Looking Worse Before Better

"Whelp. You've really done it to yourself this time!"

Even with a decade of skincare under my belt, I still whisper this to myself every time I do anything more than an exfoliation. Peels, micro-needling, photofacials, even a heavy dose of retinol (which makes me peel like an onion). Truly, I know it's going to look and feel good and I'm always happy for the final results. In fact, without these treatments I would still be troubled with premature aging, broken capillaries and hyperpigmentation from years of sunburns and tanning beds. So I happily press on. Here is my most recent peel - the first picture is 3 days into a mild 3 layer TCA and the second picture was exactly 5 days later. (I didn't take a proper after photo...this was one I happened to have on my phone. But note the smoothness. Not the case a few days prior - cracking and a little bleeding. Ouch!)

With this personal experience in mind, I try to make sure my clients know that with most procedures outside of a facial, galvanic or ultrasound treatment, usually things look bit worse before they get better, much better! The body has an incredible ability to swoop in and heal it's skin quickly and beautifully. With a treatment like collagen induction therapy, the micro-tears cause the body to think the skin has been wounded so it sends in collagen to repair and rebuild, resulting in a thicker, more youthful looking appearance. Same idea with a chemical peel, we are esentially creating a controlled burn. After the skin peels, fresh, pink healthy skin appears - free of blackheads and blemishes!

So just hang in there because it will get better!!