Allison Week 1 and 3: Facial Before and After

The photograph on the left side of your screen is Allison's before photo. As you can see, I hadn't quite figured out the best lighting at our office! The next photo is from 14 days later. Sorry for the difference in lighting/focus. I should have better photos (from her uber-cool digital camera) up soon.

Notice that she has fewer "angry red" blemishes in the second photo. You can also see where the worst of her breakouts are in process of healing. While her skin is still red in spots, it's not as intense.



Her first treatment (given right after the first photo was taken) was a chemical peel. After analyzing her skin and discussing her concerns we prepped her skin. Once it was cleansed and prepared, a chemical peel solution from PCA Skin Clinical Care Products was applied.

The Ultra Peel I solution is part of PCA's extensive line of clinical care products. They are a favorite among dermatologists and plastic surgeons from light to medium-depth peels. (As a licensed facial specialist who is certified in chemical peels, I only use the lighter solutions.)

Ultra Peel I is appropriate for almost every skin type (including sensitive) and helps create a moderate to agressive level of exfoliation. Nourishing ingredients help treat everything from acne to sun damage to dehyrdation to pigment disorders and smoker's skin. As PCA says, "Overall, the final result will be plump, hydrated and ultra-soft skin."

While the Ultra Peel I is a TCA peel, it has very little discomfort (on a 10 scale her biggest number was about a three), and absolutely no downtime. This is very different from the "standard" TCA peel which usually creates significant discomfort and a short to moderate amount of downtime.

Next we applied a variety of serums that included enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, and a veritable smorgasboard of "good stuff" (that's a technical term!) for the skin.

To strengthen her capilaries (to discourage future rosacea) and help encourage her acneic skin to heal, we focused on Vitamin C and Vitamin A. The A&C Synergy Serum happens to be one of my favorites. It has the added benefits of helping to control acne.

To further encourage exfoliation, I applied a layer of the Esthetique Peel. This is a description from PCA, "Its advanced formulation of L-lactic acid, L-retinol, and a host of polyphenols, antioxidants, vitamins, brightening ingredients and humectants, smoothes, tightens and improves the texture of skin. It also helps correct many types of skin discoloration."

We followed up with her moisturizers, including SPF. She received her after-care instructions.

For one week she used PCA's Post Peel Treatment System in the morning and evening. After one week I switched her to PCA's Breakout Control Treatment System.

The majority of flaking that she experienced was on the areas that were reddest in the photograph; chin, especially. The children enjoyed watching her face exfoliate and reported changes througout the week.

Her youngest boys reported that, "she had less breakouts, but she is still a little red." I was impressed! Perhaps there are some future estheticians in her family?

She came in this week for her second treatment. We snapped the Week 3 "after" photograph before starting.

She had me feel her face. It was incredibly smooth! This excited her a great deal as the texture had improved drastically. Even her husband noticed.

We repeated the exact same sequence but increased the number of layers of the chemical peel. She was able to handle the maximum number (4) for the TCA Peel. The largest discomfort number was a 1.5! (Her highest number fourteen days before was a 3, so it was even less though we doubled the number of layers.) That's how gentle it is. She said, "it pretty much feels like after I put toner on in the morning."

Stay tuned to find out how her second treatment improved her skin!

To schedule your in depth skin analysis and consultation, please visit www.lightweavermassage.com or call Lizz Pugh, licensed facial specialist, at 941-321-5311.