I am a 34 year old redhead who has tried Fraxel, the Yag laser, and botox in an effort to soften crow's feet and acne scars. Nothing has worked and my dermatologist with a PhD from Harvard recommended a Phenol Peel.
He performed the peel in a public hospital in Taipei, Taiwan yesterday. My dermatologist has a lot of experience administering phenol peels and told me not to worry. At the moment it is the second day of my recovery and I have to wear a mask of bandages "like a mummy" for 8 days.
The phenol peel procedure was somewhat uncomfortable and took about two hours. My doctor injected my face with a nerve block and applied the phenol in patches starting from my forehead and moving downwards until my entire face was covered. He even put a small amount of phenol on my eyelids. Overall, I did feel some initial burning from the phenol which then resided. The experience was not pain free and I was given a morphine tablet to feel more comfortable.
After the phenol application my Doctor told me to drink lots of water and eat as much as I could. He cut the mouth opening on the mask so that I would be able to chew and I've been eating soup and pasta without a problem. Although, this is only my second day of recovery the experience is not so bad. I am not in pain and do not have to dress the wound as the mask stays on for 8 days. A phenol peel is much less messy than the Yag laser and should produce better results.
