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Thursday, July 2, 2009

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!

14 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. It depends on when you spray it on - I have naturally wavy hair that I straighten. I spray on the Hair Silkener when my hair is wet to comb through it, then I add a straightening creme (like matrix). For already dry hair, I love frizz ease glossing creme.

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  3. Crud, that last one was me. Damn the boyfriend and his gmail account.

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  4. i never had an anti wrinkle facial because my skin is very sensitive but i use to go to soft anti wrinkle facial every change of season
    my day care routine consists in using a cleaning lotion (crealine h20)the advanced night repair from estee lauder ( is marvellous ) it lefts your skin soft and prevent wrinkles if you use it morning and evening !then i use the "creme fraiche de beauté "from nuxe ( you should find it in usa) which is the best moisturizer i know!hope this will help you !

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  5. Oh my goodness! I have never had one. Am I supposed to? Eeeeeeeeep! I didn't see a single wrinkle when I last saw you...

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  6. Good post thanks for sharing it.

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  7. Umm yeah I am with Laura-your skin is flawless like snow white! But I guess it is good to start preventing now

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  8. You can get all the anti-wrinkle treatments you want but K so damned adorable and kissable that I'd never be able to get rid of the puckers around my mouth from placing kisses on that nose!

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  9. Oh la la! Now I want one!!! Xoxo-BLC

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  10. Wow, that sounds amazing. I had a "refreshing" facial while on our honeymoon and it helped with some of the sun exposure and resurfacing my skin and was absolutely wonderful. Now that I'm back in DC, I'm thinking of doing facials on a regular basis to help with my skin texture. What day spa do you go to? I can't seem to find one in the DC/MD area that I really trust for facials!

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  11. I'm glad I'm not the only 20-something year old thinking anti-wrinkle. I asked my mother to buy me some really good (and expensive) anti-wrinkle creams and she laughed hysterically at me. I'm still without it because I refuse to pay for it. Maybe this birthday, I can try and convince the mother once again.

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  12. ohhh I'm def. going to have to try this. Sounds great!

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  13. I'm considering starting some anti-wrinkle stuff, but my skin is very sensitive so the chemical peel wouldn't work well for me.
    Spas must have a slightly less invasive version.

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  14. I get a chemical peel from an esthetician every other month or so, sometimes longer if money is a bit tight. I definitely think it's had super positive effects on my skin. I still break out pretty regularly, and the peels really seem to help that, too!

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