The Vitalize Peel
I was just in the dermatologist’s office today to get a full body check for basal cell carcinoma spots (pre-cancerous spots on the skin basically caused by sun exposure, especially common in people like me, with fair skin), and was browsing through (and subsequently “pitched” on) a chemical peel that the dermatologist can perform on her patients called “Vitalize Peel”.
So, naturally, being the curious person I am, I listened to her assistant’s full explanation of what the Vitalize peel is, what one could expect from this procedure, the downtime, yada yada, so I could see if it would be something I’d ever be interested in if it helped reduce fine lines and also would help get rid of some of my remaining acne scarring.
I’ve done a few rounds of microdermabrasion, and my acne scarring would improve, but it would never fully go away, so I’m intrigued by the fact that this seemed to be a little more agressive of a treatment.
So, here’s the scoop on the Vitalize peel. It’s a fairly agressive chemical peel that is applied to your face in the dermatologist’s office. The whole procedure from start to finish is about twenty minutes and costs $150 per peel.
I asked how many peels patients usually opt for and was told that most will do three, once a month, for a three month period once a year, and then repeat twice to three times the following year, in consecutive months to maintain results and renew the skin. But, then, when I got home later, I read in the pamphlet that many patients with more agressive intentions may actually opt for six treatments and combine them with other treatments, like an acne patient may combine it with either a topical or oral acne medication, and a patient with wrinkle and anti aging concerns may pair it with Retin-A.
The dermatologist actually showed me an area on her throat that she had just had the peel done on days earlier, and the only remnants was a slight peeling and flaking, no redness. However, when explained to me, one would not want to go anywhere for several hours after the peel as the skin tends to take on a greenish hue (lovely, huh), and the skin may appear red and sunburned for several hours to several days after the peel, depending on the person’s skin.
It is imperative that anyone who gets a chemical peel or microdermabrasion or dermabrasion wears a strong SPF in the days and even weeks following a treatment, because the layers of skin that act as our primary protectant against the sun’s UV rays are stripped away during these procedures and our skin becomes especially susceptible to being sunburned and incurring other types of environmental damage. Constant moisturization and protection is key to healing quickly.
I did notice that many of the women in the office had suspiciously smooth skin, no doubt a product of the peels that they are so accustomed at performing in the office, so their skin was a great advertisement for the possiblities one might expect from getting a series of these peels.
