What a great article I found on the PCA webpage that explains a Chemical Peel. People tend to be so nervous when this is ever brought up to brighten and enhance their skin tone, but don't be afraid please read on.

When most women hear the term, they think of the burned, peeling, beet red horror that smanatha Jones experienced in a fabled episode of "Sex and The City."

And given my olive-toned complexion, which is more susceptible to scarring and permanent pigmentation changes at the hands of an unskilled practitioner than lighter skin tones, I avoid chemical peels the way vegetarians keep away from meat.

But when PCA Skin called me with a complimentary offer to try one of their next-generation peels, it was time to reconsider.

With over twenty years in the medical and clinical market as a peel formulator, PCA Skin is identified in medical textbooks as the first maker of blended chemical products.

Taking the opposite approach of beauty companies who race to launch the latest "life-changing" ingredient,
chief scientist and dermatologist Dr. Jennifer Linder says PCA Skin's philosophy is that slow and steady wins the race.

"We take a progressive approach to skincare. You don't just go in and get a major peel. You slowly work up to it. It's like running a marathon -- you would never just do it cold, but you would build up with training sessions until you could handle it," Dr. Linder told me.

And care is taken so that your trainer -- or certified consultant -- knows what she's doing. Before they can order the products, a skin pro must take an eight hour class to learn exactly how to apply the peel, which clients are -- and are not -- candidates for the treatments, and how to customize the formula to individual skin types.

"If we focus on making the skin more healthy, then beauty follows," says Dr. Linder.


One layer of peel had me at a one. The second painted-on layer touched a slightly more tingly three and a half. And that's where we stopped.

A glance in the hand-held mirror while still laying down revealed instantly brightened skin, like I had turned on a light in front of my face. I was intrigued.

Over the next few days, I noticed with excitement that I needed less and less concealer to hide those pesky spots. After seven days, all but the darkest had disappeared, and  a touch of cover up is all I need for coverage now, versus the foundation and concealer I relied on before.