You all know about my love/hate relationship with my skin, or rather hate/hate. It hates me and at times I hate it.
I’m 46 and despite looking after my complexion like I would do a diamond ring ….I still get the odd annoying pimple. Grrrrr
I have light scarring caused by acne in my early twenties,some discoloration and fine lines around my eyes . The last few months spent looking after and then losing mum have also left my skin [and I] looking somewhat ‘tired and drawn’
It was perfect timing then that the ladies at Medispa S10 got in touch to see whether I would like a peel in exchange for a review. It’s something I’ve contemplated on several occasions but something I’ve always talked myself out of. It looks painful and your face basically falls off.
After a consultation and coffee with Juliet & Emma the date was booked.
Peel here I come!
At this point I need to mention customer care. These ladies are seriously lovely, know their stuff and go above and beyond to make sure your looked after / book the right treatment for you . I had a course of Derma roller with them a couple of years ago [a treat to myself with my redundancy money!] and trust them completely. You can read about my experience of Derma roller // here
And yes they confirmed a peel is [ momentarily] painful and your face does fall off !
So what is a TCA Peel:
Basically a TCA chemical peel uses trichloroacetic acid to dry the top layers of skin so they peel off over a period of several days. [7% trichloroacetic acid and 2% salicylic acid paired with 4% retinol] The treatment is used to reduce discolouration, improve melasma , and reduce fine lines.
I was booked in last Thursday evening. The whole process only takes a few minutes. I was extremely nervous at the thought of having acid wiped all over my face and could feel myself getting hot and panicky.
A stiff whisky would have gone down a treat.The nurse sat me down and ran through what I should and shouldn’t do after the peel, before starting to wipe the acid solution over my forehead.
Everything felt ok for a few seconds … then it started to sting like a buggar and burn. I sound like a big wuss but my eyes started to water; I felt as though I was suffocating under the heat. My face felt on fire . It was the weirdest feeling.
It’s not nice but it’s quick. Thankfully.
After a few minutes another cream is applied which stops the burning sensation and you feel as though you can breath again.
I was told to leave my face alone for 12 hours before washing. You dont touch it until then and by no means must not get it wet.
Below my worried ‘WTF have I done while sucking a lemon’ face.
The next morning although my skin felt tight it looked ok. [below] If you weren’t aware I had undergone a peel you might assume I had high blood pressure or had gone gun-hoe with the blusher.
I managed to go to work without getting asked too many questions about my ever increasing tight skin!
I have to be honest by mid-afternoon I felt like Barry Manilow… I adore Barry but his face looks way too tight and I’ve noticed he struggles to open his mouth too.
My skin looked very shiny and tight on day 1. Certain areas of my skin started turning darker which was due to the pigmentation lifting.
Going through the ‘Monster’ stages… apologises for some of the faces I’m pulling!
It felt as though somebody had stuck super glue to my face and it had set fast. I can’t lie to you it wasn’t pleasant. I found days 2 and 3 [Saturday & Sunday] the hardest and consequently the days that I looked the worst.
I had a tension headache throughout the day brought on by a combination of thoughts that I might look like this forever and the unpleasant tightness.
My BF kept saying “well atleast we’ll know what you’ll look like when your 80” , followed by “I can’t look at you“.
Charming.
I was told that I should cleanse with a gentle cleanser , moisturise, not wear makeup if possible and MUST wear an SPF at all times.
My post peel survival kit below.
- Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm
- Kiehls Youth Regenerating Moisturiser
- HelioCare Colour SPF 50 [available from Medispa S10]
- Dr Lipp Nipple Cream – great on dry lips
It’s an absolute relief when the peeling starts as it releases some of the tension and you can move your face freely again.
It’s also extremely tempting to pick – you are advised not too as this could potentially cause scarring. I could have done with a big pair of those gloves newborns wear to stop them scratching themselves.
Big girls scratch mitts !
My forehead, nose and jaw-line were the last places to peel.
It is exactly a week since I had the procedure. After work on Friday I basically locked myself away from the world a couple of days, venturing out for the first time on Tuesday when I went back to work
I’m looking relatively normal again [PHEW ] My skin looks a lot fresher and feels so soft . Dare I say I’m glowing.
There are a few patches of skin yet to shed and my skin feels slightly drier than usual especially on my cheeks.
My pores look smaller around my nose, my skin looks more uniform and the lines around my eyes are noticeably diminished. Yes I still have scarring but even this looks softer in places. I’ll never have perfect skin but I’m extremely happy with the results.
I did state over the weekend , in the heat of my tightness, discomfort and generally feeling ugly state, that I would never have this done again.
After seeing the results I might just have to eat my words.
For more information contact Medispa S10 on 0114 263 9134 or HERE
Until next time, Tracey x
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