Vi Peel ... Round 1

It has been one week since I got the Vi Peel done at OasisMD Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa. My overall thoughts ... AWESOME!

The process is painless. First, my face and neck was cleansed with a gentle soap to get rid of any makeup or dirt. Then alcohol pads were used to remove oil and any dirt that is deeper down in my pores. Finally, the chemical peel is applied in one coat. Since my skin didn't react badly to the chemical another coat is applied. My skin still didn't react badly after the second coat, so a final coat is applied as close to my under eye skin as possible. The only sensations I felt was a warm tingle on my face and the scent was overwhelming. I was sent home with instructions of how to take care of my skin for the next week, two scrubbing cloths, a heavy lotion and SPF 30.

The first day after the peel was applied I didn't see much of a difference. My skin never got red and patchy. I just look like I had been at the beach the day before. Day 3 and 4 was when I really started to peel. It was painless ... just a bit messy. I recommend keeping your hair pulled back and to not wear a black shirt those days! I wore a really good hat when I was out in the sun and made sure to reapply the lotion and sunblock.



By day 5 the peeling was just in spots around my face. Today there is a little bit of peeling around my ears and neck, but it is not very noticeable. What is noticeable is the reduction of my acne scars, the color of my forehead is more even to my cheeks and my skin is smoother all over.

NOTE: These photos were taken with my mobile phone camera in the office with overhead lighting and natural light through the windows. I did not retouch the photos other than add my watermark. I am not wearing any makeup other than eyeliner and mascara.





I have two more peels to go and I am really looking forward to the end result! Stay tuned ...

IPL vs. Vi Peel

Plastic Surgery scares me. PERIOD.

I have seen a few of my mom's friends who have gone under the knife for a "lift here" or a "tuck there" and I wanted to cry for them. The idea of injecting something into my skin that eventually gets absorbed into my system and has to be redone again and again in order to keep looking the same ... doesn't sound like a very good long term solution to having a younger, healthier face. Even though I am thirty-something, thanks to my Asian genes I very few wrinkles and fine lines, but my skin does have sun damage and teenage/adult acne scars. I am not a huge fan of wearing foundation or concealer, so my "flaws" are often visible. Who doesn't want gorgeous complexion? I know I do!

For Christmas my dad bought my mom a treatment of IPL (intense pulsed light) Photofacial. She loved the results so much that she got 2 more treatments. My dad was so impressed he got himself 2 treatments. My cousin was also so impressed she had 2 treatments done as well! They all have a significant reduction of sun damage, scaring and age spots. So, when my friend Jen sent me a link to a $99 coupon for IPL on Buy With Me I figured why the hell not!

Today, with 3 vouchers in my wallet, I walked into OasisMD Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa for my IPL consultation. My enhanced image photos showed that my skin has very large pores, sun damage and darker pigmentation on my forehead, scars on my cheeks and around my nose, but minimal deep skin damage. Overall, not so bad.


Top Left: Pores & Wrinkles Image, Top Right: Spots (PL) Image
Bottom Left: Skin Tone Image, Bottom Right: Sports (UV) Image

Unfortunately, because I have "Level 4" skin I am not a good candidate for IPL. The laser could cause hypopigmentation streaks on my forehead which would not be pretty. This ruled out all facial laser treatments and left me with the option of a chemical peel.

Do you remember the episode of Sex and the City when Samantha gets a chemical peel? If not, here is what she looked like when the peel was doing its magic.



The Vi Peel I had done apparently will not have the same drastic effect. I promise to tell you what the next week is like (with photos if you are lucky). So stay tuned ...