Everything Feels Like Burning

I got my first chemical peel today. And it was a lot faster and easier than I thought it would be.

There are several kinds of chemical peels and they range in intensity. I got the big daddy chemical peel because I thought…why not? I have a 4 day weekend. Let’s spend it inside picking at my own skin like Goldmember.

My friend Ali, from college, had a totally different experience with her chemical peel. (Click that link if you want to read about hers and see her sexy post-peel pic.)

I got my peel done at Reflections Dermatology in Baldwin Park (click on that link if you want to be annoyed by a Web site. Who does intros anymore? Lame).

It seems the less deep the chemical peel penetrates the skin, the more preparation the dermatologist does beforehand (like extracting blackheads, facial scrubs, etc). Because I got the burn-your-face-off-enough-so-your-husband-won’t-kiss-you peel, it was literally only 2 steps.

1. An alcohol pad was used to get all the oil off my skin.
2. A bottle of thin liquid that smelled like formaldehyde was applied in layers to my skin with a cotton round until  the bottle was used up.

That’s it. It took maybe 30 minutes.

That thin liquid definitely burned. The dermatologist gave me a fan to fan myself while she was applying it to lessen the burn. When she was done, she told me not to wash my face for 4 hours unless I just couldn’t stand the burning anymore.

Honestly, the silk peel I got a few months ago there was way worse. There was a lot of steaming and poking and picking and it was really uncomfortable. (That’s what she said.)

I got some goodies to apply to my face over the next 6 days.

The packets are for tonight and tomorrow night. (She said, “Those will burn. Use it anyway.” Looking forward to that.) There is also sunscreen for the daytime and a moisturizer for the nighttime.

Right now, I feel and look like I have a sunburn on my face, but it’s really not that bad.

Here’s me before the appointment:

THIS is why I wear makeup no matter where I go and why high definition should have never been invented. Hopefully my fake eyelashes will distract you from my horri-skin.

Here’s me now:

I’m sure the fun will come in the next few days when the dermatologist said I will “peel like a snake.”

I’ll post some pictures of my progress as I go. Has anyone else had a chemical peel? I have a good amount of friends who have and they have all had totally different experiences. Tell me about yours!