QuestionClaire, thanks so much for orienting me on botox, fillers, and peels. I have one big question, though: Would you advise against doing a peel on oneself? That is, is this something that requires a professional? I can see how the botox and fillers require someone with experience, but I wonder about the peels. I found a website for a tiny company founded by a microbiologist, and the products have gotten excellent reviews on amazon.com. It certainly doesn't sound like a pleasant process, and I understand that people look like monsters for three to seven days, but that would be the case if I spent hundreds of dollars to have a physician do it. (Or am I wrong? Peels start at US $350 where I am.) I'm unsure if peels have to be for the whole face or can be used on just part of the face (I'm primarily concerned about lipstick lines and a horizontal line that is coming above the bridge of my nose). If you think this is a possibility for me, I would be inclined to go with the mildest one, given that my skin is fair (and fairly delicate: typical redhead's skin). Or would I be wasting my time with the milder one? Should I go with a stronger peel? I think 15 percent is the mildest. Or should I steer clear of all of the do-it-yourself peels? I value your opinion.
Again, thanks for the previous answer. That's why I'm back! You seem to know what you're talking about!
AnswerHi again Norma, thank you so much for the rating you gave me and your kind words. I often don't hear from the people I write back too so It's really nice of you to write again.
The question you ask is a little more difficult for me to answer this time though.
I can see from your emails that you're a very sensible lady and I don't want to be telling you things you know already. Obviously, what you are paying for, as well as the huge profit the professional providers charge is the security of knowing it won't go wrong or, in the extremely unlikely event that it does, that you will be fully compensated for any onward treatment to put it right again.
If you buy it from the Internet then it is a gamble and there is more risk. But as I say, you are a sensible lady and you can know if you feel comfortable taking that risk as outweighed by the cost saving.
You could try buying it and starting with it diluted even more than the recommended instructions, so you are absolutely sure it won't affect your skin. And I really feel your pain being a redhead myself. You could then gradually increase the strength a tiny bit at a time, testing how your skin responds each time.
I think what I'm trying to say is that I can't recommend that you do it yourself because of the increased risks but I have done exactly that myself. I went to the professionals for a while, thought, hmm, this is costing a lot for something I can do myself and so I then bought some of my own. I've not had any issues with it but I took it carefully and built up gradually.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope it helps you to achieve the result you wish for.
Take good care of yourself, Claire x
