At the Medical Spa I worked at, the Herbal Green Peel was one of the most popular treatments we offered. We touted it as an all natural skin peel, and we mostly marketed it to clients with darker skin types that had hyperpigmentation problems, but who were not a candidate for Photo Facials due to their skin type. We also sold it for people with pitted acne scars, and for people with acne. We even sold it to help with raised or dark colored stretch marks. Basically the Green Peel is supposed to make your skin look smoother, more even, and younger and fresher.
All of the Estheticians I worked with had official Green Peel training and were certified by the Christine Schrammek company that invented the Green Peel, and they only used the official products. A series of 3 Green Peels a month apart is recommended to clients to see the best results. The actual treatment lasts about an hour, and it consists of herbs being massaged into your skin to physically exfoliate the top several layers of skin. Then you are left to “mask” for a while, and finally a tinted moisturizer is applied to your face. The actual Green Peel herbs are a dark gritty green (not really like this picture). I didn’t want to use an official Green Peel image since this is not going to be a good review! Once your treatment is over, your face will look like it has a sunburn, but it will be covered with the tinted cream. You will come back 5 days later to have a facial, where your skin will be cleansed and any dead skin will be removed.
Here’s why I think the Green Peel is a waste of time and money:
• After your treatment you are not supposed to wash your face (or body if you had a Green Peel for stretch marks) for 5 days! You are sold 3 products that you use to maintain the peel, and you can use the tinted moisturizer to cover up your skin. While your face doesn’t look terrible during the 5 days, people that have jobs where they deal with the public might feel embarrassed. You are allowed to wear eye makeup and lipstick. And remember you need to repeat this process another 2 times.
• On the third day or so, your face starts peeling. These are the top layers of skin shedding, and soon your fresher skin underneath will be revealed. Again, I saw a lot of people with Green Peels, and from a few feet away they looked fine, but up close the peeling can be somewhat noticeable, although it’s not that bad.
• A series of 3 Green Peels, with the products, runs about $1500.
• The products are nothing special, but you are required to use them after your treatment. Some of the products contain ingredients that can cause or make acne worse! Remember a lot of people get the Green Peel to help their acne!
• The Green Peel is extremely painful! Some people described the peel as “tolerable” but most people described the massaging as “excruciating” and it feels like fiberglass rubbing into your skin. After the treatment, it feels like you have a sunburn for the next day or so.
• Finally, I have not met a single person that had a series of Green Peels that saw good results!!!! Some people said their skin was softer and felt nice, but I honestly didn’t find one person that actually saw much improvement in their dark spots (hyperpigmentation). I also didn’t notice improvement in people’s acne scars, or acne either.
As I wrote in my Laser Hair Removal post, I was not happy about selling clients large Laser Hair Removal packages because I was not real convinced it was a viable option for a lot of people. Well, I was especially not happy about selling people $1500 Green Peel packages, knowing that the peels are “supposed” to do wonders, yet I had not witnessed a single person get a good result. The Green Peel was another big reason why I quit the Medical Spa because I felt like the treatment was a rip off, and the company I worked for didn’t offer refunds.
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October 28th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Hi, I was going to get cosmelan but I opted for green peel because I have a lot of pitting beside the dark marks, I am African American, what you think I should do , should I go for the green peel without buying the products or go with cosmelan . With cosmelan will I need to buy products like with green peel? thanks
October 29th, 2007 at 1:13 am
Muna,
I am not familiar with Cosmelan, but just looked it up online. It says it is used to lighten hyperpigmentation (dark spots), and that it is safe to use on all skin types. I am not sure how well it works, or if you need to buy products with it. It doesn’t sound like it will address your pitting issue, though.
There are more reviews of Green Peels here: http://www.realself.com/ - just type in Green Peel in the search, and you can read additional reviews about it. If you get a series of Green Peels, they will probably make you buy the products. The products aren’t bad to use if you aren’t breaking out anymore, and you will probably need to use them if you get the peels. They do have some pore-clogging ingredients, which is why I don’t think they are good if you are currently prone to breakouts.
I personally haven’t seen any real good results with the Green Peel, but some people online have. The other risk with a Green Peel is that it can possibly cause hyperpigmentation/dark spots, even though that is probably what you are trying to solve. You might want to go to another Medical Spa or two just to get free consultations and see if there are any other options. Also, try to find an esthetician that is familiar with working on your skin type. Or if you have medical insurance, you could go to a Dermatologist if you haven’t done so yet.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Hi, I am black and I received a green peel by recommendation from the medical spa I attended. Yes, the process was painful and not to mention expensive. I am UPSET however, because about ten days after the green peel I received an allergic reaction. MY ACNE and Hyperpigmentation has worsened. I have pimples on my skin that I have never had before and my pimples are bleeding. I have spoken with the medical spa and they have said that the green peel is natural so that couldn’t have been the case, but you can look at my skin and see that it reacted to the procedure. Can you tell me what I can do as the spa seems clueless and won’t take responsiblity. My skin looks awful–the worse it’s even been. I came to the spa for my acne and hyperpigmentation and I am embarrassed that I even went. In addition, the medical spa I went to has no refunds–I signed up for three green peels and had one.
November 12th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Heather,
I am sorry about your experiences with the Green Peel. When I worked at a Medical Spa, I saw first-hand a lot of women that experienced hyperpigmentation or a bad reaction from the Green Peel. The peel is made of herbs, but just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it can’t have adverse reactions.
Did the spa take any pictures of your skin before the peel? Sometimes your skin might breakout after a peel (or any new skin regimen) because your pimples are coming to the surface. However, hyperpigmentation and bleeding pimples doesn’t sound like a good reaction. Did you go back 5 days after the peel for the post-care facial?
I wrote this article about Medical Spas: http://www.savvyskin.com/an-insiders-guide-to-medical-spas . If you paid with a credit card, I would call your credit card and explain the situation, and ask for the charge to be refunded. If you didn’t pay with a credit card, I would ask to speak to the manager of the spa and ask for a refund. In my opinion, it’s unfair for someone to pay for a service that doesn’t offer what it promises, and it could actually be illegal. If you can’t get a refund from the manager, and the spa is a chain, ask for the number of the corporate office, and tell them you want to report the problem to the corporate office.
If the spa is locally owned and the manager won’t work with you, tell them you will be contacting the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) to report the issue. I would also think about calling the local news, if they offer one of those hotlines where you can complain about local businesses.
In a few more weeks, there’s a good chance that your skin will clear up on its own. While it may last a long time, hyperpigmentation is not usually permanent. If you are really feeling like your skin is having a bad reaction, you might need to go to a Dermatologist.
January 24th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Do NOT get Cosmelan. I wasted 850 on that at a spa in NYC. I go it for hyperpigmentation and there was NO difference!!!! The spa had the nerve to tell me (After they gave me the 1st treatment and took my money) that perhaps it didn’t work because I was too dark. I am bi-racial, same complexion as Alicia Keys. before they took my money, they said it would work. There are no refunds, of course. I have been using Obagi (alternating between the Clear and Vit C formulas, both of which have 4% hyrdroquinone), and mix both with Meladerm. I also do weekly at home peels (lactic and glycolic acid). In addition, I use Retin-A and use a malic acid lotion (10% formula, from skincarerx.com). My skin has improved significantly over the course of the past 6 weeks. My advice would be to start with the less expensive products first, instead of a peel that costs almost a grand or more. Sometimes pricey items just don’t live up to the hype.
March 1st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
what a fantastic blog!!! i’ve been searching for hints and tips about adult acne for soo long and this is the best by far!
i had the green peel in late december 2007 and after the peel, my skin felt nicer and smoother BUT not for long…
After a week or two, my cheeks (which NEVER had acne before) started forming cystic acne and it was soooo terrible! it’s now early March and the acne has subsided but i’m left with all these purple and brown scars everywhere and it looks soooo terrible! :(
I went to the doctors to see if i can get anything prescribed. She looked at my acne and asked whether i recently got a face peel.. I said yes. She said that you’re allergic to them and that’s an allergic reaction. The acne will subside in 3 months but she isn’t sure about the scarring :(
i’m getting married in august and am sooo worried! a friend had warned me about facial peels before saying that they could cause the acne to get worse but i didn’t realise the side affects were that bad…
I’m now getting microdermabrasion treatments, hoping that it would help…
was wondering what your thoughts are on microdermabrasions? also, I bought the Neutrogena Advanced Treatment Skin Peel - My therapist said NOT to use anything with salicylic acid..i was thinking of taking the risk but not sure… what are your thoughts?
it’s soo embarrassing to get adult acne in your late 20s! :(
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Yummii,
I’m sorry to hear about your bad reaction to the Green Peel. I think your spots will go away eventually. I used to have red spots all over my face from post-breakouts, but they eventually went away.
I personally am not a huge fan of microdermabrasions, but some people like them. I have dry skin, and when I had one done, it really dried my skin out and made it look worse than before. Instead, I’ve had better luck with an at-home exfoliator - Philosophy Microdelivery Peel. It’s more gentle, and it’s cheaper!
Unless you are allergic to aspirin, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Salicylic acid. It’s very gentle when it’s used in the 2% over-the-counter concentration, and it just helps to exfoliate your pores. The Salicylic peels you get at a spa are much stronger, so they could potentially cause side effects. This is my post about how I got rid of my acne - http://www.savvyskin.com/guide-to-cure-acne
March 26th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
What do you recommend as for chemicial peels
April 1st, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Marin,
There are several types of chemical peels, and most of them can have some positive effects on your skin. At the medical spa I worked at, I never saw anyone have an adverse reaction to a chemical peel, so as long as you have a skilled esthetician, I think light peels are safer than green peels. I had a really light peel with Salicylic Acid, and my face got super read afterwards, so it’s better to start with a lighter peel to see how your face can handle it.
I personally don’t feel the need for lighter peels because I feel like I have my skin under control now, and can get just as good results with using sunscreen, retinoids, and scrubs like Philosophy Microdelivery Peel. So for me personally, I would rather spend my money on something else.
I’ve seen good results on women that have had stronger peels - like TCA peels. These can be used on lighter skin types, and are good for wrinkles, tone, and sun damage. These are stronger, so there’s more of a chance that something can go wrong, but these show better results. I would get recommendations from people about a good Medical Spa or Dermatologist to see before getting a stronger peel.