<p>As years of childhood & teen (can you say baby oil & iodine) comes home to roost with extra pigment on our faces, has any one tried any of the fancy products? Retin A? Hydroquinone? AHA?</p>
<p>Anything bad or good to report?</p>
<p>Prices?</p>
<p>I don’t want to reply this thread, other people will know what I did. Ha, PM you !</p>
<p>I was thinking of getting some IPL treatments, which is like a gentle laser.</p>
<p>I had a facial peel about 8 years ago to try to help my acne. It was done by a esthetician. It dried out my skin so it looked like I had a mild burn. I picked the dried skin off and that left pink skin visible (I am a coffee colored black woman) that took months to get back to my normal color. I was not pleased!</p>
<p>I have now been using RetinA .025% for a month as prescribed by a doctor. Because I still have acne, my insurance will pay for it. Thus far, I haven’t had the awful results that I had with the facial peel. However, I haven’t seen any results at all. However, I hear that one usually gets results in 6 months. </p>
<p>At 58, I have only a few light wrinkles, but I’m hoping that the RetinA will prevent more wrinkles and decrease the few that I have. Time will tell…</p>
<p>I started using RetinA after meeting a white woman who at 70 had absolutely beautiful skin – no wrinkles at all, something that is very unusual for fair skinned people who are middle aged or older. She told me that she has been using RetinA for years.</p>
<p>I have rosacea (:()—diagnosed three years ago. My skin is now so sensitive that I’d be afraid to even consider a chemical peel. Along with the patches of melasma that rode in with menopause, I can’t seem to win for losing…</p>
<p>There are many “facial peels” these days- light to very strong, one time applications or a series of treatments- depends on what you need and what you can afford. Also, the field is constantly changing, so check that you have the latest info. A lot of lasers work under the first layer of skin these days, faster recovery. Also, Singapore and Bangkok are on the cutting edge in these procedures.</p>
<p>But after all the $$$ is spent, it still comes down to being a slave to hats and sunscreens! </p>
<p>Something to think about- some of the strong lasers that take over a week to recover from reduce your chance of skin cancer- which if you have been active out doors and lax about skin care is a good reason a procedure.</p>
<p>Ditto poetsheart. I have Rosacea also. I have had it for several years. The good thing is I have figured most of my triggers so my face is not usually too lobster red and not actually raw sore like it was a few years back. Mostly somewhat under control except for my nose which seems more sensitive than the rest of my face (think Rudolph). I have been trying to be good about remembering to take the doxycycline (sticking with generic from wallyworld for $10 for 3 months, the oracea was way too high) regularly which does help.</p>
<p>I don’t think I would dare try anything like a face peel. Last time I used the wrong type of sunscreen I actually looked like I had been burned. Sort of like NorthstarMom’s face sounds after the peel. Ouch Northstarmom.</p>
<p>A friend has a daughter who’s a plastic surgeon. She did some kind of peel on her sisters and mother. I think it took much longer to recover from it than they’d expected. Maybe the sisters were too young–early 30s–but they didn’t think they’d be doing it again any time soon.</p>
<p>If you don’t have overly sensitive skin, I’m sure it wouldn’t be too bad to try one of the chemical peels (and let us know how it goes!). Just be sure you have a good week afterwards where you don’t have to look good for anything.</p>
<p>I have been told to plan for about 2-3 weeks when you would not want to see clients :D</p>
<p>I just started IPL. “Gentle” isn’t how I would describe it. But it is endurable and doesn’t hurt afterwards, although there was swelling.</p>
<p>I also use a Retinol product every night or every other night to smooth and rejuvenate my skin. I started using it a few years ago after seeing a dermatologist for a prescription. A small tube was over $100 - not covered by insurance, nor is the appointment. Now, I buy an OTC version from Skinceuticals for $60 a tube - and it seems just as effective. I think it has made my skin look younger and healthier. I don’t have acne scars or any major problems, but it seems to make a big difference. Occasionally, I will notice flaking along my hairline and more sensitivity when I apply moisturizer, so I skip the Retinol for a day or two.</p>
<p>I have done Microdermabrasion with chemical peel. It resurfaces my skin then applies chemical peel. My skin feels baby soft and glows after the treatment.</p>
<p>D1 has done microdermabrasion and it helps with acne scar on her face.</p>
<p>I use generic Retin-A about 3 times a week. Any more than that and it is too drying. You should use a water based moisturizer when using it, NOT an oil based one as those will burn your face. My parents buy me the Retin-A in Mexico for about $10 a tube, depending on the exchange rate. I think it evens out my overall skin tone and smooths the fine lines.</p>
<p>I had done home made TCA peels. It’s not for the faint hearted though. I use very good sunscreens and find that helps a lot. I would like to have my saggy eye lids done but I need to wait for the kids to graduate and be self supporting first.</p>
<p>From talking to my dermatologist, it is important to desensitize the skin and apply a small amount (size of a pea) of Retin A every three days or so, gradually increasing to once per day or every other day. </p>
<p>I had a cycle of microdermabrasion several years ago and it was wonderful - my skin looked and felt smooth and rejuvenated. I had 8 treatments spaced about a week apart. No downtime at all. I should do it again.</p>
<p>I got a chemical peel once. Skin was rosy and a bit sensitive afterward. No lasting effect. </p>
<p>I use “Help Me” every night…a retinol product I order from Amazon. ($45). Works great. Has faded some of those awful age spots and my skin looks great. Someone asked me the other day about what I did to have such nice skin…so I guess it’s working. One of the biggest things though is to use sunscreen and limit sun time. Just look at the older women in Florida…</p>
<p>Gourmetmom - based on your discriminating tastes in cooking and handbags, I may try Skinceuticals! </p>
<p>I would also like to know more about IPL - I am a little wary to say the least.</p>
<p>Worknprogress -</p>
<p>Here’s the link:</p>
<p>[SkinCeuticals</a> | Correct](<a href=“http://www.skinceuticals.com/_us/_en/catalog/correct.aspx]SkinCeuticals”>http://www.skinceuticals.com/_us/_en/catalog/correct.aspx)</p>
<p>I went right to the Retinol 1.0. because I used a prior prescription and my skin could handle the more concentrated formulation. Normally, they suggest the .50 first. The Skinceuticals cream seems not as strong as the prescription Retin A Micro, but it goes on more evenly, so I think that I may use slightly less product.</p>
<p>I’ve had microdermabrasion and chemical peels. I’ve found that they’ve been helpful in removing age/sun spots and leaving my skin looking and feeling great. The chemical peel results in a few days where your skin looks awful and it’s hard to hide it. After that, your skin begins to peel (looks like a bad sunburn). One’s tendency is to help the peeling skin come off, but that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do. I also had several laser treatments for removal of spider veins and sun spots (IIRC you don’t use the same type of laser for both). The peel worked just as well as the laser for the sun spots–the laser worked magic with the spider veins–I had a small spider vein near my nose that drove me nuts–it’s gone and hasn’t returned!!! I stopped using a prescription Rentinova and have opted for Cosmedix Define (has L-Retinol that stimulates collagen production.) I also use sunscreen (Obagi 35SPF) all the time. Otherwise, all of the money spent on removing the sunspots is for naught.</p>
<p>Okay toneranger–you are my splurge of the day. Just went and ebayed some Help Me. I’ve never used a retinol product. Curious if I’ll notice any changes in the next few weeks. (BTW–any tips? I have fairly sensitive skin. Should I start out using it every night, or maybe every other night for a while or something?)</p>