Chemical Peels: What You Need To Know
As we age every part of our body needs a little extra maintenance and attention. Our skin is no exception. Contrary to what you might see in ads, most of us don’t just wake up like this. When we reach our thirties our skin cells begin to turnover slower, and continues to slow down even more as we get older. By the time we’re in our mid forties and beyond, the turnover of cells is at a snails pace. That’s when we’ll start to notice that our favorite skincare products are not working the way they use to. If you’re anything like myself, you embark upon a mission to find those holy grail products that will restore your skins luminosity and glow. Only to find out after spending a ton of cash, that you’re getting minimal to zero results.
Although I love serums, night creams, exfoliants and all that good stuff just as much as the next girl, I also now know that the best ones are totally useless if they can’t penetrate the skin. When there’s a layer or two of dead skin on our faces, the products are sitting on top of that layer. It’s like when we see a commercial for a super strong paper towel, then they pour water on top, and nothing comes through. That’s what’s happening when we apply our skincare products on top of layers of dead skin.
Our skin needs a little help turning over, and renewing itself as we age, and chemical peels are one of the best methods of helping it do just that. I’m sure many of you have heard that exfoliating the skin is a good thing, and chemical peels are exfoliation to the tenth power. I realize that even the thought of chemical peels can be scary, but it’s such a game changer when done properly. If you’ve ever thought about getting a chemical peel there’s a few things you should know before embarking on this journey.
1. Research, research and then do some more research. I cannot stress enough the importance of finding a competent well trained esthetician or aesthetician. I share a little about the difference between the two in an earlier post here. Chemical peels are not the service that you want to have performed by any old Joe or Jane at the spa. This is a process that requires an expertise and skill set that comes with plenty of experience. Now for my women of color, this applies doubly. There are quite a few procedures that my Caucasian sisters can safely use that we as women of color cannot, and certain peels are one of them. Our melanin responds totally different. That is why it’s imperative that we have a licensed skincare expert that knows exactly how to apply chemicals to skin of color.
2. If you’re thinking about a chemical peel and you’re not quite ready to commit to the process, you might want to take baby steps, and try a really great at home commercial product. There are few really good products that deliver excellent exfoliating benefits on the market, and I’ve linked my absolute fave by Philosophy. It’s also the product that I use in between my in office peels, to keep my skin fresh and ready to absorb the serums and creams that I put on it. One thing that I cannot stress enough is NEVER try to administer a peel at home using acids that you buy online. This is not something that you want to DIY.
3. Anyone that knows me, is aware of my pet peeve about all the hype around miracle potions in jars, that will make your skin perfect, although I do believe chemical peels are the closest thing to it..I’m just saying. But seriously, there’s no one thing that will get and keep your skin in optimum condition. There are tons of excellent products on the market, and procedures that are phenomenal, but don’t be fooled by ads and influencers claiming that what you see is solely the results of the product that they’re sharing.
Like I stated earlier, as we age, we must keep the skin lifted so that it can absorb the products that are affective. While getting chemical peels your skincare provider will most definitely suggest and recommend a personal protocol for you to use in conjunction with your peels. It’s also extremely import that we practice a holistic approach to getting and keeping our skin in tip top condition as we age. That means eating healthier and finding time to include some sort of exercise in our life, and keeping stress to a minimum.
If you follow me on Instagram, there’s a IG tv post where I’m sharing more about chemical peels, and you can actually see my face as I’m peeling. I’m also sharing a few different types of peels, and the specific one that I had. If you all have any questions about the process please drop it below, and I’ll be sure to answer it.
PC: @wildnyc
I hope you guys enjoyed this post.
Until our next stylish encounter, as always loves..stayed inspired.
xoxo
Yessss. . . Chemical peels should not be done at home, unless you are experienced.
Hi Neti
Yessss. This is so true. We can’t take any chances with burning our skin, and creating damage to it. I so happy that I have an amazing esthetician here in NYC.
xoxo
Oh, I am so glad you wrote a post about this. I don’t know much about chemical peels but know that one of my daughters wanted to have one a few years ago and I was not too happy about it as I heard the word ‘chemical’. In the end she didn’t do it as she wanted to be sure to find the right trained person to perform it.
I may look into it as indeed I personally find that my skin could benefit from a bit of a lift since the past few months, it is dry while it used to be combination/oily>
Great informative post,
Thank you Elaine,xxx
This is a very informative blog, thanks for sharing about chemical peels what you need to know . It will help a lot; these types of content should get appreciated. I will bookmark your site; I hope to read more such informative contents in future… great post!!