Transcript
Realistic expectations regarding what a peel can do for you and how long it will actually take to achieve your goals.
I think we need to have a talk today about peels.
We get so many people coming to us thinking that a chemical peel is a one time miracle cure – and that just isn’t so.
Are peels miraculous? Absolutely they are. And we have thousands of people that can attest to that.
Can they magically transform you and be the answer to all of your skin care problems?
Well… maybe and maybe not.
Let’s talk about what they can and can’t do and how to use them in your regimen to have the best skin you possibly can.
I love peels.
Do I love doing them? Not really. LOL. But I do LOVE the results I get… and thus I will continue to do them always.
I started using peels to treat my acne. Just like you may have done.
I went in to get professional help and expected a miracle. I was very disappointed.
That wasn’t the peels fault – not at all. It was the office where I went. They never explained to me that peels aren’t a singular solution.
They never showed me that I needed to use products on a daily basis like Vitamin A and Vitamin B and that I really needed to be using acids to clear out my pores. …
And they never even thought to mention my liver or my diet.
To them, I was just a number heading in and paying. Hopefully becoming a long-term customer when my skin never cleared …..
…not an intricate system that needed to be addressed on many levels. So, I learned the hard way that skin care requires multiple facets to give you excellent results.
Did I learn this right away? Heck no! It took me years to figure out what to do. But now I know and of course, I will share that with you.
Peels are very helpful for several key things such as:
- Active acne and acne scarring
- Pigmentation
- Wrinkles
- Scars
But WHY are they helpful?
They’re helpful because strong acids can remove damaged skin and in the process of doing so, … stimulate new unblemished skin to take its place.
With every one of those examples, the troubles lie in the deeper levels of skin tissues. …
And for the most part these issues took a minimum of 5 weeks ) to become a problem -such as in the case with active acne ….
up to several years .. as in the case of sun damage and spotting and even scarring.
So.. if a problem on your skin took – on average – 5 years to become a problem for you. Do you think it is accurate to assume that you can fix all that damage … in a single peel?
Obviously not – and we are talking about a stronger acid here such as a TCA peel. If you were to use a lighter hydroxy acid it would take even longer.
So, what is an average time to get some improvements?
Most peels are to be completed in a series. A series is a specific number of peels performed one after the other.
We always recommend a series of at least 6-8 peels in a row. How often you can do them depends entirely on the acid you are using and the percentage. Some can be weekly, but the most common method is about 1-2 peels per month.
Many people will start to see improvements after even a single peel – but we always suggest to do your entire series first. Then… evaluate your skin to see how far you have come.
If you are good… you can set up a maintenance program and just do another peel sporadically to keep things great.
If you are not happy… then you need to make a few decisions.
- Do you need to move to a different, stronger acid?
- Do you need to just move up in percentage?
- Do you need to add more layers?
Once you have mapped out what you need to do… you will start another series.
Most people will see great improvements after a single series of peels. So an average time frame would be about 3-4 months. At this point you should definitely be making some headway.
If you are just trying to improve active acne, at about the 5 week mark you should be seeing great strides in the improvement of your skin and may even have cleared it entirely *as long as you are also following a daily regimen.
What if you are not seeing changes?
This is the big question, isn’t it? I would have to say at least 95% off all people that have gone through a peel series are seeing visible improvements. So the next logical step is to just keep moving forward.
Keep going until you are happy. This is a VERY acceptable method and one that just about everyone will follow. But…
If you are ONLY relying on peels you may be missing a HUGE part of the picture. If you are merely applying an acid 1x every 14 days… what you are doing the other 13 days becomes VERY important.
What you should be doing is treating your issues every single day.
I would say that one of the KEY ingredients to get your skin to turnover properly when you aren’t peeling is by using a retinoid. We highly suggest the application of our Retinol .20% Molecular serum every evening.
This will keep your skin regenerating every single day. It helps with all of the problems I mentioned prior as well. So... you have problem skin you want to improve? Use retinol.
If you can’t use retinol, then start using an acid serum every day such as our Serum 15. This too will help the skin to turnover quickly.
Then, for the other issues just choose your daily products accordingly.
We have videos with regimens for all the different skin types and problems on our Video page. I recommend that you take a few minutes to watch them. They are filled with daily product recommendations, tips and peels to choose from.
Here are some examples of daily product regimens.
Acne: AB Cleanser + Vitamin B Complex + Retinol. These are key to clearing your skin and very simple to use. I also want to STRESS that anything that shows up on your skin – whether it is a rash, eczema or pimples … there is an internal reason that you need to address. Two very common causes with acne are candida and a liver in need of cleansing.
Take a look at our Face Mapping tool on our website --- or just search Face Mapping on our site – to find this super helpful chart and tons of helpful suggestions to heal your body naturally.
Pigmentation: Use Fade Bright 2x per day, Vitamin C during the day and Retinol at night. NEVER forget your SPF 50 when heading out.
This is one of the hardest issues to treat – and peels and daily products may not be enough. Especially if you have melasma. After a couple series of peels… if your spots are still not budging, you may want to take a look at an IPL treatment or laser treatments to add into your regimen.
Wrinkles: Again… the key is retinol. Apply that every evening. Then start looking into antioxidants such as Vitamin C, peptides and stem cells. Our DermaSnap 8LM is excellent for everyday use as well as our super potent Dr. Platinum Potions with actives in the 35% - 75% range.
Scars: Nothing helps scars as much as copper peptides and peels. Start using a daily copper such as Dr. Pickart’s SuperCop 2x. This is the skin remodeler we recommend the most.
Have a little talk with yourself and set some realistic goals before you get started on a peel regimen.
Take a picture and reference that whenever you feel stuck. I suggest doing this on a monthly basis if you can. In the same room and lighting.
Many times changes are happening and you aren’t noticing them because you are looking at yourself every day. When you can compare side-by-side… then things start to come together.
Pretty soon people are going to start telling YOU that they see changes. Then you really know it’s working. Just keep it up!
One more point I want to stress here.
If anyone tells you that they – or their product - can fix your skin super-fast… RUN THE OTHER WAY! The only thing you are going to lose is not your wrinkles or your melasma – it’s your money!
Deep skin issues require time. Even after a deep TCA peel it takes months to create new collagen and make those permanent changes in your skin. There is absolutely no way a daily topical could touch that.
Be realistic and Be patient
