bella m.

Some times you just wish if you could have flawless skin overnight, *sigh* but that never happens. Lately I have been breaking out like crazy, I don't know if its just my hormones, or the heat and humidity here, nonetheless I have tried EVERYTHING I can to get rid of my pimples.

I recently moved and there's Kaya skin clinic just next door, so I thought I would give it a try, and I did.

So the dermatologist said I needed 6 salicylic acid peel sessions, and they gave me 4 products with the package and I had to buy the serum.

I was glad that they were included as the package is little bit on the expensive side, but the weird part about all their product is that they don't have the ingredients mentioned in the packaging.

Purifying cleanser: It has salicylic acid in it and does the job. My skin feels pretty clean after I wash with this, and doesn't leave it dry. It lathers up a little bit, and I use a pump and a half.

Purifying Toner:- It contains mandalic acid, and I'm not quite sure what that does, and its non alcoholic, so doesn't have that tingling sensation most toners have, which I actually like about a toner. I'm not a massive fan of this one, but I'm trying to be consistent with the kaya routine.

Comedone Correcting serum:- I'm not a fan of this one either, mostly because of the consistency of this product. I think its too watery to be considered as a serum. It is very difficult for me to apply this all over my face with the serum trickling down my palms through the gaps of my fingers *gross* and also leaves my skin feeling sticky.

Blemish control Formula:- I'm still confused if I'm supposed to apply all over my face or just on my active pimples. I presume it contains tea tree oil, which is good for reducing redness and pimples, from the smell of it, as the packaging doesn't list the ingredient, so I have to rely on guesswork,.

Daily use sunscreen:- I use this at the end, after all of the ones mentioned above, and only in the morning. It has SPF 15, which is OK. It isn't waterproof or sweat proof, which is really sad as the humidy and heat melts of everything off my face here in Bombay. Also, I kind of start sweating immediately after applying this, especially on my upper lip area, and I just can't understand why.

Sessions start with the dermatologist gently cleaning my skin, wiping away any dust or grime, then she applies the peel, which is essentially pure salicylic acid. Its called "peel" because salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliant, removing all the dead skin cells. The peel was left on my face for 3 minutes in my first session, I had tingling sensation all over my face and I could feel a little burning on my active pimples, and itchiness on my upper lip area ( she did apply some vaseline on my sensitive areas such as the corners of my nose, eyes and lips). As the sessions increased, the peel was left on my face for longer duration. After the peel is neutralized using chilled water, she gives a cold compress using a chilled face towel, followed by a thick mud pack for 15 minutes.
I just had my 4th peel session today ( sessions are 15 days apart), but I still have a lot of acne on my jawline area. The dermatologist said that her clients usually get a little bit of eruptions after the peel, because salicylic acid is a deep exfoliant, and it should subside by the next session. Keeping my fingers crossed and hopes high.