It was an appropriately chilly start to peel season when I arrived at Tracy’s Beautique. This stylish, intimate space unites an array of services under one roof, from facials and esthetics to hair and nails. The mission I was on, though, was a refresh—out with the old, dead skin for a clean slate as I transition to my heavier wear products as the weather starts cooling off.
The Consultation
My skin also tends to be oilier, even if I don’t struggle with breakouts the way I did in adolescence, so I was looking forward to a facial that could help mitigate oil production. As I confessed at my appointment, it’s been years since I’ve gotten a chemical peel done; luckily, the esthetician at my appointment (thank you, Terri!) talked me through her approach after a skin analysis.
She started me off with a luxurious lather using Linder Health’s Stellar cleanser, which cleans and hydrates skin without stripping the barrier. We talked about education and K-beauty in anticipation of Terri’s upcoming classes, and then transitioned to using the prepping solution, which she warned might feel stronger than the peel itself.
Once she applied it, she checked for physical discomfort; on a scale of one to 10, I was sitting comfortably at a two. We then moved on to the Spot(less) Peel, which has mandelic acid, salicylic acid, glycolic acid and hexylresorcinol, which is ideal for blemish-prone skin for its anti-microbial and oil-controlling properties. Terri was right—the peel felt even lighter than the prepping solution, which still only had me sitting at an easy one or two on the discomfort scale.
The Results
She explained that it was Linder Health’s delivery system, which allows the peel to penetrate deeper into the skin without raising the acidity.
As I write this, it’s been a little under a week since my treatment, and it’s taking every ounce of self-control I have not to touch my skin! I noticed softer, smoother skin the day after, and while I continued to baby my skin a little bit afterwards (I blame my own neurotic tendencies) by being a little more generous with the SPF and hydrating mists than I usually am, I had no real downtime.
I did pause my typical workout regimen—Terri advised maybe just for a day or two, but me being ever-so-diligent, of course, took the full week to be safe 😉
Stay tuned for a tour of the space and the full demo!
