AHA Glycolic Peels

mogwai

I would recommend MUAC (makeupartistschoice) peels - I used to use the 30% glycolic, though I was lazy and only ended up using it twice or so..

http://www.makeupartistschoice.com/catalog/At_Home_Chemical_Peels-10-1.html

At the moment, I use Avon anew peel pads which are every other day - they say they are equivalent to results from a 35% glycolic peel - from own experience they really do give your skin a glow! I would recommend these over peels, easier to use, less chance to do damage, and very cheap! (~£7 on eBay, 1 pot lasts 2 months)

Funnily enough, I have used stuff from Forever Young on eBay - I bought a vit C serum and a few creams, - the vit C was very grainy, and not very effective. Their creams are ok, very emollient, but don't smell fantastic! hth

mogwai

ps Bronnie - you do have to work up to the higher percentages, 50% is pretty high, but you can dilute some of these. TCA peels are stronger, and people do these up to 12% - these result in frosting (severely peeling skin) and as with higher percentage GA peels, there is downtime while you hide at home waiting for the old skin to peel off :O

Bronnie

mogwai wrote: »

ps Bronnie - you do have to work up to the higher percentages, 50% is pretty high, but you can dilute some of these. TCA peels are stronger, and people do these up to 12% - these result in frosting (severely peeling skin) and as with higher percentage GA peels, there is downtime while you hide at home waiting for the old skin to peel off :O

Thanks mogwai! The 10% one I had
http://www.silhouetteinternational.co.uk/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=152&c=10 was pretty effective but also moderately uncomfortable....I certainly needed to keep chatting to the therapist to take my mind off it while it was on......I can't really imagine letting myself loose with something stronger at home!

I certainly don't want to look like I've 3rd degree burns or terrible sunburn! For the record the treatment I had left my skin looking quite OK. There was a little localised redness and on occasions, a little dryness for a day or 2 but not too bad and I went to work later the same day without face make-up and nobody recoiled or passed comment!
I wouldn't want or feel the need to go to any extremes of peeling I am more than satisfied with the results I've got so far!!

The therapist today suggested a once a month maintenance treatment. Her charges are fairly reasonable and at £15 I'd be quite happy with that and exfoliation in between. Wondering about the Avon pads that were recommended though??

hethmar

Is it really safe to use these at home? I was looking at the Skin Clinic to have them done but its certainly a lot more expensive than buying the Forever Young kit.

Glycolic Peel Face Special 1- £80 3 - £160 6 - £320

cattkitt

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

Can I ask if people have noticed a difference in pore size with these products? I have horribly large pores and I've only just heard of salycylic acid which sounds ideal for me but it's all quite expensive and I don't want to waste my money.

I have large pores and I'm a female aspie too!

Have you tried milk as a treatment? I've been really amazed at the effect.
Use a cotton pad to dab it over your skin, leave to dry, then rinse off. Observe size of pores!

Can be done twice a day, but I'm not that diligent!


If you're keen, once or twice a week, one tablespoon of oats, one tablespoon(or more) of milk, quarter teaspoon of honey. Face mask to remove flaky skin!

Gently rub on face, leave to dry, rinse off.
Observe difference to skin!

I use a chinese teacup to mix and hold these substances in, to cart to the bathroom, as they're such tiny amounts.

FabSascha

I'm very confident that the GA peels salons offer are no different to the ones available at Forever Young; in fact, I've had a couple of peels done at salons when promotions were on and they weren't as effective. The risks with GA products (especially in high percentages) are things like burning the skin, causing scarring (if you use them on areas that are infected or open like spots) and there's a slim chance of an allergic reaction. I have pretty hardcore skin that will tolerate a lot, but I managed to burn myself recently using a peel. It really isn't as terrible as it sounds; just means your skin goes a bit rough and lumpy for a few days. Again, as with everything, it's all about moderation and being sensible. Most of the horror stories you hear are about people who haven't followed the instructions carefully or have started with a far higher percentage than they should have. I always think it's best to start with a low percentage and work your way up. I'm on 50% GA now (a few years ago I was on a 70%) but if I leave a long gap between peels then I'll still start off at a lower percentage to be on the safe side. I have fairly large pores and I wouldn't say GA has had any real impact on it to be honest. For me, the only thing that's ever made any difference is House of Deming's R-ALA Serum (I think that's what it's called; haven't got the info to hand) but having to use it for several hours at a time several times a week is a bit tedious all depends on how much time you're willing to put aside!

There has been some recent research suggesting that peeling has a thinning effect on the skin, which makes sense. Apparently there are a lot of Americans who have been using peels far too regularly for years and years and they've ended up with crepe-paper like skin. I do believe that if you're sensible and don't overdo it (as much as I'd love to peel every week I have about 6 a year) then you should be able to avoid such drastic side-effects.

Bronnie

Thank fabsacha, really informative post.

Are the glycolic acids more uncomfortable to use as you increase the % as I would expect?

FabSascha

Bronnie wrote: »

Thank fabsacha, really informative post.

Are the glycolic acids more uncomfortable to use as you increase the % as I would expect?

Excellent; glad it was helpful

It depends on what your skin is like as any proper AHA or BHA is going to sting a bit. For me, GA always stings no matter what the percentage or how long I've been using it and I would say that you're more aware of the stinging as the strengths get higher, but it's totally tolerable. If you're unfamiliar with peels, worried about how your skin will react or concerned about the pain factor then I would suggest starting on a Lactic Acid Peel. It's a different kind of stinging that tends to feel a bit tingly rather than an actual burning sensation plus a lot more gentle on the skin, but the thing to take into account is that whatever the peel or strength, you will have a neutraliser so if the 'pain' gets too much then you can neutralise it very quickly. If you've ever put on a spot treatment that's started to tingle a bit then that's pretty much the sort of stinging you should expect. If in doubt, do a small area on your cheek or forehead first to get an idea. It really isn't something to be afraid of as long as you do it exactly as the instructions dictate the first few times whilst you establish how your skin will react. Hope that helps

hethmar

I had a AHA this morning at Skin - they had an offer as Id had my line filler there 3 weeks ago. I dont think its the proper thing you are talking about. £35 instead of £79. It does sting yes I did tell her one bit on my cheek bone was particularly stingy and she bunged some stuff on. Its got a little red mark there now but Im guessing that will be ok by tomorrow morning. She was telling me something about Innerpeel being good and another one beginning with "J"? cant remember now.

FabSascha

Could be Jessner; that's a pretty hardcore 'mix' peel. I haven't heard particularly good things about it so if you're looking for a deep peel I'd suggest going for something like TCA. That's a completely different thing to AHA/BHA though so tread extremely carefully with it as you can quite literally burn your face off! You have a downtime with it which can last up to 14 days of dramatic skin peeling, crusting and general unpleasantness. Apparently the results are amazing but it takes some courage to do it yourself (although many do) as it's VERY painful. You can also get it done at a Dermatologist or skin clinic, but the cost is pretty high.