Tiny Drops of Honey...This Mommy's Sweet Life: 20% Salicylic Acid Gel Peel by Dr. Song: Reviewed

I am still quite new to facial peels, however have had the opportunity to try several from varying brands over the last 6 months or so. The most recent one was a 20% Salicylic Acid peel from the Dr. Song company. I have tried their Rose Hip Oi, Hyaluronic Acid, 50% Lactic Acid Peel, and Teeth Whitening kit previously and have been consistently pleased with everything so far.

Dr Song Medical is a medical cosmetic company that originally manufactures natural based products for doctors and medical facilities, and now supplies professional grade beauty oils, cosmetic kits and peels to individuals for home treatment. This is wonderful for me as we do not have the budget to see a professional skin specialist for in office peels or treatments. It was nice to try out their teeth whitening kit as it seemed to have similar results to my in office Zoom whitening treatment I had many years ago. If only I had saved that $200+ or more and got this kit instead. I had a terrible experience with Zoom, the dental assistants neglected to put eye protection on my eyes, and sunscreen on my face and lips. I had "zingers" in my teeth and gums, which are horribly painfully sharp bolts of pulses that felt like electricity. The Dr. Song Whitening Kit did not cause any discomfort or sensitivity.

I also enjoyed their Lactic Acid peel, and so I pretty much figured the Salicylic Acid peel would be just as positive. Lactic and Salicylic peels are able to be used in proximity of each other, and switched back and forth. The Salicylic is great for preventing and treating acne, as well as light exfoliation. I have large pores that seem to always get clogged with dirt and about once a month I get a painful cystic acne bump along my jaw. I have recently found that using peels immediately opens the pores and I can actually feel and see the blackheads lifting out. That sounds really weird, but it almost works like bentonite clay (draws dirt out, and you can feel it working). I am not sure whether the Lactic or the Salicylic acid works better for me, I like both equally and have fantastic results with both. It really depends on my skin's need at the time. The Lactic Acid is much stronger and penetrates deeper.

I am happy that Dr Song Medical products are made in the USA and are FDA compliant. These professional grade products feature natural ingredients.

I have been trying their 20% Salicylic Face Peel for the past month and I like it a lot. I only use it about once per 7-10 days. Both peels take some time getting used to. My face does sometimes look slightly pink for if I leave it on too long, but then it goes back to normal. I think sometimes I get braver or more confident in leaving the Salicylic Acid one on longer, (since it is a bit milder) and that is what causes me to get into trouble with redness.

This is how you are to apply the treatment: Please use caution on extremely sensitive skin and do not use if your skin is cut or already irritated as it will make it worse.

The instructions are basically the same for either peel from Dr. Song, and pretty much for other peels as well.

Cleanse your face and neck, and gently pat dry. Apply on a cotton ball (I use a cotton pad as it is larger and it has less chance pf getting the acid on my fingers) to the area and leave on for the directed time (for 1 minute for your first peel and slowly increase the time of each peel afterwards by 1-2 minutes if your skin can handle it). Rinse product with very cold water to neutralize and pat dry after. I must admit, I get pretty addicted to doing these and sometimes get ahead of myself and try 3 minutes, it is always a bad idea, so I stick to 1-2 minutes. Please make sure to rinse VERY thoroughly, it is important.

You need to start off slow and careful so as to not harm your skin. It is suggested to do skin patch tests. Keep the peel at least a quarter of an inch away from the eyes, nose, and mouth. Do not apply the peel more than once in a 7 day period. (I got overly excited and did it 3 days later and it was a big mistake!) Do not expose your face to the sun for 24 hours before or after the application of the peel. Wear sunscreen daily.

Just like with the Lactic Acid, blackheads seem to appear to lift to the surface and my pores feel cleaner. No mater what I am doing to my face (microdermabrasion, clay mask, mud mask, or a peel, I apply some aloe and botanical based Retinol cream with Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid in it. My skin always looks so much clearer after a peel. Please excuse the fact I am wearing a turtle neck to wash/peel my face, instead of a normal face washing tank top, and please excuse the fact that my eyes (and contacts) look like the 3-4 hours of sleep I have gotten in the last 36 hours.