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I stupidly agreed to have a Jessners peel for...

I stupidly agreed to have a Jessners peel for acne/clogged pores with a nurse/beautician, without really researching first. I have olive, oily skin and am not normal sensitive to anything and in fact use a AHA/BHA cream on my face every night to unclog pores. I am kicking myself now for not insisting she did a test patch, and was not told beforehand that due to my skin colour I am high risk for pigmentation and more sensitive.
It was supposed to just be a 1 layer first try peel, and it did sting quite a bit and then cooled off. However in certain areas it then seemed to reactivate and start to sting again! I told her this but she did not seem overly concerned. Her comment was that my skin frosted extremely well- almost all over in fact.

Afterwards I was sunburnt looking and went to work a few hours later with makeup. At home I tried ice and milk and all sorts to cool down the slight sting that remained. It continued to sting a little at work, but when i got home at 10:30pm and took my makeup (was tinted moisturiser only) off and my whole face was significantly brown.
I put loads of creams and all the usual on and went to sleep.
In the morning I looked horrific and couldn't leave the house.
I had to call in sick to work for a few days as it looked that bad! Didn't hurt after the first day, just looked scary.

I was extremely brown the next couple of days, which the nurse/beautician seem surprised at but not overly alarmed. I of course was researching all the peels gone wrong etc.
I think by day 3 I had started to peel, and continues on through day 3-6 until it was mostly sloughed off by day 5-6. Oh, and did I mention I got multiple cold sores in a chunk on my cheek???? No idea that this could happen!!
During this time I could not leave the house, I had no idea it would be like this and was not properly warned.
My new skin looked red but ok, some areas seemed to flake and peel a bit again. I followed instructions with hat and spf 50 and avoiding sun, however by day 7 I had started to notice a hint of shadowing.
By day 9 it had significantly darkened. Went to a GP who worked with her husband dermatologist, and the GP told me it was just still skin that needed to peel. I knew something was wrong and after getting useless advice from a 2nd GP i finally begged for a dermatologist appt day 15. He then confirmed what I knew day 8, post inflamm hyperpigmentation.
I was frustrated as inital GP refused to give me the bleaching creams (klingmans) I had asked for, and the pigmentation worsened in that week despite staying indoors.
This has been the worst experience of my life, and I hope the Derm is correct when he says the hydroquinone will work at around 6-8weeks. Of course you can never be sure, and I had no pigmentation beforehand so am devastated. It is impossible to hide, it appears grey under even the heaviest concealers/foundations. Even Dermablend doesn't cover it without a truckload- which then looks gross and rubs off.

PLEASE don't think a peel is no big deal, DO A TEST PATCH and if you are tanned/olive skin tones you must realise you are at risk of pigmentation even if you stay out of the sun!!!!
Go and see a Dermatologist if you must have a peel, I have spent far more in DRs appointments, all these different makeups to try and conceal it, and skin creams etc.

Almost one week since cream.

Just wanted to point out that my face in those first couple of photos was actually darker than Iphone photos appear.
All I am saying, is that I feel my skin reacted and soaked up the chemicals far deeper than was intended for a first time, and that lead me to developing pigmentation due to the damage to my high risk skin type.
My face after a week of the Klingmans formula is in fact getting a lot better. Which is odd as they say you won't notice results for a month or more. Perhaps this again is due to my skin being very receptive/sensitive to things. Very expensive cream here in AUS though!

This is what I mean by effect of makeup/tint over normally light brown pigment


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She is lovely, but should of known the risks and sensitivity with my skin type/ Fitzpatrick score. I also didn't sign the disclaimer before hand, and if I had of been warned about risk of hyperpigmentation then I wouldn't have gone ahead. I also was not told that I could possible look so brown and horrific during the initial peel. No test patch performed either. She has been sympathetic throughout but really, what can she do. Hasn't offered my money back...