16 replies to this topic

[KHowz]

I just had a PCA chemical peel with hydroquinone and a few hours ago and I am having swelling but its only in 2 areas. I did use some mandelic acid on my face a few days ago so that could be it but now I am worried that its not going to go away. It looks awful right now and I have to go to work tomorrow. Has anybody has this happen where they only had swelling in a few areas? I have had this peel before and had overall swelling on my entire face. This peel is suppossed to be left on the skin overnight but I washed the peel off these two areas and took a couple of ibuprofens. Is there anything else I can do?

[kales120]

I always have very bad reactions to PCA peels, I'm not sure if it's that product (I haven't had many other peels to compare to)but they make me break out something awful and I get weird blister like areas, almost like chicken skin around my mouth. I take Advil and Benadryl to help with swelling and use the PCA Apres balm and Silkcoat Balm. Hydrocortisone cream helps too. I keep the areas well moisturized until the skin sheds completly. I'm usually totally done and healed in about a week:]

[KHowz]

you know i am lucky i usually have very good success with pca peels but i think using the mandelic acid a few days before my certain areas of my skin extra sensitive. what i did was i washed the peel off those swelled up areas and then almost right away it went down so thank goodness for that. i dont look like too much of a freak today at work but i can tell certain areas are going to start peeling sometime today or tonight because they are crinkly looking. i meant to ask the skin place i go to for that apres balm because i love that stuff. they used to give out a free aftercare kit after the peel but they dont do that anymore. i just washed my face very gently this morning and then put my kinerase lotion on and some makeup. my face looks like i have a sunburn though and i am swelled up a bit but nothing too noticeable. i hope its a little better by tomorrow since we are going away with some friends for a night. i am an idiot for doing a peel now. i should have waited. thanks for your advice

Edited by Karen Howz, 27 January 2012 - 08:10 AM.

[kales120]

Hahah no problem. The day after a peel I always ask why I went and did something like that to myself lol

[KHowz]

kales120, on 27 January 2012 - 10:14 AM, said:

Hahah no problem. The day after a peel I always ask why I went and did something like that to myself lol

ha isnt that the truth. i thought that the last time i got an ipl because the lady did it on a higher setting so i was red and swelled up for a few days but after 5 days or so my skin looked so good and my scars are barely visible now. i just started breaking out this week which is why i got the peel. i know it is going to look great after it peels but seeing it now the crinkly stage its not looking so good. i am just annoyed i did this before going away. oh well i will drinking anyway so hopefully after a few beers i wont care anymore - ha ha!!! if you dont mind me asking what other types of peels have you had done besides the pca ones? the other medical spa that i go to recommended a 14% jessner peel. she said i would peel alot from it so i might do that in the future.

[Pord]

Which IPL did you do?

When you say scars to you mean hyperpigmenation or actual scars?

[KHowz]

Pord, on 27 January 2012 - 12:20 PM, said:

Which IPL did you do?

When you say scars to you mean hyperpigmenation or actual scars?

The IPL I got is the Palomar Starlux Max G. I have had it done at other places but have never seen results like this and I think its because of the higher setting and the girl did 3 passes on each spot as well as she did not use the cool gel. I think it works better without it. I have all red marks on my face and I call them scars because they have been on my face for over a year now but they are pretty much just red marks. I have had IPL done years ago on my rolling scars and they are completely gone now. I think it helps with creating new collagen or something. I love it though and this new place I go only charges $120 for a spot treatment which is about 10 spots so to me thats a great deal!!

[kales120]

I did a Vitalize Peel a few years ago. I'm not sure what the product names are but it's three layers of different acids (salicylic, retinol, etc) instead of them all in one. I don't remember reacting too bad from it and I peeled really well. I'm in school for paramedical skin care at the moment and we use PCA products. Free peels! haha but I still don't do them that often:/

[KHowz]

kales120, on 27 January 2012 - 06:55 PM, said:

I did a Vitalize Peel a few years ago. I'm not sure what the product names are but it's three layers of different acids (salicylic, retinol, etc) instead of them all in one. I don't remember reacting too bad from it and I peeled really well. I'm in school for paramedical skin care at the moment and we use PCA products. Free peels! haha but I still don't do them that often:/

i've heard of those vitalize peels. how did you like it? that is nice that you get free peels!!! hey question for you i know you arent suppossed to pull the skin off when its peeling but i did so yesterday on my chin area because it looked awful and i guess it peeled more than it should have because the area got really red and swelled up. its not swelled up today but it still pretty red. i didnt know what to do so i put some neosporin on the area but do you have any suggestions on what to put on the skin to heal it? it really stings when i put my lotion on it so i just did the neosporin and some makeup but it looks like its going to scab up or something. i am such an idiot!!!

Edited by Karen Howz, 30 January 2012 - 09:25 AM.

[KHowz]

ok so i have been putting aloe on my chin and it has kind of a white scab on it that is starting to fall off. i am worried the skin underneath will still be red. anything else i can do to help heal the skin faster? i have hyrdrocortisone cream, neosporin, aloe and aquaphor in my purse.

[kales120]

As hard as it is, try not to help the skin along before it's ready. We use cuticle scissors on each other at school to get the ''hanging skin'' off lol. It'll still heal fine, it's pretty superficial it just may take a little longer than the rest of your skin. Keep the area moist as much as you can. I use Mario Badescu healing cream on places that peel too quickly during the day (it's great for the red marks after scabs too) and at night use Neosporin and a band aid. I usually cut the band aid as small as possible just to cover the area so it's doesn't pull or irritate the skin around it with the sticky part. Hope this helps!

[KHowz]

kales120, on 31 January 2012 - 01:49 PM, said:

As hard as it is, try not to help the skin along before it's ready. We use cuticle scissors on each other at school to get the ''hanging skin'' off lol. It'll still heal fine, it's pretty superficial it just may take a little longer than the rest of your skin. Keep the area moist as much as you can. I use Mario Badescu healing cream on places that peel too quickly during the day (it's great for the red marks after scabs too) and at night use Neosporin and a band aid. I usually cut the band aid as small as possible just to cover the area so it's doesn't pull or irritate the skin around it with the sticky part. Hope this helps!

will do. thank you so much for the advice. i got myself all worked up because i thought it was going to scar. thats a good idea about the bandaid that way the neosporin doesnt rub off when i sleep. thanks again!!

[KHowz]

ok so i emailed the spa i got the peel from and they called me and said they would give me a free pca peel post op kit so i used the apres balm last night and my skin looks a lot less red today so thats good news. question for you, wouldnt it be better to use just a 1% hydrocortisone cream? i noticed the apres balm is 0.5% and was wondering if the 1% would get rid of the red completely.

[kales120]

I would just use the post procedure kit, the problem with hydrocortisone is that it can thin your skin especially in larger amounts. The PCA products also contain other healing ingredients. The Silkcoat balm (i think it's in that kit) is awesome also for night. The peel you had is one of the more aggressive ones, it took me a little while to get over that one lol how long has it been since you had it done?

[KHowz]

kales120, on 01 February 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

I would just use the post procedure kit, the problem with hydrocortisone is that it can thin your skin especially in larger amounts. The PCA products also contain other healing ingredients. The Silkcoat balm (i think it's in that kit) is awesome also for night. The peel you had is one of the more aggressive ones, it took me a little while to get over that one lol how long has it been since you had it done?

ok cool thanks again. i really appreciate all the advice you have for me. oh yeah the silkcoat balm is nice as well. i am assuming its ok to put that over the apres balm? i just worry about breaking out with all this stuff on my skin. i had the peel last thursday and everything looks good except for 2 areas that are still kinda red. the one spot is below my cheek and still has some skin on it and the other is on my chin and has that white scab on it. its starting to come off though so i pray the skin returns to normal color soon enough. i get so worried when my skin is red because i tend to scar so easily. i just cant wait until i dont have skin or scabs on my face. i have been hiding in my office here at work and its been about 60 degrees and sunny the last 2 days which is definitley not typical weather for pittsburgh!

Edited by Karen Howz, 01 February 2012 - 02:46 PM.

[kales120]

Yeah no problem I know how traumatic is it lol yeah it's fine to put over it. I don't think it'll cause breakouts but just in case switch back to lighter moisturizers after you heal.

[KHowz]

kales120, on 02 February 2012 - 06:06 PM, said:

Yeah no problem I know how traumatic is it lol yeah it's fine to put over it. I don't think it'll cause breakouts but just in case switch back to lighter moisturizers after you heal.

thank you again my face looked so much better today. i pray in another week that its good to go!!