35% TCA Peel of My Face and Neck

Day 5

About January 22, this year, I decided to do a 15% Jessner's peel on top of a 25% TCA peel on my face, neck, and décolletage.   I got the idea in my reading, and watching of Youtube videos on the subject.  Warning, this shouldn't be done without doing preliminary more superficial peels to determine one's tolerance.  

Let me say this about chemical peels.  It is possible to burn and even scar the skin, but it is not probable.  Why?  TCA and Jessner's peel are both self neutralizing, and will stop working after five or then minutes by themselves.  They also can be neutralized by washing with water.  Moreover, should the epidermis layer be breached, and you get down to the dermis, the water in the dermis will itself neutralize the chemical, so that deep burns will not happen.  

After a few weeks, I decided I wanted to try a 35% TCA peels for the first time.  This time I didn't put a Jessner's peel on first.  The purpose of doing this would be to prepare for the TCA peel.  I suppose I felt that it might be too much for a first attempt.  

I'm very happy with the way this peel turned out.  It may be that the two peels together made more of a difference.  I was reluctant to venture into doing this level of peel myself.  One should be experienced, but how could I get experience without doing the peel?  I had decided to go to a doctor's office for this, but they felt I had done all that could be accomplished with peels and I needed laser.  Maybe I should plan on four laser treatments.  While they said one treatment would cost $1100, they also wanted $900 for the anesthesia and $550 for "supplies."  They didn't want to do an aggressive peel, as this could cause burns.  OK, but I came there for an expert to do a more aggressive peel than I was comfortable with doing by myself.  But then, what peel have I ever been comfortable with?  They have all been ventures into the unknown.  

I bet anything I would not have been more satisfied with the results of the laser if I had gone that route.  What I accomplished is exactly what I set out to do.  I wanted to first and foremost get rid of the wrinkles on my lower eyelids.  Done!  :)). I wanted to tighten the skin as much as I could.  Done!  I wanted to get rid of hyper pigmentation, dark spots and growths.  Done!  

In the above photos, I direct your attention to some of the successes of this happy peel.  My under eye lids are nice and smooth, not wrinkly.  I was also surprised that wrinkles around my lips disappeared.  I had been trying to eliminate darkness on my upper lip, and I was thrilled at how beautifully they turned out. My skin tone is better than it's been since I was a teenager.  The elevens between my eyebrows are smoother.  My décolletage looks almost brand new.  Circles around my neck vanished.  Yay!  I didn't expect things to go as well as they did.  These photos are without makeup except lipstick and eyebrow tint.  

I could point out that my poor neck took a drubbing and isn't healed yet.  It will be OK in about a week.  I've been told to never, ever peel you neck.  When I was told this I had already peeled my neck without any trouble.  I don't think one should have a deep peel of the neck, but this wasn't a deep peel.  

I wish I had gone ahead and done my upper eyelids.  I have done them in the past.  The peel in January did not include upper or lower eyelids.  This peel I did lower eyelids but not upper.  Why?  I had gotten very aggressive with the bridge of my nose and the area between my eyebrows and then done my lower eyelids.  I actually realized suddenly that I felt faint!  What?  I gave myself a moment to recover, and the faintness passed, but I didn't think it was a good time to do my upper eyelids.  Some other day.  

I'm so happy with the way this has turned out for me.  Will I do this again soon?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I still have a few growths and spots, especially on my nose.  I'd like to do my upper eyelids.  But after that I'll probably just go into maintenance mode.