October is easily one of my favorite months of the year! It truly begins to feel like fall, and I don’t feel guilty for ordering pumpkin spice lattes. It is also the start of our busiest season in the spa! Fall and winter are, hands down, the best time to do advanced skin treatments because of the decreased sun exposure. This is really when we start gearing up for long days of back-to-back chemical peels and microneedling in Flagstaff. With all that being said, I want to take the time to explain the importance behind doing some of those more advanced treatments and how they can benefit you!

Let’s start with chemical peels. I’ll be the first to admit that they sound terrifying. Like seriously, CHEMICAL PEEL?!? OK, but on the real, they aren’t that bad and let me explain why. At Allure, we often use a blend of TCA in all of our advanced peels which is a peel ingredient that is meant to deeply exfoliate and remove dead skin cells for a smoother appearance. It is also excellent for correcting pigmentation as well as any active acne or scarring. Because we need to remove the old dead skin to bring on the new, you will experience mild downtime during one of our chemical peels.

Typically, the schedule goes:

Dry and tight days 1 and 2
Flaky days 3 through 5
And back to normal skin days 6 to 10

Most people try avoiding social events during days 3 through 5 as that is the major part of the peeling process. However, most of our clients have explained the peeling as a sunburn like effect and not as bad as they thought it would be. So really, it’s not that bad at all and by the end of it you have brand new, refreshed, younger looking skin! Chemical peels can be used on several different skin conditions/types and are the best option for someone who needs a reset. Basic facials do not provide as deep of an exfoliation so next time you’re in with us at the spa, I would highly encourage you to try out a chemical peel! We promise we’ll take care of you! Chemical peels are often done in a series to treat stubborn skin concerns such as melasma, hyperpigmentation, or scarring. If you’re going to commit to a series of chemical peels, we would recommend joining our VIP Skin Membership as it is included in your monthly payment!

Going along with chemical peels, you HAVE to have the proper pre and post care to get good results. It’s like losing weight – you can’t do it without both the gym and eating healthy! Same goes for skincare and professional treatments. Here is my go-to pre and post care routine for chemical peel clients.

Skinbetter Science Oxygen Infusion Face Wash

This is a brand new product to Allure just in time for peel season. This is not only a great every day cleanser but it is an amazing prep cleanser for peels because it has AHA’s (glycolic, lactic, and citric acids) to slowly release and deliver gentle exfoliation to the top layer of skin. This will properly cleanse and prep your skin for the best results during your treatment.

Alpha-Ret Peel Pads by Skinbetter Science

We cannot keep this product on our shelves! It flies right off whenever we restock for very good reasons. These individually-wrapped peel pads are essentially a very strong toner, or a mini take home chemical peel you can use up to 2 times per week. The box comes with 30 so it can last you up to more than half a year if using once per week. The reason we would recommend these for clients pre-chemical peels is to gently exfoliate and remove any dead skin cells prior to the treatment so that when treatment day comes, we can focus on the deeper concerns. This will also allow your skin to get used to active ingredients and allow us to do additional layers of chemical peels because your skin will have had time to get used to these type of exfoliating ingredients. We recommend these post–peel as well to continue that cellular turnover and keep those chemical peel results going!

DMK Beta Gel

So, we mentioned why we love Beta Gel so much in our last Monthly Must-Haves so you can read all about it there. However, I want to explain why it is so important to have proper healing products after advanced treatments. Once we perform a chemical peel, we have essentially “wounded” your skin. This triggers a response in your body to stimulate its own natural healing response to create new skin. However, without proper hydration and healing products your skin will not be able to create that response. Beta Gel is a must have and is mandatory for our clients to purchase when doing any type of skin revision treatment with us because it is important to us that we help you protect the investment that you are making into your skin. This product is so worth it!

Glymed Cell Balm

Cell Balm is exactly what it sounds like. This is an occlusive petroleum jelly-like product that is very similar to what most people know to be Aquaphor. However, this particular product has far more benefits than Aquaphor. This balm is made up of several minerals and vitamins to, not only occlude the wounded area but, actually provide comfort and healing. This product is the product that makes all of the discomfort go away instantly and is a must-have during peeling after a chemical peel service. We recommend using this product very last in your routine so it can trap in all of the hydration. The only downside is that it appears very greasy or shiny on the skin, but will help you recover in half of the time! This product is also great for anything you would traditionally use Neosporin for: bug bites, scrapes, itches, burns, rashes, dry lips, etc. It has a great multipurpose use and will last you for years to come!