NO THANK YOU!
I got the chemical peel on Saturday and started “shedding” late Sunday. On Monday morning, my face felt SO dry and itchy and the skin started shedding off in greater amounts. It was so difficult to resist to urge to scratch, but instead follow the skin care regimen approved by my dermatologist. I peeled like crazy all day Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, my skin started to look more normal with the major peeling only around my hairline and a few patches on my jaw.
Caring for a cHEMICAL pEEL
Caring for a chemical peel is generally pretty low maintenance. In the morning, I cleansed, used an anti-redness serum and applied SPF (all provided by my Dermatologist). At nighttime, I cleansed and applied a night cream.
FAQ
What’s it like health-wise? Is it healthy for your skin or bad for you but produces good results?
When performed by a licensed dermatologist and with proper post-treatment care, the risks are very minimal. According to Byrdie, “chemical peels are proven, safe, and effective way to renew and regenerate health skin.” Once applied, the peel works to unclog your pores and remove dead skin cells. This cell renew process helps bring health cells to the surface.
Is it supposed to help with current acne or just acne scars?
Great question! I love peels because they work on both acne scars and active acne. Other treatments like micro-needling can only be used on acne scars and is not approved on active acne breakouts.
Is it worth the money?
Because peels produce the best results when applied in a series of treatments, the price is hard to swallow. Truthfully, I think the investment is worth it if you are ready to 100% invest in your skin. This means make changes to your everyday routine as well to help maintain the results.
Does it hurt or itch or what does it feel like in recovery?
The peel didn’t hurt by any means, but it definitely slightly burned/stung and then itched like crazy once I started peeling. Nothing that isn’t manageable, but it was a total pain in the booty!
How long does it take to recover?
In my mind, the recovery time is one of the downsides of this treatment. Your skin REALLY peels after and you’re not able to wear makeup or other beauty products. With COVID and working from home, I figured it was the perfect time to get this treatment because there’s no other time where I have a free week to hide in my apartment. I highly recommend clearing your schedule and giving yourself a week of downtime.
What is it like while they are doing the peel?
During the peel I wasn’t uncomfortable by any means, but definitely isn’t a relaxing spa treatment. I was given a small fan to hold up to my face while she was applying the peel to help fight the odor. As someone with a very sensitive sense of smell, I thought the fumes were strong but not unbearable. My face was definitely tingling and had a slight burning sensation after the peel was applied and until I was able to wash it off a few hours later, but it wasn’t anything unbearable. Depending on what type of peel you get, your skin will have a faint tint to it. When I left the dermatologist, my face was bright red and had a yellow tint from the retinal. Definitely was NOT attractive, but I went right home and didn’t really care.
What led you to get a peel?
With Matthew and I getting married in November, I knew I wanted to look and feel my best for our wedding. I have struggled with my skin for over a decade and knew I wanted to get cosmetic procedures to help rectify my acne scars before our big day.
How are you dealing with the peeling while working?
This was a total pain! I peeled like CRAZY all day Monday and Tuesday and had no idea how I was going to attend a client meeting without drawing attention to my skin. Thankfully, with working from home, I was able to lather on cream and sit far away from my computer camera.