My First Peel: The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

Over the years there have only been a few products and treatments that I've steered clear of. I mean, come on, who doesn't love a free product or a nice treatment? But there were some things I could not bring myself to try.

A makeup artist I worked with had just returned from Japan and brought me back a heated eyelash curler. Sounds cool, right? Wrong. To me it was terrifying. I was and still am deathly afraid I would burn off all my eyelashes. So that lovely gift still sits in its original, Japanese instruction-laden packaging.

Another item on my I-don't-think-it's-a-good-idea list was any at-home peel. And honestly, I was going to pay a hefty sum at the derm's office to get a professional one. But lately these little babies have been talked about all over the place. My skin has been finicky and I want to use something that would help really get to the base of the issue. Enter Olay's Regenerist Microdermabrasion and Peel System.

My mom was in town and on a night off from doing touristy things, I asked if she wanted to do the peel with me. Truthfully, I was a bit nervous to try it. I had never used anything like this. Was it going to burn? Would it be irritating? Would it go horribly awry and I'd look like a swamp monster for days? I can happily report that no, none of those things would happen.

Olay's Regenerist peel boasts the following results: gently resurfaces skin's texture, activates surface cell renewal, conditions skin to leave it feeling soft and smooth, visibly improves skin tone, and diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This two-step system is easy and effective. Step one is applying the derma-crystals to a clean, dry face and massaging them in for about a minute, then step two is applying the activator serum on top in a thick layer. Again you massage for about a minute and during this time the product foams and creates a pleasant warming sensation. It also smells good enough to eat, which my mom noted as well. You can add more serum to increase the foaming action if you'd like. Otherwise, rinse off the mixture with a warm washcloth. The end result was fabulously smooth (baby's bottom smooth) skin and a significant increase in brightness. It packs a serious punch, but this powerhouse product is gentle enough to use twice a week.

I've only had a chance to use it once so far, but I'll be keeping up with this and will report back on my results. PS- I picked mine up at the local Target but you can also get the kit at any drugstore.