The Caci Signature Peel is the brand new offering from the fab folks at Caci. Alice has NEVER had a chemical peel (and is, um, kinda terrified?) so heads along and gives it her verdict…
When it comes to my skin, it turns out, I’m quite a scaredy cat. First, I realised I was scared of retinol – but thankfully Emma Clifton explained it all to me and eased me into it. And, at the age of 42 I still had never had a proper chemical peel because again, scaredy cat. But, surely now was a good time to finally take the plunge? Luckily for me, the stars aligned and the good folks at Caci happen to be launching a brand new peel and were kind enough to ask me if I wanted to give it a whirl.
When my lovely consultant at Caci asked me what it is exactly that I was scared of when it comes to a peel, I realised I didn’t really know… or had pretty off ideas about what might happen. I generally stick to pretty natural skincare products, so I’m not sure what might happen? Or umm… that maybe I’ll end up like Samantha on that episode of Sex and The City when she has a peel and goes to Carrie’s book launch basically wearing a bee-keeping outfit and Carrie still sends her home because she’s going to scare everyone (more evidence of what a lousy, self-obsessed character Carrie actually is?). That, or maybe a fear of looking like Freddy Kruger and scaring my toddler, who gets cranky if I do something different with my hair – or, bizarrely, ever try to wear a scarf?!?
Thankfully, she explained everything that happens in Caci’s new Signature Peel in detail for me. It’s the clinic’s latest offering and includes, as the name suggests, a chemical resurfacing peel which is followed by either a soothing Sonophoresis Skin Infusion or LED Light Therapy, depending on what your skin needs on the day.
The treatment is designed to help firm and lift the skin, improve uneven skin tone and texture, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, clear congestion and hydrate the ski. It does this through a powerful mixture of growth factors, enzymes and acids which combine to provide a deep level of biostimulation to prompt collagen production.
I did have a few consent forms to fill out, and was told of a few things to be aware of, post-treatment. It’s totally normal to experience some redness, warmth, tingling, tightness, skin peeling, mild swelling around the lower face and eye area for one to seven days after the treatment. But, it shouldn’t be anything like what Samantha (or Freddy Kreuger?) went through.
My consultant explained that the Signature Peel itself is applied in increments. It’s dripped on and then gently massaged/tapped on the skin for two minutes and is then removed with a cool wet cloth and then repeated again, for up to three applications. She explained that she’d be watching out for any changes – what she wanted to see was a light pink flushing of my skin – and that would also be as far as she went on that area.
The peel turned out to be no big deal at all. It felt a little warm and tingly – maybe every so slightly prickly at times. I had it applied just once to my chin area, and twice to the rest of my face. My biggest skin concerns going in were the pigmentation, particularly on my cheeks (I definitely developed so dark patches during pregnancy!), some fine lines and just generally blah-ness of my skin. So, after hearing these concerns, it was recommended that we next opt for the LED Light Therapy.
That part was incredible. The LED Light is so gloriously bright (you have a little pair of goggles to protect your eyes) and it feels as though you’ve taken a little trip to Hawaii. And, as the machine is doing its job, you’re treated to a little neck and shoulder massage – bliss! I would go again purely just based on that half an hour – no matter if I got results or not, it’s worth it for the half an hour of vacation time.
After the treatment I looked glowy, and as though I had a light sunburn on my nose and forehead. My toddler still smiled at me when I walked in the door. A couple of hours later the pinkness had disappeared. I’d say my skin felt a little tight afterwards and then four days later I had a little flakiness in a spot by my mouth, but that was it. Nothing dramatic.
It’s recommended you get a series of four of the treatments for optimal results, but I definitely have seen some results from one – that pigmentation has dialled down a bit and the texture of my skin has definitely felt smoother and fresher. Maybe… I’m a peel convert?! I will definitely go again.
Caci’s Signature Peel costs $180 – although, at the moment they have a promo running where it’s $149 with a free consultation.
