the obagi blue radiance chemical peel

On Friday, I am going to do my second Obagi Blue Radiance Chemical Peel, so I thought this would be a great time to recap my first one.  This peel is not to be mistaken with their original Blue peel, which literally turns your face blue.

The Blue peel is a moderately deep peel which requires a total recovery of about two weeks.  The radiance peel, the one I did, however, is considered a 'lunchtime peel' with little to no downtime.  I scheduled my appointment for a Friday afternoon and planned on being a hermit all weekend while my skin recovered just in case.

Above me is a picture of me before, with absolutely no makeup.  You can see lots of acne scarring and discoloration.

And another, for your viewing pleasure!

When I got to the doctor's office, I washed my face and an activator was applied.  Then, the peel was applied.  I was given a small fan to point to my face to decrease the burning of the peel.  While it felt slightly uncomfortable, I was never in a great deal of pain.  The fan did help, but I honestly think I could have gone without it.

Here is a picture of my face during the peel.  They call the white a 'frost,' which really was a perfect description.  After the peel was over, after about 10 minutes, moisturizer was applied, and that was it!  I was expecting them to wash my face, but the peel is self-deactivating, which is nice.

This is a picture of me in the car (at a stop light, don't worry) on the way home from the peel.  My cheeks are red, and the feeling was similar to a wind burn.

This is a picture of me when I got home a few hours later.  My cheeks were the only area where I felt any discomfort, and it was only slight.  I was so amazed.  K and I went to dinner that night; no being a hermit for me.

Here is a picture of my a week later.  I don't know if you can tell, but my skin is brighter and the scarring had almost disappeared.  I experienced the most drastic peeling on my cheeks.

I would definitely recommend this peel to anyone.  It IS slightly pricey (I paid $125), but the effects last MUCH longer than a facial, which can be similar in cost depending on where you go.