My 3-Step Peel
I have always wanted to do a face peel and never had the guts to do it until I had a consultation at the Mayfair Practice.
Since I suffer from melasma (see my Dark Spot Solutions blog for more information about that!) , I always dreamt of that porcelain skin tone without any dark pigmentation. Laser treatments and my daily skincare routine did improve it but I thought I should try a peel, one done by a professional aesthetician.
After having a skin analysis in the Observe machine at the Mayfair Practice, we decided to opt for the 3-step peel by ZO Skinhealth.
MEETING UP AT MAYFAIR
On my first consultation with Chan, I was put on a four weeks prep regime with ZO Skinhealth products including a cleanser, toner, day cream, scrub and retinol night cream. You need this to get your skin used to the actual peel. How exciting to use all of those new products - it felt like Christmas!
I must say that after using those products for a month, I already saw an improvement as my skin became a lot brighter. So many of my friends and family asked me what I was doing to my skin. I was already impressed by this point.
“Was I going to be a bright red tomato? There goes my social life for a week!”, I was nervously saying in my head. ”
THE BIG DAY
On the day of the actual peel treatment in the clinic, I was a little nervous not knowing what would happen in the next 7 days. “Was I going to be a bright red tomato? There goes my social life for a week!”, I was nervously saying in my head. A strong peel like this needs a downtime of a week to 10 days. My aesthetician Chan was absolutely amazing and made me feel very comfortable… which believe me, was not an easy process.
comfortably numb
They start by applying a numbing cream to the face which stays on for about 15 to 20 minutes. This really helps to make it all feel more comfortable.
STEP 1 :
The tough part
Then the peel is applied and I must say that it did burn quite a lot but was far less then what I had anticipated.
STEP 2 :
retinol is applied
Then the retinol cream is applied on top which also gives it a decent burning sensation but it’s very quick.
STEP 3 :
THE CALMING CREAM
The third step was the calming cream (hallelujah!), and this cooled everything right down. You can imagine how amazing that feels because the burning stops immediately.
**I must point out that everyone has a different pain tolerance so I can not judge for everyone**
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My skin was a bit red but nothing major and when I left the practice I actually went on with my day and met up with the hubby and friends for a drink later on.
I got a cream to apply for the next 7 days as well as an SPF50 and was told to wash my face with my initial OZ cleanser. No make-up, no scratching, and no touching your skin when it peels off is highly recommended.
THIRD DAY AFTER THE PEEL
On day three my skin started to peel around my chin and mouth area and it felt a little tight all over. It also felt a little itchy but nothing that I seriously needed to scratch.
FIFTH & SIXTH DAYS AFTER THE PEEL
On day 5 my skin started to peel much more and I could literally see the skin layers com off. That was my “stay at home day” as it was very visible. No redness though or any pain and I applied a lot of my cream to moisturise throughout the day.
On day 6, all the peeling had stopped and when I washed my face in the morning, my skin tone was much more even and brighter. My pores were also less visible and I felt amazing not even wanting to put much make up on. Since the peel, my skin looks and feels soft, letting all my products just soak into it in a second.
FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH mayfair
At my follow up meeting, Chan decided to put me on a different skincare routine with Obagi products containing Vitamin C which I’m told will continue to brighten and hydrate the skin tone throughout the next weeks and then we can opt for another peel.
Before & After
You can clearly see that the skin tone has brightened and there is less pigmentation.
“Chan has been wonderful and takes the time to discuss and explain everything in detail. I think we can all agree that it’s rare to find an aesthetician who checks in on you late in the evening while she is on vacation. ”
REAL TALK: WHAT’S THE DOWNSIDE?
Well I’m a make-up person and being without any for 7-days was a bit unusual for me. The skin peeling off doesn’t look very pretty so you need to schedule your peel in for when you don’t have any important events or meetings. Other then that, I’m just happy I finally did it because my skin feels amazing.
These treatments often look scary and it is very important to be in good hands. Chan has been wonderful and takes the time to discuss and explain everything in detail. I think we can all agree that it’s rare to find an aesthetician who checks in on you late in the evening while she is on vacation.
Please email me or DM for any questions you might have.
Check out my IGTV on @sarahnicollieruk for a little view into the Practice.