kazza

Definitely Worth It - Boston, MA

Depigmentation Results After 2 Months - Sydney, Australia

At Home TCA Peel for Hyperpigmentations/melasma - Australia

Hey Gab,
Just posted a pic for you up there. Not sure if the camera/lighting can properly show how much of the pigmentation is gone. Plus, a little has come back because I haven't been using sunblock like I should (shamefully hangs head).
I would do the peel on a Wed night/Thursday. Day four is probably the worst. So if you can plan to stay in Sat Sunday then you should be in good shape.
I use ultraceutical products and have very good luck with them. My favorite is even skin tone serum, but the Vitamin C is also worth the money. The even skin tone serum has low AHA (10%) so it's a good daily one to use in preparation.

Good luck Gab!

Hi Qwesza,
I had gotten a 30% MUAC TCA peel and diluted it. I only mentioned that the 12.5% didn't do anything and then the 18% was super strong to underline how important it is to slowly increase the strength. Since the 12.5% did nothing, I had expected that the my skin was 'tough' but as soon as the 18% hit my skin I knew that I was going to spend the week with a bag over my head. Mind you, my skin looked about 5 years younger afterwards! Ah, the price of beauty!

I've had bikini, underarm, belly line, upper lip done/chin. When I started in Boston I think it was about 200 for 20 minutes. Since then (2007) the prices have gotten much cheaper.

I now live in Sydney though so I don't know how prices compare. I get a great deal down here and it goes a lot more quickly so it's hard to calculate since there are so many changed factors.

I've probably spent about $1,800- 2,200 all up. If I had waxed at $180.00 for all those areas it would be the same cost of 12 sessions or 4 times a year for 3 years. Now I pay around 100 per session and that's just 'all over' maintenance.

There are different opinions on whether this can be done if you are pregnant, but the majority say it's okay as far as I could find. I obviously didn't go anywhere near Vitamin A or retinoid products, but when researching the chemicals/procedures involved in microdermabrasion, there were no adverse reactions documented that I could find. As well, my dermatologist said it was okay for me to get them so that is what I based my decision on.

Microderms don't hurt a bit, peels are an extremely light stinging sensation that lasts a total of 30 seconds.

Home regime that I found is a safe approach while pregnant: Vitamin C , both orally and topically on the mask. Also washing with AHA based light exfoliaters more more than 3 times a week. Sunscreen is the biggest and most important. So typically my AM routine is:

AM
1. AHA exfoliater or (on alt days) a light cleanser. I use Ultraceuticals for this.
2. Moisturizer ( I prefer La Biostetique products).
3. 30SPF sunscreen - neutragena is light and oil free.

PM
1. Light cleanser
2. Vitamin C ( you can find this in many over the counter cosmeceuticals)
3. Moisturizer

Will wait for 3 months post-baby to see natural fading and assess what next steps I'm going to take if needed.

Yes, I found it was uncomfortable. The thicker/darker the hair, the more intense- however, keeping that in mind, the more you go, the less painful it is. So it gets better with time. Still, no more painful with waxing.

I've probably gone about 15 times total. Hair comes in light and will never totally be gone, but it's so much better. These days with the costs coming down on laser and worthwhile package deals I don't think it needs a second thought.

Also to be mentioned is that I have polycystic ovaries so the hormone imbalance means I need to stay on top of these *wonderful* issues. Women without this condition are supposed to have even better results than I have.