No Wrinkles!

Last week I had my first anti-wrinkle facial. Usually when I get a facial I do a basic European facial that moisturizes and exfoliates. Since I am starting to notice some slight changes in my skin and I am in my mid-twenties, I thought it was time to upgrade.

When I entered the room, my esthetician asked me about my skin, including if I had a sunburn, if my skin was sensitive, and if I was not intolerant of pain. Apparently these three things exclude you from getting the anti-wrinkle facial because it includes a chemical peel. I had been in the sun on Wednesday when we were at the golf tournament, but I was by no means burnt. I also consider myself to have sensitive skin to the extent that I flush really easily. I do not though, have bad reactions to new cleansers or break out very easily, so I guess this wasn't an issue.

In the end she decided that we would do the chemical peel, but only leave it on for 4 minutes since this was my first one and she didn't want me to have a bad reaction (a la Samantha from SATC). She also prepped my skin with some kind of protectant to help prevent any kind of extreme irritation.

So I am guessing that you don't want to hear about the entire facial, but just the chemical peel, so I will skip everything else she did. She used a 30% Lactic Acid chemical peel, applied it to my face, and then turned on a fan that blew cool air toward my face. Initially, I found the smell of the chemicals to be highly invasive, and this distracted me from the slow burn I felt on my face. The burn was slightly irritating, but by no means unbearable. She then removed the peel and applied a gel-like mask to help replenish my skin. Following the facial I was told not to engage in any kind of activity that would make my face red (e.g exercise, steam shower, sun, etc.).

So in the end my skin felt fabulously soft and looked amazing, and really the pain I had to endure wasn't bad at all. I think I will continue with the anti-wrinkle facials on a 6 month basis (I usually go back to NY during Christmas and the summer) and hopefully they will prevent me from early aging. In the meantime, I may look into Julie's recommendation for at home care, Oil of Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion and Peel System.

Anyone else had an anti-wrinkle facial? What is your at home skin care routine like? I really need to step up my game and appreciate any insight and suggestions!