It’s been three days since I had my Vi Peel, and the phenol acid, vitamin C and Retin-A peel is working wonders…if by “wonders” I were to actually mean “is causing every last ounce of my skin to kamikaze dive off my face in unattractive, flaky sheets.”  Pictures of the disgusting-yet-effective madness to follow shortly!

I just had something called a Vi Peel, and my face feels like it’s on fire and is going to fall off.  Good times!  It uses exfoliating phenol acids, vitamin C and Retin-A to slough off the top layer of skin in 3 -5 days, and is supposed to be good for all complexions, including African-American skin (which typically can’t tolerate peels without hyperpigmentation).  The actual peel only took about five minutes, and I’ve been instructed to use the Post-Peel Towelettes tonight and tomorrow night to help accelerate peeling, and then to expect the oh-so-sexy snake action to begin on Friday.  According to the literature, the peel will get rid of acne and acne scarring, brighten skin and increase collagen production…but right now all I can focus on is the fact that my skin looks like a tomato, smells like formaldehyde, and feels like it’s been sunburned and then scratched.  (Note to self: Eyes on the prize, J.)

It’s been about three weeks since I started Retin-A, and my skin is slowly but surely acclimating.  No more snake-like shedding!  No more necessity of hiding my face under a paper bag!  I still have a fair bit of flaking, but at least now it’s socially-acceptable, as opposed to “Ew…do you, like, have a disease?”  This weekend, at the Total Beauty Blogger Summit, I had my skin analyzed using a super-duper fancy machine, and while I have some sun damage (damn you, Florida!), my skin is in the 99th percentile when it comes to wrinkles.  I’m still waiting for the transformation, however—that moment when the first friend or stranger says: “Your skin!  It looks amazing!  What have you been doing?”  Don’t let me down, Retin-A…