Monday, September 15, 2008

Why are you wearing that mask, were you burned with acid or something?

I have been wearing SPF 70 sunscreen nearly everyday this summer. However, I lost it for a couple weeks and got way too much sun on my lunchtime walks. I feel really haggard and leathery - plus I have a freckle on my nose that Brian always tries to wipe off because he thinks it’s dirt.

So I did a little experiment to see if I could reverse the sun damage. I ordered an Alpha-Beta Peel from the Original Skin Store for $22 on Ebay. It consists of two steps: 10% salicylic acid and 40% glycolic acid. It was advertised as eliminating acne, fine lines and sun damage. I washed my faced and painted the salicylic on with a paintbrush and waited 3 minutes. It really stung so I spent those 3 minutes setting up a fan to blow on my face. Next came the glycolic painted over the first layer, that also stung but not as bad (or maybe I was used to it). I waited another 3 minutes then patted baking powder paste on my face because I couldn’t find the baking soda it called for. This neutralizes the acid, but the baking powder was a bit abrasive on freshly burnt skin. I put Aubrey organics moisturizer on and my face felt and looked pretty normal.

On your second to fourth day you are supposed to peel a little bit. It’s been two days and no sign of peeling yet. This is supposed to be mild enough that you can do it once a week. I will update you with the results once I’ve shed.

6 comments:

Lona said...

Wow, you have useful information on this blog. Can't wait to find out...

Hallie Jo said...

somehow i feel like this blog is sort of machiavellian...you are discussing "the principles of living well" as you say, and machiavelli was writing/discussing how to rule well...
eh. this is what happens when you have to read the prince over the summer and your teacher repeatedly brings machiavelli up in class.

Elle said...

OMg Princess bride NO WAY NOWAY ... i am distracted by pictures

Lynnis said...

Cary Elwes was the dreamiest, wasn't he? He's fat now :(

Emily said...

Wow Lynnis, what good information! Have you had any updates on your skin's progress? Living in Colorado (and having two kids, so I sometimes forget to do things like apply sunscreen to my face as I slather it on them) I have gotten a lot of sun damage on my face. I will certainly need good tools to do repair work one of these days. I can't wait to read about how it goes!

Lynnis said...

Hey Emily! I haven't had any peeling yet. Maybe because I moisturize so much? I think I will do another peel this weekend before I pass judgement. I might just need something stronger but the concept is a little scary so I thought I'd start with training wheels.