My First Ever Skin Peel Experience

When I was trying to decide what skin care treatments to get, I knew that I wanted to do something about the sun damage on my face. I was a swimmer, a waterpolo player and swim instructor in my life before kids, and have to admit that I wasn’t the most diligent when it came to putting on sunscreen.

By Jill Parkin

As I mentioned before, I recently partnered with CosmetiCare in Corona Del Mar as one of their mom ambassadors. I was very interested in the opportunity to bring information, knowledge and personal experience to my readers who have been wondering or thinking about getting non-invasive beauty treatments. I’ve been getting the scoop on lots of great treatments that not only make you feel good about yourself, but they also help improve your skin, help with anti-aging, and bring back that youthful glow. at first I was hesitant about becoming an ambassador, as I have never been big into beauty treatments and pampering myself. but after meeting with the CostmetiCare group, I really felt that there was some great information that I could bring to my readers. This journey has been rather exciting, I’ve found that I really do enjoy a little pampering.

MY FIRST SKIN PEEL

When I was trying to decide what skin care treatments to get, I knew that i wanted to do something about the sun damage on my face. I was a swimmer, a waterpolo player and swim instructor in my life before kids, and have to admit that I wasn’t the most diligent when it came to putting on sunscreen.

Besides getting the HydraFacial…which I LOVED BTW, I wanted to do something stronger for my skin. At first I thought I would get Laser Skin Rejuvenation. I have the right skin type, which is very important to determine before you get this procedure, but after consulting with Lisa, the aesthetician at CosmetiCare, we decided that since I am out in the sun a lot and with my lifestyle, a chemical skin peel would be a better fit. We chose the Vitalize Peel for my face – this peel helps fight the effects of time, sun damage and environmental assaults. It’s powerful yet non-damaging, and can take years off aging skin with very little downtime. my skin will will most likely lightly peel or flake. and the great thing about skin peels are that they can be used on most skin types, there is little or no down time, and they have great results when it comes to reducing sun damage, improving the tone and texture of the skin, and minimizing the appearance of acne scars and fine lines.

Once Lisa prepared my face for the Vitalize Peel, she applied the peeling and Retinol solutions to my face. At first, I felt nothing, but then my skin got hot and a little bit stingy. However, it wasn’t unbearable, and because I had a fan blowing air on my face, it wouldn’t even say it was painful. This happened twice during the procedure as Lisa when through the steps of skin peel procedure. Then it was done.

Right now is a great time to get skin peels, you do not want to get them during times of the year when you will be out in the sun a lot. So it was perfect timing for me. A skin peel can take 1-3 layers of skin off depending on which type you get. Laser skin rejuvenation can take 5 layers off, so it is a lot harsher and there is more down time. Not everyone is a candidate for the laser, but most anyone can get a skin peel.

Here is what I looked like right after the skin peel. My skin actually felt great. No pain…just some redness. It is coated with sunscreen and lotion to keep it safe during the healing process, and I was able to go about my day as normal. I left feeling very excited about the outcome!

day 1.

Day 2-3. 

There was no huge change during the next two days. My skin was red, but didn’t start peeling until the end of day three. It didn’t hurt at all and I kept it hydrated with coconut oil and lightly washed it day and night.

Day 4. 

This was one of my worse days. Not because of any pain, but appearance wise, my skin was red, flaky and sooo dry. It didn’t feel great…but it didn’t hurt. It was just super annoying that it wasn’t smooth and sift. I was careful not touch it, even when it got itchy from the flaking. It never ended up peeling in “sheets” of skin like some people experience, just lots and lots of flaking. When i would wash it, it got so dry i couldn’t stand it, so for the next few days i just washed with plain water and slathered it with coconut oil. LOTS of it. It seemed the redness continued to get worse for days 4-7, but sensitive skin can react this way. Excuse the bad photos…I’m not great a selfies LOL.

Day 8-13. 

After the initial flaking, my skin continued to transform. around day 8, it got to the point where i started to feel like maybe my skin was too sensitive to have gotten a peel. It was itchy and scaly feeling. It didn’t look bad, just red, and every time I washed it, it felt like I had no moisture left in it. My face was super dry. I kept the moisturizer going multiple times a day. To be honest, after 8 days of this, I started getting annoyed that it wasn’t smooth and soft. but atlas, on the evening of day 8, my skin finally started to calm down. The next morning I woke up and felt my face take a turn for the better. It was starting to feel more soft than dry, and each day after that, it got prettier, softer…the redness faded. I began to love the results.

This is a photo of me on day 10. Still a lot of redness and a little peeling still happening. My skin is not as dry as it was. I’m wearing SkinMedica Dermal Repair Cream.

Day 18. 

Finally, here is my skin today. I’m not wearing a drop of makeup here or in the very first photo on this post. I know it’s a little hard to see in the photos from the before and after, but I can tell you that there is a significant difference. The overall appearance is clearer and more even. My pours are smaller and the dark spots around my eyes and on my upper lip have significantly lightened. Even my friends have told me that my skin looks much softer. There is still a bit of redness due to my sensitive skin, but every day it improves. I can truly say that i LOVE the results. It was worth the two weeks of dryness and redness. It has also made me excited to start a new skin care regimen which I will be sharing soon. I want to continue with these great results and bring my skin to  the best it can be.

So, what do you think?

WHAT ARE MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE SKIN PEEL?

I love it!  I am very happy with the results and I would do it again. It was worth that week of being uncomfortable to have the skin I’m experiencing today. I realize now, how important it is to have a licensed professional administering these kind of procedures. It’s imperative to get the right peel for your skin type…skin is a very delicate thing, and you don’t want scarring or irreversible damage done to it. Luckily, Lisa determined how sensitive my skin was and made sure the peel that I got would not be too harsh. If you are interested in getting a chemical skin peel or just want some of your questions answered, you can get a free consultation at CosmetiCare. They really know their stuff and I am positive you will love the staff. It’s time to feel good about you in the New Year!

Stay tuned for more CosmetiCare experiences. I am excited to share my next adventures with you. In the meantime, you can read about the CosmetiCare experiences i’ve already had…

My first Hydra FacialMy first experience learning about Non-invasive Skin Care