Sun vs. Chemical Peel

What I’m finding is the things that I did in my 20’s are rapidly catching up with me.

Granted back then suntan lotion and the application thereof weren’t as big a deal as the learned world knows today. Tanning beds had just come out and no one really thought about the repercussions of the sun or those beds, beyond getting a sunburn.

I knew a girl in one of my classes that said she’d rather be tan and beautiful than dead. I knew a lady that would pour chlorine from the swimming pool dispenser on herself because she said it would accelerate her tan.

I tended to be cautious but only to a certain extent. Burning came easily to me and it made my freckles stand out, so I’d usually put suntan lotion on once, and then if I burned I only did for the first two days of vacation (so I’d wait it out).

As more became known about the perils of the sun and I became a parent I became more diligent. My daughter was born with a very large birthmark and my son was a towhead both of which burned very easily in the sun. My freckles, which used to be small and cute began to get bigger and more spread out.

My kids have both gone off to college now. You begin to analyze things. You become aware of your body again. For women, I think this hit around the time of puberty, after each pregnancy, when you become an empty nester, at retirement, and then possibly older age. It’s like you take inventory and see how things are doing. It’s a small thing I know but I don’t think women ever want to stop feeling pretty (whatever that means to them, inside, outside, it doesn’t matter).

So, in this voyage of self-discovery (something I decided to do this year), I’ve been taking things one step at a time. Trying to fix or change things that aren’t working for me anymore.  After watching those cute little freckles turn more into age spots, I’m going for the chemical peel. My friend Heather said that you get a peel and two days later basically your face falls off! I loved that analogy!

So, who has done this? Hopefully, there are no horror stories.?. I’m excited to see what happens on the 23rd!

Cheers!