Happy Monday!
I wanted to give you another update on my skin journey with Jennifer Clower at Lustre Skin Boutique in the West Loop. As well as some show you some photos of her space! She has the cutest office located on Lake and Morgan in the West Loop of Chicago. If you ever do start getting treatments with her she is located within 100 feet of the Morgan Green Line stop. It is so convenient for anyone taking public transportation. She also has a parking spot located in the back and there is free street parking.
Since My First Treatment:
It’s been six weeks since Jennifer and I started working together to get a regime in place for my skin. If you missed my first post, you can catch up here on the beginning of my treatments and thirty one years of skin issues I have been struggling with. On my first appointment we focused mainly on cleansing my skin and extractions. I had a breakout after, which usually happens to my skin after extractions because you are basically bringing everything to the surface. These photos were taken a couple weeks after that first treatment. I noticed on my back some more breakouts as well but am hopeful for those to fade over time.
After we took these photos I had a chemical peel done to my face and my back. When you scroll down we will get more into the process of the chemical peel and some at home photos I took during the peeling process. Right now I am really happy with what has improved, but there is still more that I would like to see. I just have to keep telling myself that this is going to take time! I trust Jennifer so much with my skin and I know she has a lot more knowledge than I do. Patience is key!
Prior to and During the Treatment:
I currently use a Retin A in my skin care routine and a lightening serum that I got from Jennifer. Make a note before you have a treatment like this to stop any of those topical products 7-10 days prior. Make sure to consult with your esthetician before as well so they know what you are currently using and to provide you with the best advice on when you should stop those products. Stacy was able to join me for this appointment and learn more about skincare and the treatment itself. Jennifer cleansed my skin and then we started with a Jessner peel. Which is a mild peeling agent that smooths and rejuvenates skin, that helps to treat mild to severe acne, discoloration, moderate wrinkling, and sun damage. All of the things that I need help with! Jennifer did six rounds of the treatment. She watches my skin to make sure its not reacting in a harsh way, while asking me what my pain level from a 1-10 was. It burns, but she helps to heal some discomfort with a fan. I probably got to round five before I really started to feel the pain from it. This will differ for everyone. It’s going to depend on how your skin reacts and your pain tolerance! I have had peels before so I had an idea of what to expect. Plus beauty is pain haha! Once the treatment was over my skin felt tight and was a little flushed, just like it looks after a good workout. Jennifer gave me some moisturizer samples to take home and reminded me how important it was for me to wear sunscreen and to stay out of the sun! Remember you are going to shed layers or skin, your skin is going to be sensitive and you don’t want to spend too much time in the sun.
Post Treatment Peeling:
I have had chemical peels in the past, but I have never peeled to the degree that I did after this treatment. I probably get asked the most questions around what the peeling process is like and what someone should expect. Remember I am not an esthetician, so I am just speaking from my own experience. Jennifer told me that I would probably start peeling within two to three days post treatment. I had the treatment on Thursday and by Saturday I started to notice major peeling. The day after the treatment my skin was really tight and I had these crazy lines in my face, but it was from the treatment so nothing I was worried about. I knew my skin was getting ready to peel.
On Saturday morning my skin felt the same. I went to a workout class and I could just feel during the class that something was happening with my skin. Sure enough when I looked in the mirror after class, I literally looked like I aged 60 years haha. Stacy, our friend Sam and I were in a group chat. I texted them “Just a forewarning my skin is sooo disgusting. It’s shriveling like old lady skin from my chemical peel.” To which Stacy replied “Prove it.” haha. That photo is below, post workout and in the grocery store.
After I took a warm shower then my skin on my face started to peel like crazy. I had never seen anything like this before, I couldn’t believe it and was shocked it didn’t hurt that bad! One thing I read and Jennifer also told me was to not pick at the skin prematurely. You can cause other majoring scarring that can take longer to get rid of. It was extremely hard not to. I let it naturally fall off or I would buff it with my towel after I got out of the shower. My skin felt a little tender during the peel process so I would use my ice roller to help calm the rednesses and just to relieve any discomfort.
That evening I was going to our friend Sam’s for a cook off and I was mortified. I felt like I looked like a freak and everyone was going to be staring at my skin. Someone said to me ” You been out in the sun a lot Maria?” and he was joking around because he had asked people what happened to my face. I can laugh about it now, but in that moment I literally wanted to grab my jacket and run out. My face was peeling off and it did look weird. I would be chatting with a stranger or someone i’ve met a handful of times and would say “Hi Nice to meet you, I just had a chemical peel this is why my face looks like this!”. When in all reality why did I care so much? Most of those people are my good friends or I see often so they know that is not what I always look like. The others are people I see every couple of months or once a year.
Moral of the story is, if you ever get a chemical peel done and you too will be embarrassed to go out I would find some time when you don’t have a lot going on. Plan to have it done on a Thursday and enjoy your weekend at home relaxing while your skin peels! Also something to note your skin will get darker before it gets lighter.
The next day we also had a photoshoot scheduled with Hannah. There was one major part of my face that didn’t peel yet and that was under my eye. Thank god for sunglasses, I wore those during the whole shoot. The skin under my eye was really peeling and almost looked black and blue underneath. My skin was also still tight, so it was a lot harder for me to smile! About a week after the peel, that’s when I really started to notice the glow. My pores on my nose were smaller, some of the discoloration on my skin had faded and even the texture on my skin was improving. All I need to see is progress to keep this going. I definitely have noticed that, so we are moving in the right direction!
For my next appointment with Jennifer we will be focusing on Micro needling! Stay tuned and always check out our instagram stories and highlights, I do more updates there! Thanks for following along. Have a great rest of your week!
