You’ve read about the wonders of HydraFacials, but have you experienced our other transformative skin treatment, Same-Day Peels? While there’s a general misconception that peels will initially leave your skin irritated, our six CosMedix peels are specially formulated to be gentle yet effective.
With our upcoming bi-annual Peel Party on Wednesday, April 5, our Marketing Coordinator, Gina, shares her first peel experience with us and gets the 411 on Same-Day Peels from one of our expert 2nd Street District estheticians.
Ask the esthetician?
What’s the deal with peels?
Peels are generally made from acids or enzymes and are a great way to expose beautiful new skin by exfoliating dead skin cells and increasing the cell turnover rate. Our Same-Day peels have a combination of fruit enzymes and retinol. For example, the Pomegranate Peel and Blueberry Smoothie Exfoliator utilize a combination of light acids and fruit enzymes. These peels are great for all skin types and like our HydraFacial, they are ideal for same-day events. Our Benefit Peel and Purity Peel use retinol as the main ingredient. By utilizing retinol, a form of Vitamin A, these peels can help boost collagen and elastin production, regulate oil production, and increase cell turnover.
What’s the difference between a facial, Same-Day Peel, and an Advance Peel?
Peels differ from facials because of the ingredients used. Peels are highly concentrated and have the ability to make greater changes in the skin. We usually recommend a series of six peels that occur every three to four weeks. Once the desired outcome is achieved, HydraFacials and monthly facials are a great way to maintain the results.
Our Same-Day Peels differ from Advance Peels in two aspects. The main difference is that Advanced Peels require seven to ten days of at-home prep. At-home prep includes using a melanin inhibitor, which prevents any pigmentation post-peel and a retinol to prepare your skin for the high percentage of retinol in our Advanced Peels. These two products work together to prep your skin for the intensity of that peel and will help to ensure the best possible results! If you’re looking for great results without too much prepping, our Same-Day Peel is a great alternative.
How should I prep for a peel?
It’s important to remember to prep you skin before receiving any type of peel. To prep your skin, make sure you use an AM and PM cleanser as well as an antioxidant serum or melanin inhibitor such as CosMedix Simply Brilliant or CosMedix Affirm, and most importantly, apply sunscreen. If you are receiving a more advanced peel, using a light retinol, such as CosMedix X-Cell +, for seven to ten days prior is necessary.
If you’re worried about choosing the right peel, don’t sweat it. Once you come in and your esthetician analyzes your skin, you two will then decide what is best. Every peel is 100% customizable to your skin’s needs. Just like our other facial services, most of our peels are very relaxing and are massaged into the skin. During your treatment, an esthetician might suggest that you leave your peel on overnight. The reason is that retinol, one of the peel’s main ingredients, will continue to work itself into your skin and will yield better results overnight. What’s really unique about our Same-Day Peels is that they work at a metabolic level, meaning that a lot of people won’t experience irritation or actual peeling because it’s such a gentle and effective process. If you do shed, this will generally start around day 3 and may last for about three days. After any type of peel, I always tell my clients not to sweat excessively or get too much sun exposure, as it ruins the peel and could possibly damage your skin. I also encourage my clients to drink plenty of water and keep your skin hydrated by using creams or hydrating toner throughout the day. If you’re going to be outside at all, make sure to wear sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher and reapply every two hours.
Gina’s Skin Journey (and First-Ever Facial Peel)
From a very young age, I’ve struggled with acne. If you look at any pictures of me from when I was 10 until about 21, you’ll see tons of pimples and dark pigmentation across my forehead, jaw, nose, and cheeks. After about a year of working with my dermatologist, my acne began to disappear but I was still dissatisfied with the overall appearance of my skin. I was left with a lot more pigmentation and some scars. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to get serious about my skin goals and started exploring peels.
As I mentioned, I have some dark pigmentation around my cheeks and chin, and I’ve noticed that my pores have started to look bigger. Because of these issues, I decided to go with a Purity Peel to help combat these issues. For the week leading up to my peel, I cleansed my face twice a day and wore sunscreen every day. Before my treatment, Kylie started by cleansing my face and then examined my skin. While she examined we discussed my overall skin goals and decided to create a custom combination of three peels: the Purity, Benefit, and Pomegranate Peel. What surprised me most about this treatment is that I didn’t experience any burning or irritation sensation, which was one of my fears. Kylie was incredibly gentle and I almost fell asleep several times! After my peel had been placed on my face, Kylie suggested that in order to get the results that I wanted it would be best if I left it on overnight and let the retinol work its magic. Before leaving milk + honey, Kylie recommended that I start using CosMedix X-Cell + as a way to reduce the appearance of my pores and to use it about three times a week.
I love that the Same-Day Peels allow you to keep your normal routine. I had already planned to attend the Wimberley Market Days with my friends and family, and after washing my face that morning, I packed sunscreen and was outside for the rest of the day. Like Kylie recommended, I reapplied my SPF50 sunscreen every two hours and made sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Two days post-peel and I still hadn’t experienced any irritation, redness, or peeling. For the next week, I kept my normal routine of cleansing my face every morning and night and applied sunscreen. I didn’t notice any peeling and about five days after my peel, I noticed that the pigmentation along my cheeks and chin had decreased in size and appearance. In fact, they’re almost gone! Success.
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