VI Peel is the latest cutting edge treatment to make dull, damaged skin look younger and restored. Find out everything you need to know about it, including where to get it in Los Angeles.
Baby soft skin and a face that’s free of fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots and acne scars. We’ll all be seeking it one day when years of sunscreen neglect and everyday living catch up to us.
How can we turn back the clock without time-warpping to our 20s? While facials may offer a temporary boost, when you’re looking for results for younger, more vibrant looking skin, sometimes they aren’t enough. Chemical peels are your next line of defense. In the past, they’ve utilized everything from alpha hydroxy acids to Retinoic acid, many causing extensive downtime and skin irritation.
“Anyone who wants younger, healthier skin will benefit from the [VI] Peel,” says Marya Khalil, President and CEO of Vitality Institute Medical Products and daughter of Dr. Abdala F. Kalil, who created the cutting edge VI Peel to help her battle her acne.
Marya was the first person to ever receive the peel that includes key ingredients: Retinoic Acid to trigger peeling and unclogging pores while boosting collagen and elastin; and TCA or Trichloroactic Acid which is used in combination to remove the skin’s surface layers.
Want to learn more about this revolutionary treatment? Here are five things to need to know.
It’s quick.
You could feasibly get the VI Peel on your lunch break. That’s what I did. Once you check in with the person who is applying the peel, it only takes a matter of minutes. First you will need to cleanse your skin and then your face (and anywhere else you are having the peel applied) will be rubbed with acetone (yes, nail polish remover) to remove any oil that is on it. This helps the peel solution penetrate your skin evenly. Once the peel has been applied, you will receive your post peel system with three VI Peel post-peel towelettes, VI Derm post peel protectant cream and VI Derm SPF 50+ sun protectant; given instructions and sent on your way. The entire process takes less than a half hour.
The rest of the process is turn key. The peel will penetrate your skin, causing the top layer of skin to slough off. This reveals bright new skin underneath. On days one and two, you can continue to go about your normal activities. Most people start to peel on the third day (like I did) and peel heavily into the fourth day, so plan accordingly. Let you skin do it’s thing, don’t pick at your peel (or you could cause scarring and discoloration) and you will be fine.
No pain, plenty of gain.
There’s no doubt that you’re going to see results with a chemical peel. However with many older peels on the market, the amount of pain you feel equates with the results you’re going to get. Not so with the VI Peel.
“VI Peel differs fundamentally from the obsolete peels of the past that epitomized the ‘no pain, no gain’ approach to skin care,” says Marya. “We don’t believe that the deeper the peel, the more painful, the more downtime, the better results you will achieve.”
While you may experience some discomfort, it’s nothing more than how you would feel with a mild sunburn. In fact, the whole experience felt that way to me.
Once the peel was applied to my face, my skin tingled and slightly reddened as it would with a sunburn. That lasted for about 36 hours until I started peeling. That process was like the after effects of a sunburn as well: my top layer of skin slowly peeled off my face, starting from around my mouth and working to my chin, cheeks, forehead and under my eyes. When it was completed I was left with baby soft skin, fewer sun spots (one large one disappeared completely), a more even skin tone and less irritation.
It’s not just for your face.
For anyone who drives in Los Angeles, noticing sun spots on our hands is always a frightening experience. The VI Peel can help with that too. It is suitable for any part of the body but most common in the eye area, chest, hands, arms and back. It works well as part of your larger skincare regime in conjunction with lasers, injectables and surgical procedures, providing superior results for all skin types (Fitzpatrick 1-6).
It’s Cutting-Edge
The VI Peel is the first peel to combine the strongest and most effective acids, without inconveniencing your daily life, i.e. no downtown and no pain. It restores your skin from a cellular level, erasing fine lines and wrinkles, shrinking enlarges pores and reducing hyperpigmentation and delivering excellent results for people with acne. You’ll notice results with one peel, but it is safe to repeat as often as every four to six weeks to correct damaged and problematic skin.
How was my experience? I went into the process with plenty of UV damage from years of not wearing sunscreen and had the dark spots to prove it. I also suffer from skin sensitivity and melasma. About a month post-peel, I’m pleased to report that my skin’s sensitivity is all but gone, many of the freckly sunspots under my eyes are lightened or completely gone and my melasma has been greatly reduced. Aside from having to restrain myself from peeling off my skin that had already started to peel on its own, I had no problems or issues with the peel and it is definitely something I’d do again.
Here are a few places around Los Angeles where you can get the VI Peel:
Dr. Garth Fisher, 20 S Spalding Drive #222, Beverly Hills, 310.273.5995. garthfisher.com
Ole Henriksen Spa, Sunset Plaza, 8622 Sunset Blvd. #A, 310.854.7700. olehenriksen.com
Marc Edward Skincare, 7813 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 213.705.8899. marcedwardskincare.com
Skin Studio L.A., 8350 Melrose Ave, Suite 11, L.A. skinstudiola.com
My LA Face, 1796 Kelton Ave., L.A., 310.330.6216. mylaface.com
