Don’t say I don’t share with you guys. I am known for often putting myself under the “knife” if you will, to share what can sometimes be scary procedures, or maybe things that people may be slightly unsure of certain products or treatments. It’s easy to read all about the benefits on the brands website – but it’s often hearing a real life testimonial or a recommendation from a friend, that is the factor that persuades them to take the plunge.

Who are Lamelle?

Lamelle Research Laboratories is a South African brand that I am proud to be associated with, their products are FDA approved, and they are a research company that manufactures products that are innovative and evidenced based. Started in 2007, the founders have over 25 years of medical and pharmacy experience to bring a unique perspective to the industry.

Lamelle’s peels are basically a way to lighten and even skin tone, remove old dead skin, improve skin tone as well as eliminate acne and combat the signs of ageing. Think of it as literally applying a layer of tile cleaner to a dirty floor tile, leaving for 20 minutes and then wiping it off. Underneath…sparkly, clean and new. Looks much better, doesn’t it?

How does it work?

The chemical peel acids penetrate the skin and break down the bonds between the layers of skin, so the top layers will start peeling off. The type of peel, its concentration and the exact chemical composition will determine how deep it penetrates (and thus how deep the peel is).

Lifecycles are very important in nature, and our bodies are no different. It is just as important for skin cells to drop off and make space for new cells as it is to live healthily. In fact, our bodies rely on it (cancer is a prime example of what happens when cells don’t “die” when they are supposed to).

Your therapist will inspect your skin and suggest a type of peel that will work for you. Some are more gentle, and others slightly stronger.

My experience

I had an Augmented Beta Peel, which takes a mere 15 minutes including prepping the skin and post treatment chat about care etc. I popped in to Lamelle’s new offices in Deco Park to meet with Karen Bester, the Product Specialist at Lamelle.

I was quite nervous, as I have a very low pain threshold, and had heard that peels are really painful. Karen reassured me that I would be fine, of course there would be some discomfort, but the results would certainly be worth being uncomfortable for the a few minutes.

This is my face just before the treatment, and getting ready to go…

Karen prepped my face by making sure that all traces of make up and skin care products were removed, She then painted what felt like cold gel over my face – the tingling started almost immediately, not unbearable but pretty painful.

This stayed on for about a minute until it dried. Then another layer went on. Uncomfortable is the word. At some point I managed to get some of the fumes in my one eye and was totally freaking out that I had chemicals in my eye. Karen calmed me down and wiped my eye out. You can see in the picture below how red my eyes are..

Karen then wiped everything off – what joy. My face felt really warm, a bit like I had spent a long time in the sun. Karen suggested doing another layer on a few key areas that were more freckled than others – like my forehead, nose and cheeks.

This was probably the worst part on my already sensitive skin. I may have issued a few choice words at this point. Karen fanned my face for the last minute with that on.

Once that came off Karen applied creams to help hydrate the skin, and also explained what to expect over the next week. She gave me a tube of Barrier Repair Cream.

Strict instructions – avoid make up, avoid the sun. Wash skin with a gentle cleanser that does have harsh chemicals in it. Apply the barrier cream and sun screen. That’s it for the week.

Here I am straight afterwards…

See how red I am! I went straight home, and must say my skin felt really hot, my eyes watered a lot, and my skin was tight, especially around my mouth. I kept putting on the barrier repair cream every time I felt very taut.

The next morning was slightly better in the redness and tautness – it was a first for me to attend events in public with no make up on. I did eye make up and put lipstick on, and luckily no one seemed to notice anything.

The following day I woke up to the skin on my forehead and around my mouth very taut, and applied some barrier cream. I was spending the day with a friend, who around mid afternoon pointed out that I was starting to peel. And peel I did.

Like the after effects of sunburn the skin started coming loose. The areas that move the most are the ones that peel first, so around the mouth and on the forehead. It’s difficult not to fiddle or pick, and I kept a small nail scissors handy to trim the edges. This continued for about 4 -5 days, but it was amazing to see the fresh new skin starting to appear underneath!

This is day three. Notice the peeling on my chin, nose and cheeks, and the freckle colour difference midway up my forehead…

The peeling continued for a full 6 days, and I was surprised to find bits of dry skin peeling in my hair line as well. This pic below is around day 4 or so – check that difference in colour between old and new skin!

It was great to be able to wear make up again I must admit – and I am still blown away by the difference in how much lighter my freckles are. There are still a few spots that I wouldn’t mind “zapping” again, and will certainly do another peel next year.

Winter time to peel is ideal as the sun is less harsh, and even though we do our best to avoid it, our lives here in South Africa are full of sun, and sun damage to skin is something that we should all keep in mind – no matter what your skin tone.

And the end product – a comparison between before and after, incredible.

To find out more about Lamelle or more info on their peels