Put Your Best Face Forward

I’ll level with you. The idea of a facial peel is scary. You're not an orange or a banana. You're not a Starburst wrapper, and you certainly are not a scalp in a Hannibal Lecter movie. You are just a guy wondering how to make your skin look a little nicer. Fear not. They're not nearly as perilous as they sound.

Think of chemical peels as a step up from your daily exfoliation. They up the acid content to more effectively loosen the bonds that hold dead skin to our mug. Rather than a few times a week, you'll use this stronger treatment once (maybe twice) a month for congruently more noticeable results.

Who would benefit from a peel? Most folks, really. Hearty exfoliation can help anyone who wants to tackle big pores, dark marks and fine lines. Removing the top layer of skin can help reduce the appearance of all three. You'll find that in the days following a peel, your skin just looks brighter. More even.

Two bits of wisdom before I get into recommendations. The first? Avoid any sort of physical exfoliation right before a peel. The sensation would be akin to getting lemon juice in a paper cut, if you can imagine such a thing. So lay off gritty scrubs or shaving the day of a peel. Second, and lastly: even though it's January (and thus, winter here in the northern hemisphere), don't forget SPF. Freshly peeled skin is extra susceptible to UV damage, so play it safe. You didn't do all this work just to get a sunburn, did you?