I have moderate/severe acne, and my derm is recommending a chemical face peel to reduce scarring and help with the acne itself.
Have any others had chemical peels? I’m talking about deep, doctor-supervised peels, not the “lunchtime peels” that are popular with middle-age women and done at spas.
What were your experiences? How much pain was involved? How long did it take to recover?
My flatmate (a guy about 40yrs old) had one and when he came home he looked like he’d been in a fire or attacked with an axe, but after about 2 weeks he was able to go back to work, once he was more pleasant to look at and after the pain had gone.
He took pain killers for the first few days so I’m assuming it hurts.
And be prepared to have a few days off from work.
He had it done to make himself look younger, and the final results were noticable slightly, but he said he would never do it again.
The improvement was not worth the money pain or discomfort.
He had some acne and it did improve it, but the decision is up to you. How badly do you want to get rid of your marks?
I don’t have acne, so I don’t know how much help my experience will be, but I was starting to see some fine lines I didn’t care for, and it helped. I was “pinky-red” for a few days, but not super noticeably so. And I enjoyed the improvement on the fine lines.
Sorry it’s not more help
This female friend of mine (really sweet girl) had one about a month ago. She swears that it’s the worst thing in the world. I’ve heard that it’s a pretty drastic approach (so I’m also assuming it hurts like hell). And yes, she had to take time off of work too. I don’t know why she got it though (her face is perfect).
Pragmatist, it sounds like your dermatologist has an esthetician on site and is trying to rack up some business. There are medications that help with acne and the resultant scarring, so if your acne really is “moderate to severe” I would recommend trying those before any chemical or laser peels. There are some estheticians who are honest enough to not try and milk you for every cent, so do some research before seeing one. I had some deep chicken pox scarring on my cheeks, and the treatment my esthetician helped me choose (a series of microdermabrasion treatments) really did help. Good luck.