Sk:n Clinic Pre Peel Consultations: a Review

Posted by Selina on June 24, 2014 · 4 Comments 

So I normally wouldn’t do such a review but since I am going ahead with the mandelic acid peel treatment in a couple of weeks I thought I’d start with a review of my pre peel consultations (I’ve had say about 4?) in case anyone was considering this undergoing similar treatment. Now you can read about my reasons for wanting treatment in an earlier post on post inflammatory hyperpigmentation which is quite bothersome to me on an emotional level. I’ve worked to beat eczema for so long that it has left my skin deeply damaged, and to make matters worse the u-turn to acne has led me to develop acne scars which makes the whole ordeal worse. I don’t like people to see me without my makeup, I don’t feel great and so I though I would see how I combat these issues….I’m generally a confident person but when you are surrounded by people with NORMAL skin it really is hard to go bare faced…

 

I tried to look up mandelic acid peel reviews before I chose to undergo them but unfortunately found noone blogging or talking about it bar on the sk:n website which isn’t where I would hope to get the best mixture of good and bad outcomes…. I did find a lot of people talking about peels that can be done at home Make Up Artists Choice seems to be a fave, however, with my sensitive skin I decided maybe the first time I undergo this treatment it is best to do it in a professional clinic. Sk:n clinic has a great reputation and so I decided to have my consultations there.

 

Now for me, I have sensitive skin, though my face has done a u-turn and is now congested and acne prone, it is still sensitive to product and this is why I felt the typical acne/pigmentation treatments may be too harsh (I tried Pixi glow tonic and it leaves me slightly red and irritated in bumps). Anyway I prebooked by phone. Now my nearest clinic was the Birmingham Edgbaston one, since my nearest clinic didn’t specialise in hyperpigmentation so I travelled there. Now you can ring and book over the phone and it requires a £25 deposit to ensure you stick to your appointment. You can cancel up to 10am the day before your appointment and there is parking wich is handy.

The actual consultations….

I saw a nurse called Ruth and she did ring me prior to my first consultation to let me know what it would involve (she also suggested if I wanted to wear make up to bring it with me as I would have to take it off during the consultation). When I met her, though I felt she always looked immaculate when I saw her (bad habit to oggle people’s skin when I meet them! ha) she was so friendly and welcoming that I didn’t feel uncomfortable. This definitely helped me to return to the clinic barefaced for my check ups without feeling too much like I wanted to hide as what was the point of me wearing all of my make up if she was going to be reviewing my skin?

My first consultation involved me filling out some paperworks about myself and what I was looking for and I then sat with Ruth to discuss. We discussed my skincare routine, things I could possibly change before she asked if I was happy with my make up to come off for her to analyse my skin and for me to have my skin analysed with the skin scanner. Now this highlights blemishes, congestion, dry skin, sun damage etc and was a great look into my skin. For someone with eczema it was crazy to see how congested my skin looked!

We discussed a plan of action, some being products to use and the other being the mandelic acid peels in the long run to really help clear the pigmentation. I was told about the Thiospot cream here which helps to inhibit melanin production to stop scar formation, about the importance of SPF daily and to use an acne type moisturiser instead of and rich one since my skin was no longer eczema prone. I was unsure about the peels at this stage, I had just found out about them and the price was mindblowing really (4 peels for £605) and that is the minimum that is recommended to see a dramatic change. So we booked in a second review rather than the peels….

The second to fourth consultations were pretty more straightforward we reviewed my skin, I discussed how the thiospot twice daily was a bit too harsh for my neck and we reduced the application. Now my spots have not gone, actually I feel like I have acne! But the duration of scarring being prominent has reduced, even if the spots themselves haven’t and that is one step forward….but as my face is clearing I feel that my neck is looking more pigmented hence I decided to finally go for the peels at the check up I had today. I’m personally not comfortable in my own skin and I just hope these peels will help me to get some relief to that…I know appearance isn’t everything but it is tough when you just want normal skin! So luckily this month sk:n clinic has 25% off the peels so I was able to book in for 4 with a discounted price (definitely helped me to feel better paying 450 rather than 600….).

Now I didn’t make my decision lightly, I had my first consultation in April so it has been around 2 months of me thinking about it. I’ve stuck to the skincare routine and I’m hoping that the peels will help rid of the hyperpigmentation as well as the scarring from acne.

I’m having a patch test next Tuesday so I’ll fill you in!

What do you think about this? Have you ever been to sk:n? What were your experiences? Comment below so others can get your views too!

Filed under Beauty, Emotional Side of Eczema, Facial Eczema, My Eczema Journal/ Updates, Reviews of Products