First three days of combination peel and after

Hi,

I'm Diana and I'm creating this blog as I'm currently going through a combination facial peel to hopefully get rid of my wrinkles. I was pretty nervous about it beforehand and searched the web trying to find other peoples experiences and, apart from forums which I don't like very much, could find hardly any first hand accounts.  So here goes, I'm writing this as a diary to help other people who are thinking of having work done to their face.

Background 

I'm a fifty-one year old English woman who's been living in the South of France for 22 years.  I didn't take enough care of my skin in the sun in the early years, that and smoking gave me very marked lines around my mouth. I had also have lined, sagging jowls. I look older than my friends and began to get a complex when I was asked, fairly often, if I was their mother!  I have a fair complexion and am very blond, (although admittedly these days it comes out of a bottle!) so whether this adds to the 'old' appearance, I don't know.  Anyway earlier this year I decided to find out if I could do anything about it and made an appointment with the dermatologist.  I was told that the lines around my mouth were too deep for Botox or laser treatment and it would be better to have an Exopeel which is a deep phenol peel.  I was referred to a surgeon dermatologist who I saw in August and who advised me to have a combination peel, a medium TCA peel on the upper half of my face and a phenol peel around the mouth area.  This procedure is not done in the summer as you have to keep out of the sun for the first three months.  An appointment was made for January 2014. As I wasn't having the deep peel for the whole face I was informed it could be done at the practise rather than clinic which keeps the cost
down. The price 1200€.

Preparation

I was prescribed a cream which had 15% glyclolic acid, to prepare my skin.  You have to be prepared to be out of social contact for at least a week while the peel is on and possibly longer depending on 

the extent of the redness of your skin once it is taken off.  Shop for at least a week, I was advised high protein meal drinks but I didn't buy them. I made soup for the first few days and bought pots of puréed fruit, yogurts and ice cream.  I also bought soya chocolate drink for protein.  Get a decent mouth wash as you won't be able to clean your teeth and someone else will have to wash your hair backwards over the wash basin like in the hairdressers.

Day one

My skin was thoroughly cleaned and local anaesthetic was injected into my forehead and around my 

lips.  Then the dermatologist applied the TCA to the upper half of my face and the phenol around the
mouth. I had a little fan to use to cool my face as the TCA burns when it's put on but this sensation doesn't last long.  The phenol is the other way round, it starts burning progressively.  When all the products were on he applied a thick layer of moisturiser on the TCA and sticking plasters to the phenol.  This all took about an hour and we were chatting throughout.

At home the anaesthetic started to wear off and my face started to swell up.  This was the most 

difficult part and I had to take painkillers.  I'm told it depends on the person, some have pain all night and some experience hardly any. I think I was somewhere in the middle.  It felt like the worst sun burn I'd ever had but it stated getting less in the evening.  I had to apply special moisturiser to the TCA area throughout the day.

Photo taken on arriving home

Later that evening, face has swelled

I didn't eat anything until the evening when I attempted some soup.  I'd been told to drink plenty of water through a straw but I found it practically impossible to purse my swollen lips round a straw so I had to do without.  The soup was a challenge as the hole between my lips was very small! Don't attempt eating it when it's hot as your lips will be very sensitive.  You're told to sleep in a semi-upright postion and I did sleep but woke up quite a lot.

Day two

My face was even more swollen in the morning but I was in no pain just uncomfortable around the mouth, felt like ripping the plaster off myself!  So it was off to the dermatologist again.  I'd had quite a lot of weeping out of the plaster but he said this was normal and that everything was fine.  Then a
nurse cleaned all the phenol area, this was pretty sensitive on the top of my lip as that's where he'd put most of the product.  Then she applied a yellow sulphur powder which helps healing and I came home looking like this

Homer Simpson lookalike!

It took me 15 minutes to eat an apricot purée for breakfast when I still had the plaster on. I was told the swelling would gradually go down. I had soup and ice cream for lunch and by the afternoon I could force a malteser through the hole between my lips...heaven!  Dinner was puréed veg curry that I had in the fridge and more ice cream!  I slept much better, sure the worst is over.

Day three

Well this is today's photo.  As you can see the swelling's moved down into my neck.  I feel better in myself and decided to write this blog, first time I've ever done one.  So most of my day so far has been taken up with working out how to do it!  My lips are less swollen so it's easier to eat but still can't chomp properly so still on the soup and ice cream.  Am going to try guacamole and baked potato tonight, what a feast.  The yellow stuff"s drying out and it's tempting to pick it off but know I mustn't.  Still putting moisturiser on the upper face.  I shall post again tomorrow.

Day four

 

Not much to report today, TCA feeling tighter and phenol starting to crack and turn green.  Less swelling.

Day five

Feeling fine.  Decided to wash my hair as it was disgusting.  I can get the TCA area wet but not the mouth area so it was a bit tricky, half my head over the bath!  Feels a lot better now though and I managed to get the head of my electric toothbrush in my mouth and brush very delicately so I'm feeling more human.  The mouth mask is very crusty now and parts have started to drop off.  The dermatologist warned me this would happen and told me to put vaseline on the exposed areas.  The upper face is starting to peel slightly round the eyes. I'm cleaning it with sterile water and then putting special moisturiser on.  Eating's getting easier.

Day six

The TCA is starting to peel now and I'm losing more crusty bits of yellow powder, pretty revolting, feel very reptilian!  However it means I'm nearing the end.  The skin looks very smooth under the peel.  I'm losing my freckles with it which is a bit of a shame but I'm losing the wrinkles as well so it's worth it.  Am eating normally now.

Day seven

Very itchy today and a lot of the TCA has peeled off, not much of the powder hanging on either, can't wait 'til tomorrow when it comes off.  The skin is very red around the mouth but that's normal.  The finished result won't be until 2/3 months time when the skin has healed and made new cells.  A lot smoother than before the treatment though.

Day eight

No photo today I'm afraid.  Appointment with the dermatologist.  He was really pleased with the progress so far.  I thought he was going to take the remaining bits of green off but he just told me to keep putting vaseline on and it would drop off on its own. I am now allowed to shower properly and can use concealing make-up from Monday.  Strict instructions to always use sunscreen when going out.  I had a shower in the evening and all the remaining nasty bits came off.  It feels good to be rid of them!

Day nine

Feeling good.  My skin is so smooth it's amazing.  It's still very red around the mouth area but I can see that the lines have gone.  This really is a miraculous treatment, no surgery as such and no alteration to facial expressions.  The full result will be in a couple of months time.  I shall keep posting update photos until then.