7 Steps to Take Before Your First At-Home Peel
All right, we are kicking off Peel Season. Yay! Now is the time to make a good plan, figure out your goals, whethersee if they are achievable, and we'll walk you through all of that today.
Yep.
Yeah.
So let's start with, you know, what an achievable goal is. You know, if somebody is, you know, working, and overall, let's just pick, you know, anti-aging.
Wrinkles.
Yeah, yeah.
Wrinkles. Yeah, let's just say wrinkles. Like, that's like a really good one to start with. Like, everybody's like, oh, I want to, like, erase all my lines. And like, that's not an option.
It's tough.
Right? You know, like, you can absolutely minimize those lines, kind of fade them back a little bit. And you know, some lines could absolutely go away entirely. It really depends. You've got, you know, a bunch of different kinds of wrinkles on your face. But I mean, will you look better? Absolutely. Will things fade back and smooth out? Absolutely. But can we get rid of every single wrinkle and line on your face? No.
No.
Right? And you don't want to anyways, because we don't want to look like a mannequin and look unhuman. That's kind of a very strange look. Like, you have dynamic lines, and you're moving your face, and we expect to see a line when you, you know, squint or when you do things, when you smile.
People always talk about smile lines.
That's what makes us look human.
That's right.
And that's okay. But yeah, I mean, I think that a real achievable goal is, you know, minimizing those lines.
Yes.
And same thing with spots and, you know, hyperpigmentation, melasma, things like that. Those will absolutely go way, way down and possibly be entirely eradicated. But there again, some just might stick around. I have one that's not going anywhere. It's never going anywhere. It's going to stay with me for the rest of my life. I'm sure of it.
And it's very deep.
There's nothing I can do. You know, it's like, who knows? Maybe there's like something wrong in that area. And it only knows how to make this skin color right here. You know, who knows? Maybe in the future, it'll decide to take a hike. But you can definitely- we've seen pictures of people who are just like, covered in hyperpigmentation and sun damage from all those years. And then, you know, let's say they were doing peels for two, three years or so. I know we have, like the one customer. I think we've mentioned her before and shown her pictures before. She had, like, two or three years or something in between pictures. And she just looked like a completely different person.
Right.
And she wasn't even realizing.
It's the brightness that improves the overall texture.
Color.
Yes.
It's smoother, healthier, and younger-looking.
Yeah.
So you can absolutely achieve that. Acne, I would say acne and scars, probably the other two that, you know, can absolutely be 100% improved. If you do have lingering acne marks and things, doing peels can help get that off.
Oh yeah.
Acne scars and depressed scars like those ice pick scars. Peels can improve those and sometimes completely eradicate them. Again, um, and the same thing. Well, that's it. That's really both of them. Like, I was thinking acne and scars, and I'm thinking acne scars. And I know because I've had a couple of scars, and I've done them, done the cross on them or just done regular peels on them. And I can't even find them anymore without, without looking in, you know, a multi.
Oh yeah.
Magnified mirror. Being like Where? Oh, there it was. Right. I mean, that's amazing.
Yeah. Sometimes clients working on scars see results a little quicker than, you know, somebody who's just working on overall anti-aging.
I think like wrinkles are probably like the last to go, you know, you, and it's hard to gauge that. Like, that's where we must take our photos. But, um, like, you know, the line's length, even if it does shrink a millimeter, your eye can't perceive, oh, that's a millimeter shorter today. You'd have to put a picture on top of a picture and, you know, fade this one out. Oh yeah. You know, it, it's a while before you start to see big changes, but hey, all achievable. So peels are awesome.
Definitely, consistency is very, very important when working on any of the things we just discussed.
It's not that nothing will happen after one peel.
Right.
There's no, unless you have some baby surface things, they might exfoliate off, but you're not making real changes until you've done an entire series, which is like six to eight peels or multiple series. I think most people are going to do multiple series, or they're going to do peels for like the rest of their lives and just continue improving their skin. So at least you're not looking older as you go. Right. You're like, you're maintaining your age, or you are taking years off. A lot of people take 10, 15 years off.
Combating it tooth and nail as we go. Absolutely.
Let's talk percentages and why starting slow is so critical to a great result.
Yeah. Well, you know, I think when you're getting started doing peels, the most important thing is that you don't try to get, like, the strongest percentage. People always ask me that. What's the strongest percentage? What's the strongest peel? I'm like, why?
Yeah.
That's not important at all. Yeah. No, that's, that's nothing. I said, what we need to do is figure out: what is your problem? What are we trying to treat? Because some acids are better for other things.
Yes.
And then what we need to do is we need to either start with the very lowest percentage and work your way up, or sometimes you can maybe start with a second percent, but it really depends on the acid, you know, but for the most part, you know, safety is the number one reason. We don't want you to put on something too strong and maybe burn yourself.
Yes.
It's like, yeah, they're all controlled burns. So I don't want to scare people with burning, but there are times where you could put on something that was just so strong and then you're, you're having, um, you know, a bad reaction. It's far, far, far too aggressive and not at all what you're looking for. And it's new for you. If you've never done this, the last thing you want is to put on a very strong TCA peel or multi-layered peel. You need to start with one layer or a milder peel and work your way into it because there are things you have to learn when you're applying an acid to your skin: you know, a certain amount of wetness, you know, a certain quantity of layers. You have to start slow and build your confidence once you feel comfortable with the percentage, layer, or acid you're working with. And if you want something different, stronger, then you move to the next step. But at least you have that confidence built because the first time anybody does a peel, they're scared.
Oh yeah.
I like, I think we've mentioned this before, but I remember, oh my gosh, so, so long ago, we've been doing this for 25 years. And before that, I tried a really peel once. I was like, scared. I probably read the direction sheet five times before I put it on my face. And then I'm like, just still panicking the whole way. This was like, like a 30% glycolic or 20%, but it was just the mildest, mildest peel that you could put on, like, you know, very often. And I was like so scared, and I didn't know what to expect. And, you know, cause nobody had what we have now, you know, we're sitting there teaching you everything and explaining everything to you and trying to make this crystal clear.
Let's discuss a few of the things that could happen, you know, like that we have seen when somebody does, you know, jump right to say maybe a multi-layer TCA 20 peel instead of starting with a seven or a 13. And let's say, you know, they didn't properly pre-treat. So many things go into this. So what are some of the things that, if you don't follow recommendations that could happen?
Well, yeah, no, you could get, like, I think one of the big ones that ticks my mind first is like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
For sure.
And that's when think of it as, you know, spotting freckles and things like that, but probably bigger blotches, you know, dark spots everywhere where, when you apply a really strong acid causes your skin to inflame.
Right.
And when your skin inflames, that's when the melanin comes out. Right? And then you're left with dark spots on your face or patches, especially, and sometimes it doesn't matter. You can put the same acid percentage on your whole face, but only certain areas are targeted. But yeah, PIH, that's something that we can prevent or at least lessen the likelihood of that happening by using things like melanin inhibitors. And that's why that's part of our prep program.
Yes. It's very important because, you know, proper preparation is so important in choosing the right percentage because you're really putting yourself at risk. You think you're going to get to the end of the road quicker, but sometimes you're putting big speed bumps in the way now.
Yeah. You're actually moving backward because now you've got PIH to treat or, God forbid, a scar or something along the way. I don't know what you're putting on that could potentially scar you. Maybe TCA 50, TCA 80.
Yeah.
Whatever you're finding out there, trying to get that strongest peel, you could scar yourself. You could permanently change your skin color. Right. PIH can be, you know, permanent. And some people have done, like a super high-percentage things that we don't offer, but that's extremely dangerous. I mean, like what?
Yeah.
Let's be honest.
They'll get a better peel anyway if they use a lower percentage of acid and layer it more times when they're looking at, you know, TCA, for example.
For sure. For example, the TCA. Yeah. I agree with that. Totally.
Yeah. Yeah.
Let's talk about why skin color in Fitzpatrick is very important. Also, when selecting your percentage, you know, deciding how many layers to start with, that sort of thing.
Right. So there's like the Fitzpatrick scale, and it runs from one to six. So one is somebody with very, very light skin. And six is the darkest skin tone, if you think like somebody like African versus Swedish or something like that.
Sure. Very, very pale.
You run that gamut. And then the people that are in, like, Fitzpatrick one, two, three- that's kind of like me, you, a little bit darker than you. Somebody with, like, an Italian coloring, olive. Like, that's kind of our limit: once you start hitting that olive skin tone, your chance of having PIH doubles. So it's super, super important to prep with melanin inhibitors. That's one key product. But prep with that for at least four weeks. And the darker your skin is, the longer you should prep; you can prep for five weeks, six weeks, just to make it safer. Because when we're using those melanin inhibitors, we're actually turning down the melanin production in your skin so that when you put on something like an acid, where it's going to cause that inflammation, your skin, the melanin production is so low that it's not going to pump out that melanin to go to that area that's inflamed. And you'll have a much lower chance of getting PIH. It's just so important to pay attention to things like that. And it doesn't matter if you're doing a strong peel or a light peel.
I just want to say this doesn't matter whether you're doing a Mandelic 22, a Lactic 50, or a TCA 20. The prep is the same. Anything can happen to any skin coloring. And just because I'm talking about where that's that 50% increase in melanin skin, you know, like olive skin tone, darker, that doesn't mean that people with one, two, and three can't get PIH as well. Absolutely, they can. Anybody can, which is why we want absolutely everybody to prep if at all humanly possible. That's what we recommend. Because yeah, I could get it. I haven't, but I could. The next peel I do, I might get it.
We have had customers who, you know, have been using, you know, the same peel. Let's say they have a two-ounce bottle of, you know, TCA 13 or whatever the peel is they're using. They may have used it multiple times and then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, you know, they may experience some PIH or something. And let's talk about how the acid is the one thing that stays consistent. And how if your peel varies from peel to peel, it's not the acid that's changing or losing potency. It's something within your body, maybe your medications you may be taking. Let's talk about some of those things.
Yeah. When people are trying to figure out, like, yeah, that I've done a series of peels and everything was perfect. And all of a sudden I'm not peeling as much or, you know, I get a mark this time or something like that.
Right.
They're like, you know, there's something wrong with the acid. Is my acid old? Is my acid this? Is my acid, is my... No, your acid is your acid. I mean, these are like certified peels. I mean, this is the exact acid, percentage, and pH level, and it never changes. What does change is you, right? Your skin, your regimen, your medications, your other supplements, whatever you're taking. Like, I take tons of supplements, but one of those might affect something one day. I might try a new one and then suddenly have an issue with the peel and be like, you know, things can change how your body responds. That's why, like, when people take Accutane, you're not allowed to do a peel for at least six months. It depends on your doctor, preferably a year. Why? Why? Because your skin itself, the composition of your skin, changes.
Yes.
And it's not going to handle the same TCA 13 peel you used before Accutane. You might get a terrible burn because your skin is different. It's like almost in a baby state when, you know, when they do that Accutane and things like that. So yeah, it's, you know.
Yeah. I had a customer the other day emailing back and forth, similar scenario, you know, she's used TCA, you know, many, many times, but all of a sudden now the blue, now she has some really red marks on her face. And she frosted immediately when she put on the acid and was like, oh my gosh, she couldn't even make it to two or three layers. Um, I think she had it on for maybe a minute.
So something changed. Her skin changed. Her skin is thinner there.
Yeah.
Or some medication she's using is making her skin more sensitive to acids.
Yeah.
I tend to think a lot of the time it's thinner because, like, people might get a scrub; that's why we avoid scrubs, you know, three, four days before a peel, because you're scrubbing skin off. So if you've got, like, your nice scrub and people love to scrub their cheeks, like, you don't spend as much time up here. It's always on their cheeks and their nose. Okay. Well, then you do a peel, and you put it on. You're like white.
Yes.
Right Where you scrub because the skin is thinner.
Well, what?
So you've changed.
Yeah. So what happened with this particular customer was, you know, I went through all the questions, and she did not stop her retinol.
Oh, there you go.
And she didn't feel it was an issue because she only uses it twice a week. And I said, well, you know, you must be using a stronger retinoid if you're only using it twice a week. So even though you're only using it twice a week, it's super important to stop that at least a week before, because, you know, you were not using that before. So that is the one thing.
And clearly it's strong for your skin. If you can only use it twice a week, you know, and I've had a couple of people like that. And what I tend to tell them is, why don't you ask for a lower prescription? First, you are much better off using a lower prescription percentage. If you're on a 0.1 retinoid, have them take you down to a 0.025. Why are you way up there? Probably because you demanded to have the strongest.
We have customers who do that with our fusion.
That's what you should not do. You need to start low.
It's like, start low.
Your goal is to be able to put that on every single night.
Yeah.
So if you can only do it twice a week, you need to cut down to a lower percentage.
Agreed.
But yeah, that's very important. Stopping things beforehand.
You know, the prepping of your skin before a peel is so important, not only for, you know, reducing the risk of PIH, but there are a few other factors.
But for other things too. And we've already mentioned that prepping doesn't have to be complicated. Yes. I mean, I can give you a wonderful regimen, but I feel like there's like kind of three key things. One is using an acid, and it doesn't matter if it's a cleanser, a toner, or a serum.
Yeah.
We like to use an acid because we want to even out the layers of skin, you know, especially if you're more aggressive and scrub here, or you don't ever, you know, use anything exfoliating. You've got tons of layers of dead skin buildup. We want to minimize that and even the surface. I feel like a cleanser is the easiest, gentlest way to, you know, even the skin, which is why we have all the different acid cleansers. But so we want to even the skin, almost like, you know, priming, sanding, you know, your wall before you're ready to paint it, you know, you got to spackle everything, and then you sand it to make it nice and even. We're using the acid to sand it.
Got it.
And then our melanin inhibitor, of course; you want to turn down the rate at which we could experience hyperpigmentation. But a lot of times people are prone to hyperpigmentation. They already have spotting. Well, let's start treating that right now.
Yeah.
Right. And then a retinoid. We do have a retinoid in our melanin inhibitor, Fade Bright. So if you're really on a budget, you could probably get the cleanser and the Fade Bright. Great way to start prepping.
Yes.
I would prefer you have a little bit more retinoid in there. So I would also want to throw in, like, our Fusion A.
Sure.
Retinoids help your skin turn over more quickly, and they also help it heal faster when you're doing peels. So we're evening it, we're lessening our chances of PIH, and we're stimulating a higher turnover of our skin. So this is the mode that you want your skin to be in so that when you do apply that acid, it's going on nice, even skin.
Nice.
It's going to penetrate nicely.
Yeah.
Because if you didn't prep, like, let's say, okay, what happened? A lot of people say, well, I never prepped, and my peel was fine. You may have had a fine peel, but I guarantee you, if your skin was prepped properly prior, you would have had a better peel.
There you go.
It would have gone on smoother. It would have penetrated deeper, more evenly. You would have gotten more dead skin off. You would have just had better results. And, like, some people get almost- that never use anything exfoliating. You can get, like, a compacted stratum corneum where it can take a lot to get that dead skin off. Then you can just see they have, like, real texture, dull skin. It's like they're the kind of person that maybe uses an alkaline soap in the, in the shower; you know, they have, like, real dull skin. Right? And those layers are just stuck there, and you, they might have to be a little bit more aggressive.
You know, maybe they need to use a serum 15 and a retinoid, and they really have to work hard to get all those dead layers off and even get that nice glow. And then, you know, you're just good to take it to the next level, but you're going to get a much better peel. If you prep, it's a safer peel, and you're less likely to have any issues come up. Your skin is healthy, turning over evenly and smoothly. And that's what we recommend every single day. Right? So even if you're not doing peels and you're using these products, then your skin's still going to look beautiful.
For sure.
You know, peels are just the icing on the cake.
Yeah. You still need your regimen.
You must have your good regimen.
For sure.
You want a full regimen, right? Add your treatment serums, antioxidants, creams, and SPF. I mean, it's not really much to take it from that prep regimen to a full regimen.
Yeah, that's nice.
And we have that on the website too.
You can build as you go.
The regimen builder will cover everything that you need.
But yeah, it's very important to prep your skin. I mean, we're priming it to have a great result.
Let's talk a little bit about safety. A patch test is always a good idea, especially if you're trying a new acid.
Yeah. Yeah.
Where should one do a patch test?
I think the easiest and most, you know, unobtrusive places are, like, you know, on the neck, back here, like behind the ear.
Agreed.
The skin on the neck is still thin enough.
Yep.
And then, you know, kind of back here a little bit, because you're not generally going to peel this area.
Yeah.
But it's the same skin as here. It's a little bit more sensitive. So, you know, just put, like, maybe like a nickel-size or a dime-size of your acid. Put it on, leave it on for the timeframe it should be on, whether it's five minutes, four hours, if it doesn't, whatever you want. Rinse it off and then watch that area over the next 24 hours. If it's red or itchy, or if crazy things are happening, then we know you might have a reaction, and you should maybe test again or test in a larger area.
Yes.
See what's going on. Before you put that on your face, we don't want to do that. So yeah, do your test. And that is in the peel manual. It tells you what to do and how to do it.
Yeah. And as you said, test an area close to where you're going to do it... Don't test your hand if you're going to do your face.
Right. Don't test your hand or your leg or anything like that. Your face. And you want to do, like, sensitive, thin skin, right? Which is your neck.
Yeah.
And this is just like the prime area to do it because it's, you know, if something does go wrong, nobody's really going to notice. Your hair will cover it.
Right. Yeah. Just a small area is all you need.
Yep. Then wait 24 or 48 hours. Whatever you need to wait to make sure that you are safe. And most people are going to be just fine.
Exactly.
Okay, so we want our customers to be very confident when they're doing their first peel. So I know there are a few things that they can do. Of course, proper preparation and things. And don't think that you're going to get your package. And open it and do your peel tomorrow. You know, there's a little bit of a process beforehand. So let's talk about a few things they can do. So they are nice and confident when they do their peel.
Right. So, I mean, obviously, prepping. That's your number one priority. If you're purchasing a peel, you should also be purchasing your prep products if you don't already have them.
Yes.
A lot of times people already have those. If you have hydroquinone or another alpha-arbutin product, perfect.
Yes.
Use that. Suppose you have another retinoid, great. Use it if you're using an acid cleanser, perfect. Then you don't need to purchase anything but the peel. But absolutely have all your prep products and use them for four weeks.
Yes.
Minimum. Other than that, you know, to feel confident. I want to make sure.
Read your peel manual.
That's exactly what I was going to say.
Page one through four.
Read your peel. Oh, of course not. Read your peel manual. I've had people reach out and say, I don't know what I'm supposed to do first. And I'm like, I can't find the directions. I'm like, have you opened the box?
Yes. Yeah.
No.
Yeah.
Okay. Open your box. And in here will be a peel manual. It's going to tell you how to prep, what products to prep with. Then it's going to break down every acid into its own categories. And it's going to tell you how to apply.
You can slice that one open. That one does have a manual.
How to apply each one. I'll never get it. I'll never get it. It'll tell you how to apply. It'll tell you about your aftercare, what you can put on after this day. Everything is in there. Read that entire peel manual. You'll feel so much better once you've read that.
Absolutely.
I also highly suggest going through Peel University. Now that can take some time.
Yes.
Because there are videos and things to watch. But how helpful is that, right? You can watch those videos. You can watch the different videos on the different acids. You can watch them being applied. Know what to expect. What they're good for. There's so much to learn at Peel University. And then, of course, my favorite place to send people is our Facebook group. I mean, even if you don't want to be on Facebook, just get an account and join the group. You don't need any friends on Facebook. You don't have to be social. Just come to the group and learn. And you don't even have to talk. You can watch and listen to other people's photos. Watch other people's questions. We have a learning center in there. It's called... Where is that? What is that called? Where all the little documents are. I can't remember.
The help center.
In the Guru group. There are files and different things.
Oh, yes.
The guides.
The guides section. Thank you. Guides. You can go to guides. And then the place that I think... Like the only place, really. If you even reach that group, there's a featured and pinned post at the top of the page. And there's probably 20 posts up there. If you just go through and read everything in those posts, you will have every question you could have ever asked answered. Everything important is there. I'm talking about stuff like, I just needled, when can I do an appeal? It's there. Everything is there. What can I put on after? It's there. Everything is there. That's the number one place to go. And when you read these things a couple of times, when you watch a couple of videos, and you pay attention in the group a little bit, all of a sudden, you have to see things a couple of times before they really register. Once you've done that, you've read, and you're looking at pictures, and you've done all this, all of a sudden, you feel so much more confident. You're like, I can do this. Look, there's 47,000 people in this group. And look, they're all doing it. You're like, shoot, if they can, so can I. And you will feel comfortable doing it. And then our videos- we have, like I said, a lot of them at Peel University. But if you go to our website and click the videos tab, anything you want to know, there's a search. So type in the keyword. I want to know about stretch marks. Someone asked me about how to treat stretch marks. Type it in. There's a video right on stretch marks. And there's another one on scarring. And there's another one on scarring that will take you to what you want to watch. If you want to watch a TCA Peel demonstration, there are probably four of them to look at.
That's nice to peel right along with you. They can pause their video and then just.
Peel with me, yep. And then we did our live Peel party a few years back.
Ooh, yeah, that's a good one.
That's there. We answer so many questions. And then Katie, she did.
Like you were doing the Peel live.
Yep, Katie's video's live too. I was- we did like kind of a split screen. She was doing a TCA Peel and I was talking and asking her questions while she was doing it.
I recall that, yeah.
That one is on there. There are so many things that, when you watch that, make you feel so confident. And then, when you're finally ready to do your peel, you can do it right along with any one of those videos.
Perfect.
And you're like, you're not alone, right? You know, you're doing it. I'm sitting there, I'm putting acid on my face too. We're doing it together. And you can pause if you, you know, need to wait. But I think that would really help with your confidence. You're going to feel so knowledgeable for sure. And if you have more questions, of course you can reach out to us.
You know, support@platinumskincare.com is our email, or 1-800-917-3155. We're here Monday through Friday to answer your calls. We're open from nine in the morning until 4.30 at night. That's when they close down. That's Eastern Standard Time. So, I mean, we're always here to answer questions.
Yeah, for sure.
Always. I mean, we don't just have a phone line there.
Our phones ring all day long.
Yes, they do. And our team is very knowledgeable, and they can walk you through whatever you need.
And that's if you have; I don't even think you'll have a question.
Right.
By the time you've gone through that, and you've done this, and you've been in the group, and you've watched the videos, and you've read your peel manual.
Yes
You're ready to go.
Yeah, that peel manual is key.
Everything, step by step.
Absolutely. But yes, if they have any other questions, obviously.
Oh yeah, that's why I just wanted to, like, reiterate that there. Then you can reach out to us. You're not, like, alone.
No, absolutely not.
No, not at all.
Well, and stay tuned till next week, because we are going to break down every acid, what it's good for, and what types of skin it's good for.
Yeah.
So yeah, the next video that we're going to release is going to have so much information. And I think they will be armed with all the information that they need to make a good choice.
Absolutely. And, you know, at the end of the day, you are going to know everything about peels.
Yes.
You'll know everything about the acids. You'll know how to use them, alternate them with other products, and what you can do with them. And there's so much you can do. I think peels are a big, big part of a really good, healthy skin regimen. It's not like, you know, this or that.
Yeah.
Surgery or peels. It's part of it, and, amazingly, you can do this at home. I mean, this is something that, if you think about it, I mean, it's- I don't want to say it's a professional treatment, though it is. I don't want to scare anybody away. But I mean, it's amazing that you can do this at home.
Yeah.
You know, that's like something; there are a lot of things that you just don't have the options. You have to go get that done somewhere. But if you are trained and understand these things, you can very safely do things like this at home.
These are the same acids that we sell. Spas, same acids that you're purchasing for your home use are the same acids that the doctors are purchasing.
We send them to Peel University too.
Yes.
Because they're like, you know, what's your education? Go through Peel University. I mean, that's everything.
For sure.
And what do they say? Wow. So many things I didn't even know.
Absolutely.
And that's professional.
That's so true. That is very true.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. We're all about the education here at Platinum.
Yes. And we've already given you all the information, but you know,
sometimes you've got to see it, hear it, two, three, four, five, six times. I don't know what they say, but you know, we're going to get you the knowledge, and you'll feel super confident, and your Peel season will be off to a great start.
Yep.
We'll see you soon.
So I think at the end of all of our sessions here, I would like to, you know, throw this out there: please ask questions below the videos, like when we post these on YouTube and such. Ask questions because, moving forward, at the end of each video, we're going to... Like, we're going to answer your questions. And it doesn't have to relate to that particular... If we're talking about peels and your question is on needling or something, you can ask that, you know? We're going to pick some random questions to answer so we can have, you know, a little bonus question at the end. One or two questions. So, you know, make sure to ask. But let's start with today, because this will be our bonus question. We're just going to pretend someone asked this, because I am telling you, they have. It's been asked me numerous times already because here we are at the end of summer, peel season is starting, summer's over, and the people who haven't done their peels all summer long are ready to start again. And the question is, I was doing, you know, three, four, five layers of TCA 13 at the end of the summer. And then I... Or at the end of, you know, at the beginning, I stopped, and now here I am. It's been, you know, two months. Can I go ahead and put that same amount on again? Yeah. So can I start where I left off three months ago? And the answer's no, right? Because your skin changes with every single peel, and including the peel, if you're doing a series of six to eight peels, your skin's different during that series.
Yes.
Your skin has changed enormously over this past summer.
Right.
So no, even if you were doing four or five layers of TCA 13, I don't want you to start there again. I want you to start again at maybe two layers, one to two layers, see how your skin tolerates that, see how it handles that. I bet you'll get a good amount of peeling because you haven't done a peel in a long while, but please don't start at four or five layers or use the combinations you were doing before. Please start simply again and gauge your skin because things have changed. So you might not even be using the same retinoid, or maybe you didn't prep properly. Maybe you need to get back on your regimen, but please don't start…
Prepping is super important where you left off before.
Yeah. Yeah.
Prep again, start slow.
Yep.
Yeah. Start with one to two layers and acclimate that skin again, and you'll build your way back up.
You will. And the people feel like they're missing out or, oh my gosh, I'm not going to get there. No, this isn't a race.
Yes.
You've got the rest of your life to do peels.
For sure.
So it's okay if you had to do two layers this month and three layers next month, and maybe it took you two or three months to get back to where you were.
Yeah.
That's what's safe.
And that's what you should do.
For sure. Yeah.
So that's it. So I ask your questions.
