podcasts 79

How to Prep Your Skin for Peel Season

So you won't be making as much melanin. By turning down melanin production and using the ingredients in it, it will help start fading your tan a little bit, because we really don't want you to have tan skin and then do a peel. We want everything to be even. How deep does that tan go if you're going to apply a peel? What if it ends up splotchy? We want it as even as possible. We really want to lighten your tan. If you're just peeling your face and you've got tan in your body, that's okay.

But at least try to lighten your face a bit. Make sure you're using your retinoid. Make sure you're using your melanin inhibitor for four weeks. Then, if your tan has faded sufficiently- it doesn't have to be 100% gone, but just mostly gone, 80% gone, something like that- then you can move forward and do a peel safely and not have to worry about discoloring blotches on your face because it's not coming off evenly.

Alright, it is time for our Peel season kickoff. When those big yellow school buses pull up to the corner to pick up your kids. The moms do that happy dance. Now they can start focusing on themselves. Not just moms with kids, but you know.

It's that time of year.

Yeah, it's that time of year where not everybody has the beautiful seasons as we have here in Michigan. But we do. When fall time hits, that's peel time.

Yeah, once it starts to cool, I laugh. Yeah, they're thinking about peels, but it's just a joke. But I swear I picture a peel in one hand and a pumpkin something in the other.

It's like, let's go.

Pumpkin latte and peel time it is. I love that.

Get your pumpkin coffee and have them do a peel.

Yes, I think they kick off the pumpkin stuff in September.

I swear, because it's pumpkin season. That's what made me think that. It's like a peel in one hand and a pumpkin, whatever, in the other.

Sweet. But yes, everybody gets nice and tan over the summer.

Some people do.

I know. It's not that we're promoting tanned skin.

No, but some people are going to get tanned.

You get tanned skin, and now you want to get ready to do your peel series. So obviously you have to plan this out. It is going to be a series. If you're doing TCA, we're looking at six months, even if you're doing a later series like Mandelic.

If you're doing it once a week or once every other week, it would be 12 weeks. Hopefully, even though you've been spending time in the sun and doing that kind of stuff, you're still using your core regimen. Like an acid cleanser, a treatment serum of some sort, your moisturizers, some protectants like DNA repair enzymes and vitamin C. You're putting SPF on. You're using your retinoids at night. If you're doing those, hopefully you're doing pretty well. Your skin is in a good state, and you're ready to go. If you haven't been using a melanin inhibitor like Fade Bright, now is the time to start that. Add it to your regimen so you can prep for your peel. How Fade Bright works is that it turns down melanin production, so you won't be making as much melanin. By turning down melanin production and using the ingredients in it, it will help start fading your tan a little bit, because we really don't want you to have tan skin and then do a peel. We want everything to be even. How deep does that tan go if you're going to apply a peel? What if it ends up splotchy? We want it as even as possible. We really want to lighten your tan. If you're just peeling your face and you've got tan in your body, that's okay.

If they have not been diligent with a good, solid regimen over the summer, they're running here, they're running here, they're on vacation, they're doing this, what are a couple of key things that they have to really focus on? Obviously, Fade Bright is one of them.

Yeah, I always say an acid, whether it is our cleanser or a serum like Serum 15, or sometimes they have different blends from prescriptions that have an acid in it. It has to be tried and examined. Just make sure you use an acid every day to smooth and even out the layers of dead skin.

Yes.

Then make sure you're using a retinoid. That's key because that makes your skin turn over more quickly. It also makes it heal faster. That's key. An acid, a retinoid, and a melanin inhibitor. We say melanin inhibitor for everybody. If you have Fitzpatrick 1 or 2 and you're doing a super mild peel and you just don't want to, okay. But just understand that there's always- doesn't matter what peel it is- there's always the possibility that you could get some PIH after you use an acid. So we're using that melanin inhibitor to minimize that as much as humanly possible and make it safe. But just like those three key things: acid, retinoid, melanin inhibitor. I feel like if you're using those for four weeks, you're ready to do a peel.

Now, if you are unsure of what type of peel to do and you want to try prepping and getting everything in line for the fall and winter season, you can always go to our peel tool, our Peel Finder tool.

Yeah, the Peel Finder tool is on the first page of the website. There's a Regimen Builder tool, and there's a Peel Finder tool.

And that's going to help them.

That will help you because I actually like to send people there. I mean, even if they reach out to me because they're like, well, I don't know which peel to do. I was like, well, now I've got to ask you all the same questions that the Peel Finder tool is going to ask you. Like, I need to know your skin coloring. I need to know: do you want to see flaking? Do you not want to see flaking? You know, like what works in, what's your pain tolerance, and all these kinds of different things. I still have to ask you the same questions. I'm like, go through the Peel Finder tool. And if you still have questions after that recommendation, let me know what they are.

Yeah.

Otherwise, I'd have to ask you the same things, and you could just have your answer and be off and away.

Right. So that's a really good starting point.

It's a good starting point for everybody.

Yes.

And then, if you have more questions, then you can ask.

Because it's going to break it down; it's going to ask you some super important questions.

Simple questions.

Like, do you want to see a lot of peeling, or do you want minimal dryness, or just a little dryness?

Because if you only want not visible, tiny little dryness, tiny baby flakes, it's going to put you into one of the alpha hydroxy acids.

Yes.

If you're like, I want to see more flaking, I have deep lines, I have lots of this, it's going to put you into like a TCA or a Jessner.

Yeah.

Like, that's the demarcation: how much flaking you want to see.

Yes.

And then it's also going to ask what your skin color is. Because if you do have, you know, Fitzpatrick 4, 5, or 6, it's going to be like mandatory, you know, fade bright.

Yes. Yeah, for sure.

So, yeah, it's going to put you where you want to go. And it, you know, certain acids are good for certain things, right? Like if somebody wants to see no flaking and they really don't want, you know, something irritating, it's going to, and they want to deal with hyperpigmentation, it might tell them lactic.

Yeah.

You know, because lactic is like super, super mild. Or, oh, you know, I have a little bit of acne in this, but I don't want to see flaking. It might put you into Mendelic. Or if you have more severe acne, it might put you into salicylic. Like, it knows it's going to ask you your problems and give you the best acid geared towards that. Sometimes there are multiple acids.

Sure.

And it will pick one. Or sometimes it'll give you a variety, though. I believe it does give a variety and a couple of options. It'd be like, yeah, Mendelic 40 might work for you. And, you know, salicylic 15 might work for you. Your choice. This one's stingier. This one lets you choose further. But if that's the case and you need more help, then just reach out.

Any other tips for them on this journey? Obviously, consistency is always very, very important.

Absolutely. I mean, you have to be consistent with your daily products, your prep regimen, and your peels. And I feel like, you know, the milder ones once a week or once every other week. I think every other week works best because then you can continue to use your retinoids and acids for at least a few days in between. The others are just once a month. But still, you have to do a full series of six to eight. Like, I don't even want to hear any complaints.

Yes.

I don't want to hear any comments until you've done a full series.

Absolutely.

Like, it's not working; every peel is different, you know.

Yeah.

So go through. Talk to me once you've got at least six under your belt, and then we'll see if we need to make any changes.

And let's face it, if they start in September-ish, I mean, even if they get maybe three or four under their belt before the holidays because, you know, holidays are when you have a lot of meet and greets and you see family members that maybe you haven't seen.

Yeah, don't reach out in December or, you know, November. Be like, I have a thing and, you know, well.

I have a big New Year's Eve party thing, the wedding that I'm going to.

So you're going to get one peel done, okay. You probably should have started this six months ago.

Yeah, let's start now because, you know, for all of those spring weddings and all of those, you know, moms that know the kids are getting married next year.

Yeah, start now.

Yeah, start now

Don't wait.

You've got all this time now, so it's better to kind of space it out because you never know how your skin's going to react. You might need longer in between each peel.

You might, and, you know, like we're talking like, you know, this is peel season, but peel season's all the time. It just happens that most people are really gung-ho about peeling as soon as the weather changes or a leaf turns yellow on the tree. They're ready to go. But you can do your peels in the summertime too. We talk about that all the time. You just need adequate sun protection and shade yourself. You can do them year-round. But, yeah, now is a great time to get started.

It is an excellent time to get started. And it helps when the kids are away at school, and you have a little more mom time.

A bit more free time.

If you have the little ones in the house, getting a little, maybe six hours of me time a day is huge.

A lot. I remember loving those times.

Absolutely.

Though I think I was at work anyway, so, you know, did it even matter?

I remember back in the day, we would get a spike in orders and such in September.

Yeah, that first week of school going back. It was like, look at all these peel orders.

And we were like, wow, this has to be because of the shift.

It has to be peel time.

Because August, I remember, was always a little slower because our thought was:

It's the end of summer. They're on vacation. It's the last minute before school.

Focusing on the kids, getting all the, you know, red folders and blue folders and school clothes. And, you know, the moms are, you know, finishing the vacations, getting the school shopping done. And then it shifts gears.

And then they're off.

It's fun.

And we're like, now it's time.

Yeah.

So now it's time for you.

Yes.

So, obviously, right next to our facial toner tool is our regimen builder tool. And you should really start there because our regimen builder will tackle everything you need to prep yourself, including an acid cleanser. It'll set you up with a daily treatment. Whether that's hyperpigmentation, acne, or whatever your treatment is, it'll give you a moisturizer, SPF, and a retinoid. So it'll get you covered to start, and you'll be prepping to start peels.

And these tools are on the main page of the website.

Main page at the top of the website. There are some boxes. One box has the peels. Then it says Peel Finder Tool and Regimen Builder Tool. And then I think there's- I don't remember what the next box over is. I think it might be the Facebook.

But there are two of the boxes right on the front of the page.

Right in the front of the page. And whether it's, if you're looking at your computer, it might be the four boxes open. If you're looking at a phone, it's like two and two or one and one. Because, you know, it depends. It shrinks on smaller devices.

If it's on a mobile device.

But it's there. You'll see it at the top before you get anywhere else on the website.

It's a quick quiz too. It's not like.

It is quick. You won't be there all day.

Oh, no, no, no.

It's real basic.

And then it emails you your results.

Yeah. And it's not like you have to buy every single one or anything.

Right.

It's going to list what it thinks is good for you.

Yeah.

You can pick and choose at your will.

Yeah.

If you already have a moisturizer and you already have this.

Very true.

And you only need this. Okay, well then just get that.

Yes.

You know, that's fine. I'm not pressuring you. I just want you to make sure you have something from these categories.

Yes.

That will help your skin. And if you're on that regimen builder and you're using those products. Like, let's say you use all the products. And you haven't been big into skincare for a while.

Yeah.

You will see a transformation from just those products.

Yes, you will.

That's just a key regimen. You will see a difference in, like, you know, 90 days or more. People will be like, wow, your skin looks beautiful. Or you look so glowy.

That's nice.

You look like you got a lot of sleep because the acids and the retinoids and all that kind of stuff really, really help your skin. Then you'll be really excited and ready for a peel.

Yeah, we want them to be successful. We want to set you up for a wonderful series of peels. Or even if you're not a peeler.

I don't want to just sell you an acid and push you along your way.

Yeah.

I don't want that at all. I don't feel comfortable about that. I don't feel safe with that. I feel like you need proper guidance. And we're here to guide you. And if you buy a peel from us, you'll get hit with an email series. We make sure you're properly prepped, like if you just came to our site because you saw a video somewhere. Somebody did a peel. And you come here, and you buy, let's say, a TCA peel or whatever. You'll start getting emails. Like, number one, are you prepared? Did you already do this? Because that's what most people. Not most people. I don't want to say that. Some people always email back. I didn't know I had to do all this stuff before I did a peel. It's like, well, yeah, this is a major event. You don't just slap it on your skin right now. You have to prepare.

Yeah.

So if you're not comfortable with that, then maybe you shouldn't be doing peels because you have to be serious about this. And you have to make sure your skin is prepared so you have a good outcome.

Yeah.

You can't just slap it on.

And you want to make sure you're choosing the right percentages and prepping properly, because you don't want to cause an issue that maybe you didn't have when you started.

Yeah. And issues come up when you put on something too strong for you. Because everybody wants the strongest. What's the strongest TCA you sell? I'm like, it doesn't matter.

No.

What's your issue that you're trying to treat? And I'll be like, it doesn't matter what the strongest TCA we have is. It's not the TCA for you. I can tell you that right now.

Yeah.

Just by your question. I think you need to start with a seven. You know?

I have an email in my inbox right now that I have to go back to as soon as we're done with this podcast. I'm going back to emails. But there's an email in there where a customer emailed. And they're like, this is my first peel. And I did this many swipes. And I did TCA 20. And I was like, I read it like three times. I'm like, okay. I'm praying that they prepared their skin. I didn't get to the point where I could research whether they purchased Fade Bright. But they could have a Hydroquinone or something at home. But there's no reason to ever start with TCA 20 as your first peel.

No.

Not on your face.

No. No. I always say like seven or 13.

Yeah.

Seven or 13.

And if they want more, okay, 13. You're just putting yourself at risk.

Yeah, you're putting yourself at unnecessary risk.

Yeah. Yeah, that's the thing. It's like a lower percentage applied more times. More layers of a lower percentage is much safer for your skin.

Yes.

Like, you know, if you got a TCA 13 and I applied three, four layers, that is so much safer. It's a layer. You wait your five minutes. See what happens.

Layer. Wait your five minutes. See what happens.

See, you're working up. Yeah. Okay, you see frosting, or you see something. Okay, you stop.

Yeah.

If you took a, you know, TCA 30 or something like that, you put it on your face one time. Oh, you put it on. It's way wet and drippy. Oh, there's- you can't stop it. Now you're, you're done. You're done. You'll probably end up with PIH. You'll have dark areas. It's going to peel too fast and too aggressively. Then you'll be left with marks and stuff. It's like all of that could have been avoided.

Yes.

If you just started at a low percentage.

Yeah.

And worked your way up with layers. It's not a race to the end.

Nope. Nope.

Everybody thinks it's a race to the end. I'm like, you may never, ever reach TCA 30. I know I haven't. I've been doing stuff for decades.

I have never used TCA 20 on my face.

I literally went down. I tried it once.

Yeah. I've never used TCA 20 on my face, and I've worked with it for 21 years.

Nope. I tried it one time, one time only. I used the 13 for years, and then I actually switched to the seven because I don't like the pain.

Yeah.

I don't like the irritation, stinging, and all that. So I actually moved down.

Yeah.

So no, you don't have to move up. You can actually move down if you want.

Exactly. I love multiple layers of seven followed by our Dream Peel.

Yeah.

I think that that's my…

Or like…

I like Jessner plus the TCA plus Dream Peel.

Yeah.

I like that too.

That one is nice.

But those are advanced, and you have to try each acid or each peel separately before you do that. But yeah, there's a lot of fun to be had. You just have to make sure you prep properly, and now's the time to get started with your prepping if you haven't done it yet.

We also have an excellent learning tool called Peel University.

Yeah.

And I believe that's in one of those boxes on the front page.

That's the fourth box.

That's the peeluniversity.com. And it will take you to a different website because we have it hosted on a different website right now. And that is a great place. It's just going to it's there's like little modules. So it's almost like going to school a little bit.

Yeah.

But a simple school. I do want to change it, though, because I do want people to actually have to, like, take a quiz or something at the end. Like, I know we're going to move it a little bit and make some adjustments. But for right now. So you're going to get there. You'll go through modules. You're going to learn about your skin. You'll learn your skin color.

Yeah.

And how your skin rates. And then you'll learn about the different acids and layers and layers of your skin and how it, you know, works with the acid. And then obviously all of our videos on applying the different acids are going to be there. You know, different acid combinations.

Yeah.

Cross. Everything is there. So, you know, when I have, like, even aestheticians and doctors' offices and stuff, when they call and they want to get started and they want to know, like, what kind of, you know, schooling we offer. And that's where we send them. You know, it's a free resource.

Yeah.

And there's just everything on there that you need to know. I think it's like a super tool you should probably use if you run across this video and you don't know anything about peels and want to get started. You want to learn, learn by going to Peel University and go through there and, you know, see there's just so much to learn, and it's really interesting.

Yeah.

And, you know, when you're done with that, you will feel super confident.

Yeah.

Because, you know, each video, if I'm doing the Jessner's peel, I'm talking about why you want to do a Jessner's peel, what it's good for, all this; if I'm doing a TCA peel, they're like live demonstrations. You know, this is what it is good for, and everything is there, and you can watch it without doing it at the same time, but you learn so much. You'll feel so comfortable moving forward. And if not, obviously reach out to us and ask us.

Of course. We're always here to help. But I do, I do agree. They're going to feel much more confident with all of that education behind them, for sure.

For sure. You will feel like you will know as much. You will feel like, for sure, you know as much as anybody performing those peels are like, wow, I know everything.

Even the verbiage.

AEstheticians.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Oh, all the time.

I feel like they don't train.

Estheticians are trained in something different. You know, like obviously we were a medical spa for seven years.

Yeah.

And we had estheticians who worked for us. And, you know, the schooling that they get, they, you know, they learn about the skin. They learn about the layers of skin. Of course. They learn a couple of light peels, usually like a glycolic 30. And I think most will learn to do a Jessner. They don't know anything about TCA. They don't know all the different various hydroxy acids. They don't know a lot about prepping. They just know the mechanics: this is how the peel goes on.

Yes.

This is how this peel goes on. Then they spend a lot of time with facials. I mean, they're graded on the circular motions across the face, and how the towel is wrapped, and the waxing and all this kind of stuff. None of that is really teaching about peels. Like, if the esthetician that you see, or any professional that you see, knows a lot, you know, obviously the facility that they're working for has trained them.

Yes.

Or a peel company, maybe us or somebody has trained them. Or they've taken extra classes specifically for, like, advanced aesthetics, chemical peels, and things like that. But estheticians do not just come out knowing how to do chemical peels and all this stuff. They know the very, very minimum. Same with needling and stuff like that. They're not trained in that. They're trained to do facials, do waxing, and understand your skin. But not doing treatments of that nature. They learn those after the fact.

Yeah. I don't know how many times I've talked to customers who say, "Well, my esthetician never had me prep."

She doesn't know.

Well, your esthetician put you at risk.

She doesn't know, or the facility she's working for doesn't know.

Because, really, without proper prep, I mean it.

So if the peel company, if they're buying, like if somebody's buying peels from us, which they do, if they buy peels from us, we tell them, okay, you want to make sure that your people are doing this, this, this, and this.

Yes.

And you know, if they're not, so those are like, obviously items that we would encourage them to sell on their store shelf.

Yes.

Or at least make sure that the customer is using, you know, a melanin inhibitor and a retinoid or something like that, you know, for four weeks before they peel. A lot of places aren't concerned about that. They're just concerned about getting you in on the table and cashing out.

Yeah.

You know, they don't care if you come back and get another one. They don't care.

Yeah.

They just want to get it done. And like, we're very different in that aspect. We want to make sure that you have a good experience and you don't have more problems than you walked in the door with.

Absolutely. And that is where Peel University is really going to help educate them and give them the tools they need. Even if they're not doing the at-home peels, even if they're going to an esthetician for services, you need to be educated either way. Either way.

And we send our estheticians through that same thing, too. When they come to us asking, that's where we go through Peel University.

Yep.

You will learn so much. And if you have any other questions, then they can reach out. And I don't know that they really do, after the fact. Just specific, very, very specific, case-by-case.

Sometimes, yeah, I was just going to say, they'll call me sometimes with case-by-case scenarios, which is fine. I mean, we love helping them because we want them to have good results with their clients as well.

Yeah. Yeah.

All right. Well, if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out at support@platinumskincare.com if you want to email.

Yeah. Or you can visit our Platinum Skin Care Guru group on Facebook, join 47,000 other members, see their stories and photos, and post your questions. I'm in there every day also to help.

Yeah. Or you can phone us at 1-800-917-3155.

Yeah. We'll see you there.