If you’re looking into getting a facial treatment like a chemical peel or have found yourself wondering what DOES actually help acne in terms of treatments and nutrition, keep reading!
I’m going to be honest, acne is something I’ve struggled with for most of my life. It may not be TERRIBLE at this point now, but my skin is definitely still a little troubled at times, even at 25 🙂
Last week I decided to treat myself with a facial treatment and went into Massage Envy to get the chemical peel they suggested. I had so many of my friends ask questions about it after telling them about my service, that I thought some of you would be interested in hearing about it too!
Now if you have skin that is perfect… maybe this wouldn’t be beneficial for you. But if you’ve had issues with acne (current or past), have wrinkles, lines, or any signs of aging (hello basically everyone, right?)… you may want to consider reading further 🙂
Why Facial Treatments Are Important
The Massage Envy esthetician was not only sweet, but very knowledgable as I asked her question after question out of curiosity. I learned that your skin is constantly changing. And the only way to keep up is with constant care!
Here are a few things I learned about facial treatments.
Chemical Peels can help:
- Improve surface texture, fine lines and overall signs of aging and the sun.
- Reduce skin inflammations, acne marks and hyperpigmentation for a more even skin tone.
- Brighten and tighten your skin for a more youthful, glowing appearance.
Advanced Treatments Versus Facials?
I’ve had many normal facials in my past, but I had never had a more advanced treatment like this chemical peel. What was different about this one in my opinion?
During: A normal facial has always been pretty relaxing to me, with the occasional discomfort from getting those blackheads out. Before the chemical peel, I was warned it may burn, and that she would go in round up to 5. I must have a high pain tolerance, because I barely felt a thing until the last time around!
After: Right after the chemical peel, my face felt pretty similar to the past times that I have had a normal facial. My face was a little red, and it felt extremely soft yet a little stiff.
All in all, the process is completely different between the two, however despite thinking the chemical peel might hurt a lot more or leave me looking terrible after, it didn’t!
Does diet affect acne? What can help?
This was a question I had for her. Because honestly, I’m one of those that have researched every “natural remedy to fight acne”, and have heard a lot of people say they avoid chocolate or limit dairy because it causes acne.
But to my surprise, my esthetician let me in on a secret. That just like how people’s nutrition and training plans are individualized when I coach them… people’s skin are all very different and everyone has different reactions to foods. Just like how I know as a dietitian that a cookie cutter diet wouldn’t help everyone in their weight loss goals, she told me that no specific diet would be great for everyone in terms of fighting off acne. It really comes down to watching how your face/skin personally responds to different things you’re doing and eating.
It made a lot of sense when she put it that way, because you all know how I’m always saying there is no 1-size-fits-all. And all my clients very well know that none of their plans will look the same, because every person in an individual, and reacts best to different things.
So bottom line: there’s no MUST NOT foods, when it comes to fighting acne. You have to figure out what works best for you body, and think outside the box if other things could be causing it. She even shared how months after switching detergents, she realized that was the cause of her acne arising! Something I never would have thought about!
Another thing is making sure your makeup brushed are clean and that any face towels are kept in a clean area of the bathroom. Oh and picking your face… a big no no.
How My Treatment Went: The Process
Getting There:
Once I arrived at Massage Envy, I was brought over to a couch to fill out a brief intake form with the lady to record any relevant health history, current and past skin care treatments and services, as well as my skin concerns and goals.
Pre/During My Chemical Peel:
I was brought to a peaceful, private room, and my esthetician soon arrived and allowed me to get comfortable, reminding me to remove my necklace. She then did a skin analysis on my face, gave me a brief overview of my skin condition, and then began the chemical peel treatment which consists anywhere from 1-5 passes of what feels like painting on something to your face with a brush. I didn’t have any pain, so she did all 5.
After:
I was brought out to the waiting room, and given both some water and my post-treatment package of a 7-10 day supply of facial care products. My face felt pretty tight, almost like I had a face mask on, and was a little red. I was told it was recommended not to put anything on my face for the next 24 hours in terms of make up, or let much brush against my face (she asked if I had pets or kids that may do this haha).
2 Weeks After:
I’m about 2 weeks out from this chemical peel as I finish writing this blog post, and I wanted to end the post with how my face currently feels!
All my skin on my face did NOT peel off like I thought it might. Only the red areas on my face from past acne turned a bit brown. I actually went on vacation a few days after! My makeup now goes on better, and I feel a lot better about not wearing make up, then I did pre-treatment 🙂
All in all, I have to say it’s 5 days post treatment, and I definitely see a difference in terms of my pores and current acne! My red spots from past acne have also gone down a little, but I think I’ll need more treatments to get them all completely away.
So now let me ask you:
- Do you have any questions about any of this?
- Have you found any remedies for your skin that you’d like to share?
Hope you liked this chemical peel review with Massage Envy!