Hey there Ms. Liz. I always see advertisements of Diamond Peel/ Chemical Peel, Microdermabrasion, etc. around the mall. I haven't tried any of those except for a basic facial that extracts comedones. I don't have pimples, just the occasional ones during my time of the month or if I forgot to wash my face. I just have bumps scattered on my forehead, visible pores around the nose area and a few bumps as well.

I'm only 20 and I'm scared those services might harm my facial skin and would turn out worse. So my question is when do we consider getting a diamond peel? Or is it required to get a diamond peel once in your life? Should I get one? - Nerys

Hey Nerys! I've tried quite a lot of facial treatments in my beauty blogging "career", and the truth is I have regretted most (not all) of them. Let me describe my skin condition back then: I had serious acne, from white heads to cystic ones, and they left very serious blemishes that would take months to fade away (still, luckily). I would get some sort of elaborate facial and my skin would look great for a few days, and then I would break out heavily for the next week or so. What a vicious cycle!

The worst thing that I think I did to my skin is the chemical peel (blue peel). The 7-day peeling process was traumatic, and on top of that I now have very fine wrinkles on my forehead due to the peel. I am 25, and I have wrinkles on my forehead. Wtf, right?

Physical and chemical peels work by scrubbing and burning the top layer of skin away to force a new, younger layer to emerge. Diamond peels involve a diamond-tipped, rotating drill that clears off the skin's top layer. Diamond peels are a form of microdermabrasion, which is basically a process that involves some sort of machine to scrub the skin. Chemical peels usually involve mild acid to burn the skin, and can thus penetrate deeper than physical peels.

It's been over two weeks since I got the Obagi Blue Peel. It's a memorable experience because it was my first ever TCA peel, but it's also a little life-changing in the sense that I've re-evaluated how I view skincare and beauty in general.

Anyway, the results were very good - the peel took away the lighter blemishes and left only faint marks where the darkest and biggest blemishes used to be. I broke out afterwards, but I hear that it's part of the purging process as the newly resurfaced skin adjusts. Also, I had my period at that time, so the pimples were really on a roll. I'm continuing with my acne medication (I'll write a separate post about it) and I'll let you know how that goes in a week or so.

Let's track back, shall we?

Day 6: So close 

By day 6, most of the old skin has already fallen away, leaving only two big chunks on the sides of my cheeks. The skin is still fresh but drying very quickly.

Being forced to stay home for a week because of the chemical peel caused my life to flash before my eyes. Well, this house arrest made me re-evaluate my priorities that's for sure! These are the things I learned while recovering from my "extreme" skincare adventure.

1. Take care of your face. It's your biggest asset since it's the first thing people see and judge you by! Before spending on expensive makeup and clothes, make sure that your face has everything it could possibly need to be healthy and glowing. 

We're not all blessed with good looks, so the next best thing we can aim for is to have good skin!

2. Prevention is better yaddah yaddah. If you see a problem cropping up, nip it at the roots and don't wait for the nastiness to erupt all over your face. Stop using that new shampoo you bought - or toothpaste, foundation, whatever new product that recently touched your face. Use your previous skin medication. See your derma stat. Whatever it takes.

3. If you have serious skin problems, consult a dermatologist. Don't self-medicate and take what you read online at face value. It only costs around P500 to get a consultation from a licensed derma so there's no reason not to see one. Your skin will thank you for it in the long run! A dermatologist is the only qualified person who can recommend products for your specific skin type and concerns.  

The ennui that went with my Blue Peel experience is perhaps the biggest challenge I've hurdled so far. I couldn't go out of the house for long during the day because the sun makes my face feel hot and slightly itchy, so I felt bored and confined. I also felt sad because my face looked bad, so much that I questioned my decision to do the peel.

Now that I'm on my sixth day though, I feel better because I've already seen a drastic reduction of my blemishes and blackheads. I'd say it's three to four days before all the peeling skin is completely gone, and I can't wait! Seriously. I can't.

Day 3: It all falls apart

After the skin dried from the chemicals in Day 2, it became a hard, tight shell. I couldn't move my face much. It was in Day 3 when my face started cracking, beginning in the chin area. 

I've been breaking out heavily this past month - underscore on "heavily". I use a lot of stuff on my face for this blog then couple that with stress and you've got a dangerous playground for acne! I've lost track of what makes me break out at this point. I was running out of options so I turned to the House of Obagi, a clinic famous for their skincare products and medical procedures.

HOO has been asking me if I could review their Blue Peel since July, I think, but I kept saying no because while my skin was far from ideal, it was alright. Nothing makeup and my regular skincare couldn't solve then! But after the Skin Hell Month that was August, I was ready to try anything to get rid of the acne and the numerous dark scars it left behind.

I want to emphasize that I wouldn't do this if I didn't need it. But my acne and scars were out of control; this was the best solution.

Observe: