Chemical Peel: Stories

I got a TCA medium peel done in 1992 at the Dermatologists's office, Atlanta. Payed a whopping $500 and am happy with the results. The pain was bearable and it did sting and burn. The doctor kept fanning me to provide relief. I did not know enough back then to be too scared. I trusted my doc, he is very well known and has written books and pioneered in chemical peels. It was fast (the procedure) itself. I drove myself there and drove myself home. But, within 24 hours I was pretty scary to look at. My kids were pretty young then, and they were mortified. I looked like a Cabbage Patch doll; all you could see was the tip of my nose and my eyes were slits. I was VERY swollen. Then my face literally peeled off in sheets for the next four days. I went back to work in five days, though. I was still peeling/mild scabs in places, but everyone at work knew what I had done, so no big deal. What I remember most was having to put Preparation H all over my face! The smell was horrendous, but it was part of this docs regimen that I use it. ot know enough back then to be too scared. I feel GREAT! I loved the results as I did it for acne scarring. It took care of about 75% of my acne scars, so I was happy after having spent most of my life embarrassed by my skin. It was still not perfect, but it smoothed my skin out and people said I looked much younger (even though I was only a little past my mid 30's then. I would recommend a TCA peel over laser in a heartbeat. I recently had laser (Erbium) under my eyes during my F/L. I do not like the results, the healing time, or the maintenance. I regret doing it. I am now considering another TCA peel in a few months, to help blend in the under eye area with the rest of my face. But, I'm going to give it a while to see how my under eyes turn out.