There are those of you reading this who totally get where my head is at.
I’m in that age range where the idea of plastic surgery isn’t so off-putting anymore. But the reality of kids in college, elderly parents and home renovations colliding – in what I like to call the perfect storm of financial ruination – keep me from committing to any real surgery. The scalpel cutting skin, general anesthesia sort.
Many folks enjoy the perks of being middle-aged and older, with the freedom to come and go a bit easier than the little kid “apple juice apple juice” years, and the deeper pockets that normally can afford more perk-filled jaunts and restaurant meals. But no one wants to look like they are getting older. That part sucks.
Some people do it better than others, some are cursed by DNA and results of bad choices in lifestyle. Whatever ails you, there’s a really wonderful minimally invasive medium-depth peel I was fortunate to try prior to my attending the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards this month. The getting to “fabulous and glowy” was an interesting experience.
And although it wasn’t painful, before Christmas, day 6/7 post-peel, I looked like this:
A real horror-show.
Every square inch of my face cracked open and peeled away, and it was a daily new experience of “what will I look like today” for a good week before things settled down, and by day 11 a magical thing occurred: I felt smooth and flake free all over my face! I could smile and my skin didn’t drop off. My eyes, which were also treated with the peel solution, finally unswelled.
And then I washed my hair, put on my face and got this for New Years’ Eve:
So that worked out!
My knowledge of chemical peels was gleaned from TV shows and occasional glimpses of terracotta colored women shopping for soothing hydrating serums at Nordstroms, wearing dark glasses inside brightly lit cosmetic departments.
Often I asked questions like, “Where and what did you do?” and learned many had deep chemical peels, under anesthesia, with antiseptic vinegar baths and weeks of hiding out indoors feeling like they had a thousand cigarettes stubbed out on their faces before they ventured into the public eye. I never considered myself a candidate for anything remotely like that. Ever.
Dr. Li, my skin guru who administered Perfect Derma Peel!
There are wonderful things afoot in skincare chemistry and advances in controlled peels these days. I learned this from a willowy, stunning woman named Michelle with Perfect Derma in Beverly Hills, who contacted me to see if I would be game for a medical grade medium-depth peel administered by a medical professional for review.
Off I went to Dr. Linda Li, who was incredibly welcoming and reassuring that I would not experience pain and who thoroughly explained what every step was that she was doing. I never felt uncomfortable or afraid.
Dr. Li gave me the straight poop: There was a fine line between love and hate, and the hate part came first. I was told I would have a good five to seven days of peeling, itchiness (minor) and tightness and roughness until the skin completely broke from my face and fell away. She assured me I would emerge as a more improved version of myself with fewer fine lines, finer pore appearance, less hyperpigmentation and a general JBF-ed (my words, not hers) glow to my face.
Since my skin was in relatively good shape to begin with, she noted that I would benefit from a firming and tightening of my contours, specifically cheek area (she kindly did not refer to them as my ‘jowls’) and jawline. She also asked if I wanted my eye area done, and I agreed, although that area is much more sensitive… so you are warned, it was stingy there for a moment.
After this solution is applied, your face goes a bit numb, you’ll feel nothing and look as if you ingested massive doses of niacin with a slight weirdish jaundiced orangey cast to the skin too. It’s subtle, not Oompa Loompah intensity, but your face will take on some color from this.
The after-care kit is given to you once the procedure – which takes just minutes – is over. The kit of approved wipes, mineral foundation and moisture are what you must use to mitigate the peeling and dryness part of the fun. A caveat to mention about the wipes, as they have a strong medicinal smell but are mandatory to use after the peel (at night as your cleanser) for two days.
“This is controlled damage to the skin that makes the dermis send up the healthier skin to the visible surface. The results are a brighter, fresher and softer look to your complexion after The Perfect Derma Peel,” said Dr. Li. “But it takes a good week to get there.”
Here’s the kicker. You must augment your Perfect Derma Peel, once fully peeled and healed, with effective topical treatments used daily and practice avoiding direct sun on the treated skin.
This is not a one-shot deal where the peel will lift all brown spots off the face, but it’s a powerful, non-invasive and efficacious start. Dr. Li said the acne scarred and sun damaged people (a lot of men and golfers get this peel, she noted) need at least 2- 4 peels in succession over a three to six month period to blow out the brown and red spots.
She shared some amazing before and afters of her patients:
The good news is Perfect Derma Peel makes a focused take-home line of skin care, a potent medical-grade retinol, a vitamin C serum and several body wash and face products that all work together to bolster the good results you get with the peel. The serums and retinol were packaged in pump dispensers, a far more hygienic delivery system that keeps you from overusing these intensive night treatments.
The Perfect Derma Peel solution is a combination of TCA, kojic acid, retinoic acid, salicylic acid and vitamin C to encourage exfoliation and rejuvenation while also brightening. It is the only peel that contains anti-oxidant Glutathione for these ultimate skin-lightening benefits.
This is the kinder, gentler way of resurfacing your skin without going into full “Sex and the City” beef carpaccio Samantha mode:
So let me get right to the point:
Day 1/2: The Waiting Game: You look and you wait, just like “American Werewolf’s” David Naughton awaing his wolf transformation…a whole lot of nothing until…
Day 3: When is my face going to crack? Oh…wait, as I open my mouth, a feel a twinge, But no shards of skin are hanging yet. Bugger.
Day 4: Where’s the beef? Tight, rough-ish but still not in full cracky the clown face. This is when I imagine I did not get enough of the solution or my skin is annoyingly resistant…
Day 5: There are changes afoot! I notice around my mouth, especially my chin and mouth area where things are lifting up. I resist the urge to pull the skin.
Day 6: Skin is now in full crack and peel mode. I contemplate using scotch tape to help facilitate a faster lift of the dead skin and I get yelled at by friends who know better and are watching me like a science project before they commit to a peel themselves. Yes, I am the chemical peel canary in the coal mine…
Day 7: Oh my gawd. Skin is insanely flaking and I literally scared people at Porto’s Bakery in Burbank, standing in that ridiculously long line waiting for a Cuban to-go and a box of their cheese rolls. I had to do a Burbank airport run and you cannot just drive by when you are right there on Hollywood Way. This was the worst day! A child hid his face in his mother’s sari and looked at me like I was the evil goddess Kali. And then my skin fell on my Cuban which was kind of gross.
Day 8/9/10: Light at the end of the tunnel! I am rough around the perimeter of my face, but I am not a science project anymore. I look glowy… yet still a bit tight and swollen around the eyes.
Two weeks after the peel: Perfection. I defy my chronological age and am planning the second peel. Love the results, and I am recommending this to everyone, male and female. I’m also taking my husband in for his first application and my 24-year-old son who has some acne scar issues.
Caveats to absorb: Early days of the peel only use the foundation (mineral makeup) moisture and the pads I mentioned earlier as your skincare routine. Do not pick or peel skin, Do not expose this new skin to the sun. Wear hats, glasses, and the mineral foundation if you have to venture out the worst days (see above timeline).
Expect to peel from the chin upwards, as the mouth is expressive and you crack there first normally. The last places to peel for me were the forehead and cheeks. No workouts during days one through five (walking is okay) because sweat and heat will not benefit the healing.
You can use hydrating serums and creams without active ingredients after day five. Medical-grade products from Perfect Derma Peel’s own signature line will improve the results.
Bottom line: If you have a wedding, award show, reunion, big party, an event where your ex will be showing up, or a job interview, do the peel 10-14 days prior so you look fresh and amazing. A lot of people combine this with some Botox and injectables (board certified doctors like Dr. Li only people!) for the ultimately refreshed face that makes your friends and acquaintances wonder where that hideous portrait is aging in your house.
Keep the peel’s good results up with good daily skin care habits and fear not, the only thing you have to lose is five really bad years off your face.
The price range is around $300.
