Glycolic Peel and LED Light Treatment

I am always fascinated by news of  revolutionary beauty treatments that will revitalize my skin, renew my spirit and, most of all…make me look younger. My aesthetician, Paige, was loading me up with the Obagi Nu-Derm product line when she casually mentioned that I would be a perfect candidate for a Glycolic Peel and LED Light Treatment. Used in combination she assured me that they take years off your face – temporarily.

According to research, LED - or Red Light Therapy - has powerful therapeutic benefits to the skin. It is purported to even out skin tone, diminish age spots and encourage the production of collagen. Red Light Therapy has been used to treat race horses for soft tissue tears and, in humans, for headache relief – reason enough for me to jump on the treatment table. If it’s good enough for race horses…

The Glycolic Acid Peel tightens pores, reduces fine lines and makes the skin appear firmer – much like the LED Light Treatment. Used in combination the two promise more dramatic results. 

Paige prepared my skin by cleansing it thoroughly and applying Glycolic Acid evenly all over my face.  Then I simply lie down on a comfortable recliner for the 20 minute light therapy. I was taken back to the 60s, when my sister and spent hours lying under the sunlamp in our bedroom, wearing our plastic goggles and doing irreparable damage to our stratum corneum (I didn’t know what it meant either, but Paige explained that the strateum corneum is the outer layer of skin).

The major difference between baking under our home sunlamp and baking in the doctor’s office was that the LED light used in the procedure was so incredibly bright it almost hurt. After a few minutes of discomfort my eyes adapted and I was able to relax and try to pretend that I was lying on a beach, as Paige had suggested. I’m afraid Paige has a much better imagination than I, since I never actually derived any pleasure from the experience.

It took a few hours to realize the full results. I was ecstatic that we had plans to meet friends that night, so I could show off my new face. Nearly everyone who saw me commented on how wonderful my skin looked – it was absolutely glowing!

Alas, the improvement was fleeting. Within two days the results had diminished significantly. Paige tells me that repeated treatments will gain longer-term results. The cost is equal to a good spa facial, but that can add up if you have the procedure as often as recommended. For now I’m looking at the combined treatment as a great way to look fabulous for a really special occasion. But I’ll follow up with Paige’s patients who have repeated treatments to see if the results they get are more permanent.