Several people have asked me for more information about the Obagi Blue Peel. There are questions like, “Is there redness afterward?” and “Is there any down time?” Let me explain what happens with the Blue Peel. Bright blue acid is painted on your face, burning similarly to the time I grabbed the cookie sheet right of the oven with my bare hand and screamed for a solid five minutes before my neighbor arrived with a bottle of soy sauce (believe it not), which toned down the pain to a throbbing intensity of 8 on a scale of one to ten.
Depending on the hideousness of your skin, more than one layer is painted on, each one creating even more pain than the last, while you suffer with only a small rotary fan pointed at your face for relief between layers. The condition of my skin was apparently hideous enough to require four excruciating layers of acid.
The number of layers of acid painted on determines the layers of skin that come off over the next four or five days. With four layers painted on my face, my skin (nearly down to the bone) was to peel off in disgusting sheets that hung from my jaws like old, dried wallpaper. As disgusting as the peeling was, it was a welcome relief, since the blue color stays on the skin, creating the look of a giant, skin-shedding Smurf.
Early in the molting process I forgot my condition when I drove up to the drive through window for a soda. The cashier at the window literally froze, holding my drink in mid-air, too terrified to hand me my order. My children were gripped with uncontrollable laughter every time they looked at me, and my assistant at work followed me around, begging me to let her pull the flaps of skin off. As much as I would have loved to let her rid me of the unsightly crumpled sheets hanging from my jowels, I had been warned that peeling off the skin could leave nasty scars.
As with all procedures, the amount of time I was told this would take was roughly half as long as the entire process actually took.It was embarrassingly unsightly, a terrible inconvenience, and way more painful than I could have imagined.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. When layer after layer of dead smurfy snakeskin had peeled away, a brand new, smooth-as-a-baby’s butt, radiant skin was revealed. Fine lines around my eyes were gone, my skin was tight, pores were invisible and even the bags under my eyes had all but disappeared.
The most visible results lasted nearly a year, at a cost of just a few hundred dollars. The smoothness and even skin tone have lasted ever since the procedure was done three years ago. Like all good things, there was certainly a price to pay for the dramatic results achieved with the Blue Peel.
There was pain, temporary disfigurement, and several days of healing – a lot like childbirth. But like childbirth, the rewards were so great that the discomfort is soon forgotten. Like every procedure you consider, ask lots of questions before making the commitment. And be prepared for the process to take longer and feel worse than what they tell you.
Oh THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I'm 27 and I've been wanting to get this procedure done for the last year. I'm such a chicken. I got freaked out by other comments made on the net about the peel not working and it's a waste of money, yada yada yada.. I'm scared of being scarred for life or disfigured. My skin has been developing a slight "orange skin" like texture. Most people don't notice it but of course I do. I've never wore foundation and I don't think I ever can. It feels awful and never looks natural on me. My pores are getting larger and every time I look at my daughter's beautiful skin I want to cry. I don't have any wrinkles but my skin texture is really getting to me. Thank you sooo much for your entry. You'll never know how much help it was to me. I've decided to bite the bullet. Sorry I'm rambling.. Thanks! XoXoXo
Posted by: connie | October 26, 2006 at 07:53 PM