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POSTED UNDER Chemical Peel REVIEWS

24yo, Hormonal Acne, Superficial Chemical Peel with No Benefit - South Brisbane, AU

ORIGINAL POST

I have had acne since my early teens although it...

Purpleandpink
$75
I have had acne since my early teens although it got significantly worse when I turned 23 (bad diet and old bad habits catching up to me I think). The nurse at the skin clinic I went to said it was hormonal cystic acne and that we would try superficial chemical peels and hopefully that would clear it up. I had moderate acne, mostly on my jawline and cheeks, none on my forehead. She recommended three superficial chemical peels spaced 2 weeks apart.

The peel felt like my face was on fire. They gave me a fan to cool it down immediately after the salicylic acid was applied but it is quite unpleasant. It was bearable but very unpleasant. The burning only lasts intensely for around 10 minutes. After that it feels hot and a bit uncomfortable for a few hours but it's fine.

The next day you are still red and then around day 3 I began to really peel. All around my mouth completely cracked up and had skin falling away. It looked pretty gross haha but the skin underneath was very supple and smooth and fresh. Peeling started with around my mouth then spread all the way up to my forehead although my forehead only lightly peels while around my mouth there was thick bits of skin coming off. On day three, when I smiled it looked like my face was cracking haha. By about day 6 most of the peeling was over. I peeled a second time only mildly around my mouth as well. But all done by day 6 and smooth skin underneath. My skin looked radiant and healthy and smooth for a couple of days.. Literally like 2 days and then my breakouts started over again... The peels seemed to just burn of the current acne but have NO effect whatsoever on the actual cause of my acne so they served no purpose at all other then being pretty uncomfortable and make me feel like I couldn't leave the house for a few days. I did two peels and saw no lasting results. If you have hormonal acne (which tends to appear around your jaw line) I wouldn't even bother with chemical peels.. Waste of money, time, discomfort. I am currently 6 weeks into roaccutane and my skin is the best it has been since before puberty. With hormonal acne I would recommend considering going straight onto roaccutane (once you have assessed the risks/benefits). My nurse saw that the peels were doing nothing and told me to book in with the derm and just get straight on roaccutane, sort out my acne and be done with it.

Because of the rejuvenation of fresh skin I would suggest chemical peels for anyone who needs to freshen up their face and get rid of sun damage or blotchiness. It did really rejuvenate my skin but did not help AT ALL with my acne. Hope this helps!

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Westside Dermatology. Love my nurse!! She really wants to help and was honest and up front the whole way through!

Replies (3)

October 3, 2014
Thank you for sharing all of the great advice.
October 9, 2014
No problem! I hope it is helpful :)
October 23, 2014
Neither I nor my teenagers have every had this problem. I am not an MD but I understand that cystic acne involves bacteria and harmones. I would think you have to treat the underlying cause before you have peels to improve the quality of your skin. Just taking off the top layer does not solve the underlying problem. It appears ;you are going to a Dermatology Clinic, but are you under the care of an actual MD or is it more of a beauty spa that calls itself a dermatological clinic? Some places give the impression they are connected to MDs and they are not. Here is an informative article about treatment etc: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/cystic-acne. Just Google "cystic acne" and read on authentic medical related sites and not people that are trying to sell some treatment,product etc. There are many informative articles on the subject. There isn't an over night fix and for some adults it is an ongoing problem. Good luck