How to Get Rid of Scars

GA lovers rejoice, March 6, 2009

I started off using a 10% GA wash the last couple of years. After the trouble w/ my skin started to escalate, I searched for something new. I tried the 70% Lactic Acid Peel w/ horrible results, possibly due to my inexperience w/ that type of acid. Then I tried 35% GA, and was very pleased. Since I am accustom to GA I have used the peel every other day, never exceeding 5 mins. My recent face explosion and marks, formed before starting GA peels, are quickly fading, but of course not fast enough. Since I saw this working I decided to add the 50% to my routine once a week.

If you are use to 35% GA, you should be okay w/ the next step up. I actually felt less tingling w/ the 50% than the 35%. The consistency was a little more liquidity than the 35% as well. This definitely boosted skin turnover and healing for me. I need to also note that this company produces their peels w/ a lower PH level than recommended. I am unsure how this affects my skin overall, but I have not had any negative results w/ it in any case.

I have only seen my skin get better, since using these products. However, I suggest resisting the compulsion to overuse them. The ill effects of sensitivity & skin thinning will ensue if you misuse them. Also, be careful not to over exfoliate the forehead, since it already has the least amount of padding on the face.

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Fantastic product/results for this male user, December 9, 2009

By 

Menthol Rum (Los Angeles, CA United States) – See all my reviews

  

I started off with the Glycolic Acid 35% Gel Peel, 30ml (Professional) and it did well. I only switched to the higher concentration as I seemed to get used to the 35% and wanted to try the stronger product. The 50% has done equally well for me as the 35%, I just use it for a little less time.

I originally bought this to use on a surgery scar on my body with hopes of lessening the scar’s appearance. I have a few scars on my face that I didn’t even think of using it on, as they are small and have faded a bit. I’m just used to them. I have finished the 35% and now I am several uses in using the 50% the fine scars are seriously faded and are difficult to see. I never thought this would be possible.

I have applied the 50% 4 times in the last month. I left it on longer each time (as I did with the 35%) and I did follow up with lotion, which is necessary, no question. It burns (like a very strong tingle?) just like the 35%, but it comes on faster and needs less time on my skin. The 35% made an enormous difference in my skin, the 50% is continuing the improvement. The scars are much much much fainter, my skin is less oily and it is more even colored. I wasn’t in bad shape before, but the change is enough that my male friends are noticing and asking what I did. I have shared this with them and one tried it with good result.

Read the instructions! Guys, do not use just after shaving or if you have cuts. Ow! Ow! Ow! One time I had a cut from shaving and I used this. The cut burned and as the skin was broken, I should have waited for the cut to heal, but I’m not that bright. Anyway, I had some spots where I had the cut, but they disappeared in few days. If anyone else has this happen, don’t freak out. If you have any open skin from a cut or scratch, this will *really* burn and temporarily discolor the broken skin.

Now I like to look my best and I can’t believe how well this works. My skin is clear, smooth, less oily and just looks good. I look young anyway, but this really impressed me. I am not a user of this type of product and never knew something like this even existed. We are all different and have different skin, but I have a medium complexion and my skin tends to be on the sensitive side. I haven’t had more than 1 pimple since using this. I don’t get a lot, but more than I had been getting.

Other reviewers have given some good tips and I will be another voice in the chorus that says what a great product and results this has given me. I plan to stop for a while to see how long this lasts, but for having my skin look great and youthful, this is worth each of the five stars.

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It works!!!, September 26, 2009

I’d been using this product once a week for four or so weeks. I didn’t realize it was working till my best friend saw me after I had began treatment and was like WOW your acne scars are gone. I am soooo happy. Now if someone can recommend a chemical peel for stretch marks that would be great!!!!

I wish these guys would also sell Glycolic Acid 75%. After my boyfriends praises, I placed an order for 75% (for some scars on my body) through Cellbone Technology.

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So Far So Good!, September 25, 2009

I’ll start off with saying that I bought the 35 glycolic peel for my acne and was able to leave it on for 10 minutes (with little to no pain at all) and I applied it every three days. I honestly didn’t see much as far as results so I ordered the BHA+.

I just applied it about half an hour ago for the first time and thought I would give anyone an idea of my first experience with it.

WOW! Much stronger. It felt like it was burning my face off. From the time I started applying to my forehead until the time I started rinsing it off was probably an even 60 seconds. Very painful. It took a lot of rinsing until the burning was just a stinging. I patted my face dry and it was pretty red and still stinging but that all went away within 2 minutes. Even though my face didn’t look clearer (obviously blemishes can’t disappear that quickly lol), my skin looks more even. Right now my face feels good. I applied a light moisturizer and it doesn’t feel dry at all.

Maybe other people don’t have such a sensitive reaction to the BHA+ like I did but I feel like I can put up with under 5 minutes of torture if it will clear my skin. Hopefully it will be worth the trouble!

I will update again in a few weeks to let you all know how it works in the long run. I just felt like this might be important for anyone considering purchasing the product to know what the actual process is like rather than just the results.

UPDATE!

I have been using this product religiously since I first bought it, applying it every 7-10 days. I still haven’t seen much improvement overall, but I think it does help a little bit. It almost seems like the pimples themselves are smaller. They are less numerous but I still definitely have acne and there hasn’t been a day that I’ve even been close to having clear skin.

I’ve been able to leave it on for longer and I always leave it on for 5-6 minutes. It does dry out my skin and I’ve been needing to use a light moisturizer every day but this is a good thing because I’ve never been able to use moisturizer. I live in a really dry area too and since it’s winter, it’s especially dry.

I do think that overall my skin has improved, but this product hasn’t been a miracle worker for me. I’ve been noticing though that I think since I live in a dry area, it really contributes to my acne as well because whenever I go on vacation to a humid place, my face clears up immensely. I’m moving to Hawaii in about 6 months so maybe with this product combined with some humidity to keep my face moisturized, I will improve. If so, I’ll update on here again because it may be helpful to anyone who does live in a more humid environment. It’s funny how the place you live can influence your skin!

I think that for anyone with difficult skin, this product is without a doubt worth trying. I’m sure that once I run out I’ll buy it again because it does help me more than anything else I’ve used.

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very good for oily skin, July 9, 2010

By 

B. Hartford “Save the Cheetahs!” (Massachusetts – United States) – See all my reviews

  

I have been using this peel for a couple of months now and REALLY love it! I have tried the Glycolic and Lactic acids previously but this is by far stronger and gives me far quicker and definitive results. I am almost 49 and still have very oily skin (little acne though) – I think this product is far better for us oily-skinned folks who really battle with clogged pores and excessive oil especially in the warmer months. The stinging on my forehead is quite intense, but I have not suffered any ill effects because of it. A few minutes is more than enough for me and I can see immediate results – I highly recommend this product for those with very oily skin and also any accompanying lines and soft wrinkles.

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Immediate Effects!!, April 22, 2010

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Elizabeth Wong (Austin, TX) – See all my reviews

  

I am 20 years old and have had stubborn acne since I was in middle school. I tend to have oil-prone skin around my forehead, nose and cheeks. My forehead and nose tend to stay clear most of the time (although my nose does have little blackheads, but nothing that I distress much about). What I distress most about are the acne and post-acne scars and pigmentation (what I have are red to brown spots) on my cheeks and temples. I have tried using Pro-Active, Vitamin E creams, Aloe Vera, Tea Tree oil, home remedies such as: oatmeal+cinnamon+honey, lemon juice…but nothing seemed to make my acne or scars disappear.

Today was my first day using the Peel. Within the first few seconds of applying the peel on I felt the stinging/burning sensation that people have been talking about. I left the peel on for about 1.5 minutes and washed it off with lots and lots of cold water. Even during washing the peel off with cold water I still felt the stinging, but after immediately applying a moisturizer (I’m using Neutrogena Healthy Defense daily moisturizer with SPF 30) my skin felt normal with a little bit of redness around my cheeks.

Within 30 minutes after using the product I saw immediate shrinkage in the size of my 3 huge pimples on my cheeks and my skin seems to be more smooth. I also have a smaller pimple on my other cheek and that seemed to have almost shrunk completely.

I will post an update after my second trial.

2nd Update:

The second application of the Peel did not sting as much as the first time, but nevertheless still stung a little bit. It has been about 15 minutes after washing off the Peel and the huge whitehead I had on my cheek has completely dried out and shrunk in size. My face isn’t nearly as red after washing off the product the second time around. Applying the moisturizer really soothes the skin afterwards.

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Review from African-American, July 5, 2011

I am writing this review because I have hardly seen any reviews from African-Americans using TCA peels and it was very frustrating for me. I bought this product blindly and through desperation. I have had discoloration on my face for as long as I remember. My nose and forehead is several shades lighter than the rest of my face. This has made me very self conscious about my appearance. I have tried everything I could think of. NOTHING has worked for me to lighten my skin. I started to research chemical peels. I bought glycolic acid (70%). It didn’t peel my skin, but It did make some acne go away. That’s really all it did, I was a bit disappointed. I started to research TCA peels and saw that people with dark skin shouldn’t use it. I did anyway and boy am I glad I did! I did my peel on a Wednesday night. The next day almost ALL my acne was gone!! I was on Accutane for six months about two years ago and even though it got rid of most of my acne, I still had some stubborn spots on my cheeks, nose, and the skin between my lips and chin. I followed the directions to the T. I frosted well on the first pass. It did burn, but I read a book in that time to keep my mind off the burning. I left it on for about four minutes, then rinsed for about two minutes. It still burned bad, so I got some baking soda, and put it on my face. After that, it stopped burning. Like I said, the next day most of my acne was gone, but I was still kind of skeptical since my glycolic acid did the same thing, but I noticed this time was different because my skin looked really leathery and shiny. It also looked very dry as well. On Friday, same thing, I started to peel a tiny bit around my nose. I anticipated that because around my nose peels more than anywhere else. On Saturday, I started to PEEL. I looked like a snake shedding its skin. I know I shouldn’t have picked at it, but I did because I was around people. I went to the beach, and put TONS of sunscreen on. On Sunday, I peeled even more. I mean, my skin was REALLY coming off. No matter what kind of moisturizer I put on my face, it looked very dry and you could see the peeling. The only thing that made my face look presentable was Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Lotion 8.4 fl oz (250 ml). It has AHA in it (the directions that the peel came with said not to use anything with AHA in it), but I had to. Nothing else made my face look remotely good to go out in public and I was around a lot of people this weekend. On Monday I peeled. Today is Tuesday and I’m still peeling. So far, I am loving what I see. My skin is much, much smoother. There are places on my face where my old skin hasn’t peeled yet and I compare the new skin with the old and the discoloration is much lower! The new skin is lighter than the old. What I’m going to do is use a hydroquinone cream (2%) for about six weeks and see if my skin will lighten. If not, then I will do the TCA peel again and try the cream again. Some things to note: FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. I’m sure if you don’t you will mess up your skin severely. Next: USE GLOVES. I didn’t, and my finger tips are peeling as well. Next: USE SUNSCREEN WHEN OUTSIDE. Don’t want to mess up your skin again. Next: MAKE SURE YOU HIDE FROM PEOPLE FOR AT LEAST A WEEK. Or at least use a cream that will hide the peeling if you can because boy, oh, boy you will look UGLY during the process. Next: MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOUISTERIZE!! Also, SUNSCREEN IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. Cannot stress that enough. Overall, I am VERY satisfied with the results. I am very glad that I didn’t have to spend a fortune because I was going to buy Kojic acid if the TCA didn’t work, and that is about 0+ dollars. I am poor college student haha

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Not for everyone…, May 12, 2010

This product does what it claims. That being said, for those of you wanting a more youthful appearance, please be forewarned that these types of treatments are not for the faint at heart. You can damage your skin if you don’t take care in what you are doing. If you have never indulged in this type of treatment I strongly suggest you start with a lower strength (preferably 12%) to experience your skin’s worthiness to the peel’s strength. Better safe than sorry…this is one place where more is not better…be patient. Follow the instructions and also review other blogs pertaining to others who have used treatments of this type. I accomplished what I was looking forward to and that was eliminating dark spots and minimizing fine lines and wrinkles through a scheduled maintenance plan.

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Better than expected!, July 16, 2010

I had to share my experience because I was so surprised at how strong this product is! I had a peel done at a medical spa last year for eight-hundred dollars. I was excited, and for that price, was sorely disappointed. The doc was supposed to do the peel, but instead her two technicians performed it, and honestly, it is so easy to do, a monkey could do it. I guess they had difficulty getting me to “frost”, because they had to do many layers, and told me I must have “thick skin”. The stuff smelled like lighter fluid gone bad, face kind of felt like they lit the lighter fluid for a few minutes, and then the pain went away.

They slathered me in Aquaphor, and told me to keep it that way for a few days. Anyway, I was told my skin would crack, and major peeling would go on, could not lay on my side for two nights in case my skin stuck to the pillow,on and on. I did sleep on my back, and did what they said, and after about three days, I peeled like I had had a bad sunburn, but nothing dramatic, and no cracking. My skin was noticibly smoother, and looked better, but I did not feel like it looked eight-hundred dollars better.

So I felt like it was time for another, but no way was I spending that kind of money. I found skin forums online and read people’s experiences with the at home product, and decided to give it a go, the price is so good!

So, I prepped my skin by washing with a mild cleanser, and I have a rotating brush device, so with the enclosed complimentary crystals (very nice, by the way), I went over my face with the crystals and cleanser, and then used my hands to get all over. I rinsed, and then did a cotton ball pass with alcohol to remove any oil. Then, I started a pass with the peel product. Already, I notice it does not smell strong, and I became skeptical. But, a few seconds went by, and the burning let me know it was the real deal. I frosted on the second pass, and felt like that was enough and rinsed with the cool water. The burning fades quickly. I am very red all over, and my face looks just like it did from my spa experience. I am covered in an antibiotic ointment, and will use that and vaseline for a few days. I will see how it goes, but so far, the experience is identical, while the price is not!

As the other user said, this is not for everyone. I would recommend it for someone who has had the peel professionaly so they know what to expect. Good Luck!

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