The Peel Heal

On October 12, 2022, I finished my last client of the day and thought, "Today is a great day for a chemical peel!" If you follow me on social media, you would have seen me document the process. Right up until my 8 year old got sick and I didn't sleep for a good three days resulting in my after pictures looking like I'd been hit by a truck. But that's OK. Not looking cute in your after photos doesn't mean you didn't get great results! My number one piece of advice though for getting a peel is to take those photos. The before and afters, because honestly, I would have felt like nothing happened without them and I might have been upset. Looking at the photos though, I can definitely tell a difference!

Day 1. I performed a Jessner Peel. This is a fairly moderate peel, meaning there is a little down time, but you aren't going to look like Samantha in Sex in the City. Do you remember that episode? She looked like she'd let someone literally scratch her face off. The Jessners Peel does require a bit of a recovery, as you'll see. As far as the actual peel goes, I gave myself four layers because I wanted to make it as intense as possible. Essentially, the Jessner deconstructs the top layer of skin, triggering the inflammation response. As the skin heals itself, it leads to the lightening of "sun spots", minor pigmentation issues, scarring, wrinkles, and elasticity.

What exactly was the process? I cleansed my skin really well and applied the peel. Easy Peasy. I waited until the tingling stopped before I applied additional layers. Once the sting had passed, I put on my moisturizer and that was that. It only took about 30 minutes.

Day 2 No peeling yet, but my skin was definitely drying out.

Day 3 Pretty intensive peeling on my chin and around my nose.

Day 4 Dry cheeks and still peeling around my mouth.

Day 5 Peeling has calmed down but still a little around my mouth. I think it's pretty much done?

Day 6 Done? Nope. Peeling around my nose and out into my cheeks now. I can already tell a lot of the redness is done.

Day 7 Oh hello forehead peel! My cheeks are really flaking off now!

Day 8 Today my son got sick. Sick, sick. We narrowly escaped a trip to the hospital, so for a good three days I didn't sleep. My "after" pictures look ten years older because of my son getting sick but overall, I'm really happy! My skin is brighter and it really helped to cut down on the redness.

Chemical peels are such a great way to really jump start your skin and get great results quick. They can help smooth out fine lines, brighten your complexion, soften hyperpigmentation (brown spots) or help with breakouts. What peel we do really depends on your goals, your home care routine, and how much time your willing to spend looking flaky. There are some peels that will give great results, but not necessarily a lot of peeling.

If you are ready to get your pre-holiday glow on and want to chat about which peel would be best for you, please give me a call so we can chat about it! My number is 912-346-6674. I am so excited to help you on this journey!