Vi Peel: Stories

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Unrealistic Downtime and Side Effects - Clarkesville, MD

  • Not Sure
  • Cost: $300
  • Clarkesville, MD
  • Face peeling
  • Day 1/Solution Application
  • Day 2/Face Started looking leathery
  • Day 3/ Premature peel of dead skin
  • Day 4/Not bad
  • Day 6/7 Great Results
  • Appearance of bumps Day Day 10
  • They got worse

I am a 24 year old African-Caribbean female with...

  • 23 Feb 2013

I am a 24 year old African-Caribbean female with medium-dark skin (think NC-45 for MAC pressed powder). On Monday February 11, 2013 I called a local medi-spa for a consultation for a Vi Peel (there was a LivingSocial deal!!). When the Esthetician/Doctor saw my hyperpigmentation she gasped! Lol! My consultation morphed into my first appointment.

First, my face was cleansed and an INTENSE pore extraction was performed prior to the solution for the peel being applied. I was allowed to wear make-up over the solution that evening because of work. For me, the application of the solution was a little more uncomfortable because I got an extraction done.

I washed my face that evening when I got home from work so the solution was on my face for roughly 9.5 hours. The night of Day 3 I prematurely washed the flaking skin from my face during a hot shower and my skin itched the entire night. I called the Spa but they were closed so I was miserable and without sleep until the office opened.

The morning of Day 4 I stopped by the office because the receptionist was no help in getting the Doctor on the phone. When the Doctor saw me, she yelled at me for washing off the skin before time and for using the cleanser to wash and for taking a hot shower. Please keep in mind she up sold me on the cleanser and gave me no further instructions except not to scrub my face, which I didn't do.

I was instructed to cover my face in neosporin and take benadryl to help with the itching for the next 48 hours. My hairline and jawline peeled last and after that my skin was pretty nice. I even went to a party that Saturday night and was allowed to wear makeup. The days that followed, my skin was lookin good aside from a little discoloration since my face was still healing.

Fast Forward to 3 days ago. I noticed white heads appearing on my forehead, so I used a semi-abrasive face sponge to wash my face and then moisturize before bed, like I've done in the past. I noticed the next day more appeared so I decided to call the office to find out if it was a normal reaction. Again, the receptionist was useless so I decided to stop by. The Doctor saw me and told me my skin was healing nicely and the white heads just mean my skin is breathing. She did a thing, not sure of the right term but she wiped my face with something, then ran the thing that zaps your pores closed over my skin. Told me to keep Neosporin on my face, that I should be keeping Neosporin on my face all the time because my skin needs the moisture. Please keep in mind she didn't tell me to keep doing the Neosporin after the 48 hour, I just happened to be doing it out of paranoia.

Today, after leaving Neosporin on my face for 24 hours so far I have whiteheads covering my entire face, especially my forehead, hairline, jawline and chin/mouth area. I'm not allowed to wash my face. I washed when I got home from a hair appointment yesterday, called the Doctor and got yelled at for washing my face.

Naturally, I'm annoyed because I have to be home for the weekend with a face full of Neosporin and Doctor that doesn't care to follow up or give clear instructions to begin with. Instead she keeps taking my money. $177 for a tretotonin and hydroquinone prescription that I can't use until my face calms down. Which she tells me I can't use yet after I made the purchase thinking it would solve the whiteheads.

I will post an update soon. Right now, I'm not happy. The down time and vague after care instruction is quite disappointing.

Great review?

My Doctor: Name not provided

My rating:

Doctor's Bedside Manner
Answered My Questions
After Care Follow-Up
Time Spent With Me
Phone or Email Responsiveness
Staff Professionalism & Courtesy
Payment Process
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Living Social

Comments (23)

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Zaria7, how did things heal up?  I'd love to hear an update to your review and have you cast your vote as to whether or not your felt the VI Peel was Worth It or Not Worth It. :)

 

  • Reply

Hi Zaria, I saw your post and thought I should respond to you... I went to Huyla's Spa and had 2 peels done. I just wanted to let you know that I had the white-head bumps like yours when I accidentally put strong lotion on my face that wasn't used before few days later I had the VI peel done. I was at my sister's house and used her Oil of Olay Regen. and felt the burn right away... it raised bumpy white heads, skin felt odd and dry and very bumpy and swollen. Even my eye areas were swollen and my eyes acturally looked like I have been crying for days. So I stopped using EVERYTHING and left my face alone. I didn't even wash it for a few days and I could do that since I stay home with the kids... It took about good 2weeks for the face to get normal. Afterwards, my face peeled again. I guess I must have caused the layer of skin to die. Since then I have been reading a lot about the VI peel and I am seeing women with similar symptoms. I do hope your face has gotten better... I am Korean and darker than most Asians. I have a lot of brown spots from having two kids and tanning outdoors during the collage years.... I have done 3 other peels from Dr Woodyard in Pikesville after the VI and I do think VI gives you the intense peel than the ones I got done at Dr.Woodyard. She is a plastic surgeon and her peels were $240 range and it was too gentle of a peel and I feel like it just cleansed my pores out rather than removing any spots. Hope this helped.

  • Reply
Never do VI peel anymore because VI peel used to be really good 2 years ago but not now. They changed the chemicals they did something. Therefore I didn't do anymore. It's not the same peel it used to be. And you have to use hydrocronone to deminish the hypo pigmentation.
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This is completely false. Been using the peel for 4 years in my practice. Still the same Formula still the same results. Where were you misinformed?
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Everything you went through sucks and I TOTALLY feel for you. I am African American and on the night of day 3 of my peel and have not had any issue. Your esthetician was dead wrong for doing extractions the day of your peel and putting that strong chemical on your face while you had all those "open" spots where she squeezed your skin. My Esthetician wouldn't consider the peel until she cleared up my skin a bit with acne based facials. I had 2 facials 4 weeks apart b4 I went in for the peel. She said you hav better results once the acne is under control. She also works along side a dermatologist and send her clients w/ bad acne to her 1st and have them use the obagi products before the peel. She also went over the after care w/ me several time b4 I left her office and made me repeat them back to her. Finally, she told me that in worst case scenerios if the skin got too itchy and burned and after cream wasnt working to put a wet face towel in a ziplock and keep in the fridge for a few hrs and lay on my face. She also told me could use Neosporan if things got painful. Thank goodness things never got that bad. She also told me that the after care cream in the packet is a bit thin so to pick up some hydrocortozone (which is what after care cream is essentially) and use in addition to my after care. I also used cetaphil. As for your pimples you got weeks later, my Esthetician told me that was normal and to schedule a facial 2 weeks after my peel b/c you have just exposed a new layer of skin and all that gunk under you skin is waiting to come to the surface. Don't give up on it, just got to a better Esthetician next time because mine is the bomb.com!!!
  • Reply
My skin situation was a tough one because the years of acne treatments, differing products, and make up, the skin on my face didn't heal normally anymore. Old skin wasn't shedding and my hyperpigmentation had gotten pretty bad in spite of not breaking out the way I used to. That was the Esthetician's motive for doing an extraction first. Conversations with her after I cleared up my dermatitis naturally with black soap she had the audacity to suggest another peel. Now that I have my own research under my belt, I told her I would only do more superficial acne facials and extractions to release the remaining gunk. She did not schedule a facial for me after because she wanted to see how my skin would respond to the oxygen getting to it, clearly it spazzed out lol. Thank you so much for your feedback. Now that my skin has calmed down and is breathing normally it looks much better. Dark spots are now pinkish and starting to blend with my complexion. I know my using lemon as a toner/astringent is helping with the pigmentation as well since it's pH-balancing. I would recommend this peel for someone with really bad pigmentation or skin that is not exfoliating itself like mine was. Apricot scrubs and abrasive products actually cause the skin to self-protect itself forming a thick barrier stifling normal healing, that plus daily makeup it's torture on skin. I haven't been wearing makeup since and I actually feel a little liberated. Breakouts so far have been confined to one area on my cheek and some on my chin, which I know is part of the purging process.
  • Reply
I had no "junk" under my skin. I haven't had acne in 10 years. The peel was recommended to me for minor wrinkles and skin tightening. My dermatologist said that acne "rebound" after steroids (hydrocortisone) is well know, and they should not have prescribed Vi Peel when I told them of my sensitivity. I have received a full refund, and a promise of care to heal the new acne scars left by the Vi Peel product. I am now in week 4 and still have red marks from it.
  • Reply
It may not be acne, could be contact dermatitis. You may want to go the natural/holistic route to help your skin recouperate like I had to. Your pH is off so most likely anything the doctor gives you will have a "worse b4 better" effect
  • Reply
No, its not contact dermatitis. I have a well documented steroid intolerance. It has been examined by health professionals of all kinds over the years, every time some careless (or arrogant) practitioner poisons me with steroids (cortisone or hydro cortisone). And I am an experienced veteran of regular med spa peels such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid and retinol treatments. None of these previous treatments gave me acne, or a worse-before-better result because none of my previous treatment contained steroids. Zaria7, you sound like a "plant" from the Vi Peel marketing staff. There is no med spa service that should require more money and services to heal you from the first service, period. That's why practitioners are supposed to get a medical history, and know what they are doing. I work in the nutritional health and wellness field. I have some experience with this sort of thing.
  • Reply

Actually I did the special this young lady did and my scaring was worse from the extractions done before . I thought it was in my head but my friends are like who pays to get worse. I am so embarassed by my skin .

  • Reply
I share you experience with bad results and unreachable staff. When I was living in Virginia, my girls at Vitalia Med Spa were always reachable by cell/text. They were awesome to call back, compassionate and helpful. No so, here in Texas! I am pursuing a full refund!
  • Reply
I don't blame you. A lot of spas don't realize that it's people who take their health, wellness and appearance serious that keep them in business. We should be treated well because guess what, we're walking billboards as well as good or bad press.
  • Reply

I love that you referenced a Mac powder to let us know your skin tone. That is probably one of the most accurate ways I have seen someone communicate it.

What a major bummer to be experiencing the breakout that you are after your peel. Do you think it has to do with the Neosporin? If I were to put Neosporin allover my face I think I would turn into one big whitehead, but I'm prone to breakouts, so obviously some people will tolerate it much better than I would.

Here is some info that might be helpful to you:

Skin Care After Chemical Peel or Laser Resurfacing

I Peeled the Dead Skin After my Chemical Peel. What Can I Do Now? (I know you didn't peel it, but maybe this will help give you ideas on how to care for exposed/sensitive skin)

 

  • Reply
When I went back to the Aesthetician my skin had cleared up and then I did in fact break out into a face full of white heads. To make matters worse, she thinks it's dermatitis. She tried to extract the milia and then did LED light therapy to kill the bacteria and speed up healing, but the next day (today actually) they came right back. My roommate does have a dog so we suspect pet hair bacteria must've gotten to my fresh peeled skin OR this is a delayed reaction from one of the acids in the peel. Overall, not a good experience. My face is freaking out right now.
  • Reply

Oh no, sorry to hear that. :( Freaking out skin is not fun to deal with. Does it feel uncomfortable too, or is it mainly the way it looks?

  • Reply
It was uncomfortable initially because the dermatitis was a little itchy. Beyond that, I use the term freaking out because my skin was clearly inflamed. I do bring better news today though. Last night I decided to wash my face with what is known as "black soap" (literally black in color). I squeezed a little in my hand while in the shower, lathered it from rubbing my hands together then slowly started to wash my face, I let it sit on my face while I washed my body and such then rinsed it off. The black soap opened some of the milia from the dermatitis and I knew I couldn't leave it like that. So, I cut open a lemon and squeezed the juice into a dipping cup. I used the lemon juice as a toner. It buuuuuuurned and my skin was red, but I kept running clean cotton balls dipped in the juice over my skin. I kid you not, there are only white heads/milia left that did not open from the soap. I went to work today, no moisturizer, no product, no makeup and my skin is now producing healthy oil and healing itself. Some times mother nature is all it takes. So if you ever have a rash or dermatitis. Consider black soap and real lemon as toner.
  • Reply

Wow! I never would have thought of using lemon - I can bet that stung!! I'm not familiar with black soap. Is this something you keep on hand and use on occasion for other things, or did you just happen to know about it and decided to give it a try for this? Either way, so glad you are doing better!!!

  • Reply
I used to wash my face with it. It's made in ghana from corn kernels I believe. No additives in it at all. It's meant for use as a daily face wash or you can leave it on to dry up acne and rashes. I stopped using it regularly because it can be drying, I'm only using it until the dermatitis is gone. Plus side to using the lemon as a toner after is that lemon as well as vinegar can help balance the pH in your skin, which is keeping me from getting the dry stiff feeling.
  • Reply

I think I'm going to have to check out this black soap stuff! Unfortunately I constantly battle with acne, so maybe using it a couple times a week would help - worth a try! Thanks so much for sharing this with me!!

How is your skin doing today??

  • Reply
The break out is the skin's natural rebound response to all the hydrocortisone in the peel, activator pads, and aftercare cream. Use organic plant-based skin products and take that Vi crap back before your skin gets worse!
  • Reply
Still improving :). Keeping things very basic with the black soap at night followed with Lemon as a toner and then rinsing my face with water followed with Lemon again in the morning. No sunscreen, no moisturizer, no nothing. Literally letting my skin breathe and heal itself.
  • Reply
Unfortunately, it's too late to return anything. In all honesty the peel did in fact fade a good amount of the hyperpigmentation I had. The problem however is that my Aesthetician, although at a "Holistic Med Spa" did not think to prep my skin type with maybe a more superficial peel before shocking the heck out of it with a VI Peel. I was treating my skin with a lot of natural products when I stopped believing in dermatologists because I'd just get a new script instead of any substantial skin care advice. I'm back to keeping my skin care more organic/natural after this ordeal since black soap and lemon cleared up the milia/whiteheads/dermatitis practically immediately. I've also been taking B-complex vitamins in the day, zinc and/or a flax/fish/borage oil tab at night. I haven't been consistent with the vitamins to credit them for helping the healing process.
  • Reply

I think you are being wise to let your skin heal. I'll be hoping it continues to heal up nicely - please keep us posted! :)

  • Reply

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