# I'm sitting with acid on my face... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2007, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922 "2007-01-29T03:49:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/1 "2007-01-29T03:49:25Z")
So, the last 6 months have been rather…difficult for me. Lots of crappity crap crap going on, and it’s really taken a toll on my skin. It looks kind of tired and not very fresh. So, to combat this I decided to try a home Glycolic Acid peel. I’ve got a 10% glycolic acid at a 3.5 pH sitting on my face right now. I’m supposed to leave it on for 3 hours. I’m wondering if I’ll still have a face at all after 3 hours of acid on there. I will report back… ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/2 "2007-01-29T04:07:12Z")
Have you tried the aspirin mask? It’s pretty much the same thing but much gentler and supposedly very effective. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/3 "2007-01-29T04:15:32Z")
[QUOTE=alice\_in\_wonderland] So, the last 6 months have been rather…difficult for me. Lots of crappity crap crap going on, and it’s really taken a toll on my skin. It looks kind of tired and not very fresh. So, to combat this I decided to try a home Glycolic Acid peel. I’ve got a 10% glycolic acid at a 3.5 pH sitting on my face right now. I’m supposed to leave it on for 3 hours. I’m wondering if I’ll still have a face at all after 3 hours of acid on there. I will report back.. [/QUOTE] I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just don’t fall asleep with that on. My wife’s best friend’s cousin’s hairdresser did that, and now she’s limited to circus work. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/4 "2007-01-29T04:32:54Z")
[QUOTE=anu-la1979] Have you tried the aspirin mask? It’s pretty much the same thing but much gentler and supposedly very effective. [/QUOTE] Totally unfamiliar with this. My peel is by Neostrata which is the industry leader in these things. I think they’re pretty good about making these things dummy proof, otherwise they would have been sued. However, it was funny when I was reading the instructions and it said “Apply acid to face.” Those just aren’t words you expect to see very often unless it’s in some sort of SciFi zombie making movie or something. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/5 "2007-01-29T05:10:53Z")
Depending on the results, maybe you need to put the acid on your toes. Or maybe you already put the acid on your toes, and that’s the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/6 "2007-01-29T05:15:57Z")
Timothy leary would be proud. Is it brown acid? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/7 "2007-01-29T05:59:15Z")
Three hours? :eek: Dayum. Now if you were a guy, you’d just fire up the ol’ angle grinder, grab a stick of the green polishing rouge, and be done in two and a half minutes. ---
**Author:** ![MizGrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/8 "2007-01-29T14:01:24Z")
I found a product online called Jessner’s Peel. It’s the same thing used in offices. In fact, I called a salon to schedule a peel and the operator told me about this brand. Got a 2 oz bottle online and tried it. **Definitely** provides a peel in less than ten minutes - which is a good thing since it burns like the sun. Have to fan the face. After treatment it takes about two days to start the peeling process and it’s such fun to peel off little flakey layers with a tweezer (i know, i know, but I can’t help myself). I recently did this when I started having these zits (at 41) that simply would not go away. Now, two weeks later, they’re all gone and my face is nice and clear again. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/9 "2007-01-29T18:12:36Z")
[QUOTE=RSSchen] Got a 2 oz bottle online and tried it. **Definitely** provides a peel in less than ten minutes - which is a good thing since it burns like the sun. [/QUOTE] Yah - no burning here - I washed if off last night and went to bed and today my skin feels super smooth. It looks decent too, although you’re supposed to do it multiple times over a few weeks to really get the full results. Honestly, I would be reluctant to use a product that burned while on the face unless I was in a dermatologist’s office, but I’m kind of a frady cat. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/10 "2007-01-29T18:16:11Z")
[QUOTE=Least Original User Name Ever] Timothy leary would be proud. Is it brown acid? [/QUOTE] If it is, don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/11 "2007-01-29T18:23:24Z")
Do you have a Makeup Alley account (yeah yeah, I’m a cheeseball but I have an affinity towards expensive products and I like to see reviews before I spend)? There are thousands of reviews on it there…it gets some insanely high rating, like over 85% or something. Basically you take uncoated aspirin and dissolve it in a little bit of water. Spread over face and then wash. Some people also add yoghurt or honey, though I find it works best just by itself. I thought it (and the mayo mask) were crazy at first, but it really does work and even my sarcastic, belligerent co-worker has complimented me after a weekend of mayo and aspirining (I do one on Saturday and one on Sunday). The aspirin mask basically functions as a chemical peel…aspirin is a BHA. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/12 "2007-01-29T18:35:15Z")
[QUOTE=anu-la1979] Do you have a Makeup Alley account [/QUOTE] Nope. Like I said - I’m a bit of a frady cat - I don’t like to put “home” remidies on my face, 'cus I’m kinda vain. However, the Neostrata product seems to have worked pretty well. My skin really does look fresher today. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/13 "2007-01-29T19:02:20Z")
[QUOTE=alice\_in\_wonderland] Nope. Like I said - I’m a bit of a frady cat - I don’t like to put “home” remidies on my face, 'cus I’m kinda vain. However, the Neostrata product seems to have worked pretty well. My skin really does look fresher today. [/QUOTE] Did you buy it at a salon? **anu-la1979** how does the aspirin thing work? Do you have a link because I didn’t see anything about this at Makeup Alley. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/14 "2007-01-29T19:15:57Z")
[Aspirin Mask reviews at Makeup Alley](http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemID=14129/Aspirin_Mask/Unlisted_Brand/Masks/) (you might have to be a member to go past the first page) Makeup Alley isn’t a home remedy site…it’s a general makeup review site. There are messageboards and they have an extensive database of makeup lines, ranging from the most famous and expensive, to the most obscure. They review everything, drugstore, department store, specialised makeup lines (like the one from Scott Barnes, which only gets sold at Holt Renfrew and Nordstrom, used to be J.Lo’s makeup artist) I love it if only because they helped me discover Vasanti Cosmetics, which is THE makeup line for Indian women. I have to have the crap shipped in from Canada but it’s worth its weight in gold. Plus, I wrote so many nice things about Vasanti on my blog that it started coming up as a frequently pressed link in Google and Vasanti sent me free makeup. Whoo! ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/15 "2007-01-29T19:17:50Z")
[QUOTE=Caridwen] Did you buy it at a salon? [/QUOTE] No, I bought it at a drugstore - Neostrata can be sold by pharmacies in Canada - in the US you have to get it from a physician. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/16 "2007-01-30T12:56:13Z")
When you put it on, did you run around your place yelling, “Mein eyes! Ze googles, they do nothing!” Because I would have. Especiallt if there was somebody else around. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/17 "2007-01-30T19:47:31Z")
That’s nothing. In a fit of acne-related pique as a teenager, I once put kettle descaler on my forehead. Worked, too, once the scabs fell off 🙂 (NB, don’t try this at home… or anywhere else) ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/18 "2007-01-30T21:22:42Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] That’s nothing. In a fit of acne-related pique as a teenager, I once put kettle descaler on my forehead. Worked, too, once the scabs fell off 🙂 [/QUOTE] What is kettle descaler? ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/19 "2007-01-30T21:23:53Z")
[QUOTE=alice\_in\_wonderland] No, I bought it at a drugstore - Neostrata can be sold by pharmacies in Canada - in the US you have to get it from a physician. [/QUOTE] Well, that sure stinks! \*\*anu-la1979 \*\*, thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922/20 "2007-01-30T23:09:13Z")
I have a Canada neostrata 10% glycolic acid deep cleansing mask white clay which mattifies and cleans pores and the directions say to leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes 3 times a week. Which one do you have that says to leave it on for 3 hours? Does it sting your skin? Actually I’m going to put some on now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sitting-with-acid-on-my-face/389922.md?page=2)