Recently I found myself sitting anxiously in Dr. Kalil’s office in Santa Monica, California ready to experience my very first chemical peel. My first peel of any kind actually. My stomach was a little uneasy that morning as I wasn’t sure what to expect. Thankfully I was armed with my friend Cindy Bokma of HelloDollface.com who was also there for the treatment and who had volunteered to go first! I had seen a handful of before and after photos of women who had had the VI Peel and the results were noticeably improved and I so wanted to be one of the improved after shots!
Dr. Kalil is the creator and mastermind behind the VI Peel, so I felt 100% confident that I was in the right hands. I was pleasantly surprised to find the whole process took no more than ten minutes. Dr. Kalil began by swabbing acetone, that’s right, nail polish remover, all over my face. I was told the acetone served as an astringent and is often used before chemical peels to help boost saturation of the chemicals (interesting!). After that dried he swabbed the VI Peel contents on my face one layer at a time. I braced myself for pain that never came. The scent is unpleasant, but the burning sensation was merely three on a scale from one to ten. The tingling lasted only seconds and Dr. Kalil had a small fan nearby that eased any momentary discomfort. The final touch was a quick swab of the VI underneath my eyes and across my eyelids. Those areas tingled a little longer than the rest of my face had, but a quick lean toward the fan and all burning sensation was gone. Afterwards, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my face wasn’t red at all, but looked more like I had a bit of a suntan. I was instructed to leave the VI Peel on my face for the next four hours then wash my face with the VI Cleanser.
I was given a post-peel kit that contained VI Derm SPF 55, a rich and soothing VI Derm moisturizer ,two moist towelette type cloths I was to use the next two nights before bed, and step-by-step, day-by-day instructions on what to do and what to expect of my skin in the week to come. Very simple.
Hours after the peel I found myself at a Katy Perry concert and my face still had that sun tanned glow. I had used the VI Derm Cleanser and applied my regular foundation to cover some of the blotchy spots that were starting to surface. My face felt a little hot to the touch, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Day 2, my skin began to tighten, but with generous applications of the VI Derm Moisturizer throughout the day I was out and about running errands. Toward the end of day 2, the peeling really began. It started around my mouth first and by the end of day 3, my entire face was flaky and peeling, which is exactly what is supposed to happen. I endured a peeling face for a couple of days and stayed close to home.
The morning of day 5, the only dry area left was around my mouth, which I was thankfully able to cover up as I was off to a party in the Hollywood Hills that day. I loaded up on the VI Derm SPF 55 Dr. Kalil had given me and kept the VI Derm Moisturizer in my bag for any touch ups I would need that day. I felt a little self-conscious about my skin but no one seemed to notice.
By day 9, I looked in the mirror and saw the results I was hoping for! My skin is glowing, my blemish, problem area is clear and my skin is smooth. I now see why Dr. Kalil’s assistant Marya, (who also doubles as his gorgeous daughter) recommends doing the VI Peel four times a year. I would absolutely have another VI Peel and will recommend the simple procedure to everyone. I was hoping for visible results and that is exactly what I got. Dr. Kalil has a professional and witty charm about him that will put you right at ease. Marya promptly emailed me that same afternoon to see how I was doing and continued communicating with me all week when I had questions. All in all, my first experience with a chemical peel was a breeze!
Dr. Kalil was generous enough to send me home with some products from his VI Derm line including, Cleanser, SPF 55, Body Wash, Advanced Firming Lotion, Exfoliating Body Lotion, Complete Care and Ultra A which is perfect for resurfacing and treating acne prone skin such as mine. Now that the VI Peel has run its course I can continue on the VI Derm skin care regime with all of the fabulous products.
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