tutorials

DAILY POWER PEEL

POST + PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

If there’s one thing I always tell my clients to begin the battle against aging is some sort of daily peel to generate cell turnover. That could be a scrub (remember my Exfoliating 101 Tutorial on why you should apply the scrub on dry skin before washing your face?) or… an acid peel. I know it sounds crazy to put acid on your face but it’s not the kind of acid that you think! They’re natural acids that gently exfoliate the top layer of skin, alerting your body to generate new cells every single day which results in younger-looking, healthy skin! To simplify it, here are some key points: 

• Glycolic Acid products come in many forms. You could start with a glycolic face wash (try DDF 5% Glycolic Face Wash) then build up to a 15% Glycolic Lotion (Kerstin Florian Intensive Renewal Glycolic 15 is the industry leader). But lotions are pretty strong and take awhile for your skin to get used to without your skin peeling and flaking, meaning you have to do it weekly first, then every few nights, then eventually you can do every other night. That’s why I mostly recommend using pads. They absorb quickly into your skin and you can control the amount by the number of layers your apply. Our favorites are Rodial Glamoxy 15% Fruit Acid Daily Exfoliating Pads for the real deal or if you want to start light, try Nip + Fab Glycolic Treatment Pads (2.8% Glycolic Acid).
• Hold the pad flat against your face and sweep it over the entire surface, including your neck but avoiding your eyelids.
• Start with one surface area sweep at night only.
• After a week, add mornings too.
• After a month, increase it to two surface area sweeps so it really soaks the skin.
• Always follow with your favorite moisturizer but wait a few minutes for the acid treatment to soak in first.