Who doesn’t have regrets from their teen years? Believe it or not, mine have nothing to do with sex, drugs or rock ‘n’ roll. My biggest regret is lying out in the sun with baby oil on my face, using a record album covered in aluminum foil as a sun reflector. I spent years trying to tan my pale, Irish skin, without success.
Four decades later, my search for the perfect tan has turned into a search to reverse sun damage and the fine lines on my face. I have tried any and all antiaging products, but I could not get rid of those fine lines and the large freckles (aka age spots) on my face. Then I heard about a new treatment, the VI Peel, that claims to help with both. I’d done a few mild peels in the past but stayed away from more intense peels for one reason: fear.
If you are a fan of Sex and the City, you’ll remember Samantha’s chemical peel—you know, when she ended up wearing an unattractive hat and scarf to hide her red, raw and burned skin. The image has stayed with me. Just to see if my fear was unfounded, I Googled ‘permanent skin damage from peels.’ The pictures were pretty gross.
But then I talked to Myra Taylor at Hart Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery Institute (and changed my Google search to ‘results from VI peel’). That convinced me I could try one. My new research indicated this peel was relatively painless, and while I’d have to weather a few days of intense peeling, it didn’t seem like people would turn away in fright. I also liked the idea that I would be in a doctor’s office, just in case my skin began to melt off.
The peel process was simple, and Taylor was pretty darn entertaining—if you are going to have a smelly chemical rubbed on your face, better to have someone charming applying it. The peel stings a little as it goes on, and your face does turn pink. I was told to wait four hours, wash my face and then use this special towelette before going to bed. I don’t know about you, but there is just something about the word towelette that makes me laugh.
Day two, my skin looked tan—finally the bronze-y glow I spent years trying to achieve! Day three and four saw lots and lots of peeling. By day five, I thought I looked pretty good until I walked into the gym and a friend said, “What’s wrong with your face?” Not the best greeting I’ve ever received, but not the worst either. While it took me a while to master the right mix of moisturizer and makeup to cover the peeling, by the end of day five, I was a pro.
And by the end of the week, I could tell that my freckles were not as pronounced and the fine lines around my lips were diminished—it worked! And let me tell you about the texture of my brand new skin: It is so much softer, brighter, and, dare I say, dewy? Did it take away all the sun damage I did as a teen? Not all, but it was a good start. The fine lines around my mouth also faded. Would I do a VI Peel again? In a heartbeat! Now, shall we talk about my second biggest regret.
