Product Review: Perfect Image Lactic Acid Gel Peel

I found out about this product when it was reviewed by daiserz89, a beauty and skincare vlogger on Youtube. Just like me, she is a long-term sufferer of cystic acne, and from what I could tell from her videos, her breakouts look somewhat similar to mine. For this reason, I was excited to try out any product that she claimed help her skin.

This peel is made by Perfect Image, a company that makes a variety of skin peels. I'm using the lactic acid gel, which comes in a 50 percent strength and is infused with a lot of good botanical extracts and antioxidants. It comes in a small bottle with a dropper and is really easy to use. The gel appears to be of a consistency similar to honey, but I was pleased to discover that it actually is more like aloe vera, very non-sticky and easy to spread around the skin.

What the Product Claims to Do

According to the manufacturer, it's supposed to improve "fine lines, wrinkles, acne, oil skin, uneven skin tone, scars, dry skin, blackheads, enlarged pores, whiteheads, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, melasma, warts, enlarged pores, age spots, sun spots, eczema, seborrheic keratosis and keratosis pilaris."

What This Product Actually Does

Generally speaking, on the night of the peel you will experience a bit of a burn. Your face will sting and feel very sensitive, even after you've rinsed it in cold water. Surface acne will probably pop and drain up from being eaten away by the acid, and deep cystic acne will likely remain but may also begin to surface.

Then, in the following few days, your skin will probably look a bit weird. There may be a lot of scabbing, flaking and roughness as the dead skin peels off. During this phase, it's very important not to touch, scratch or pick at your skin. The first protective layer of flesh has been removed and you are more vulnerable to damage than usual.

A few days later, the magic happens. The dead skin will be gone, revealing brand new skin underneath. Aside from any active breakouts, your face will be baby smooth. Another thing I've noticed is that some of the freckles I've had on my face since childhood have completely vanished. They aren't just faded, but GONE. I wasn't exactly on a mission to get rid of freckles, but this is a good sign about the lightening power of this product. It also helps fade the red marks left after acne, but for whatever reason, it seemed to have the biggest effect on freckles.

What This Product Does NOT Do

Unfortunately, after using it for over a month, I can say that this product does not clear or affect my cystic acne in any way. It's such a bummer, especially because it has the power to make the non-inflamed parts of my face look so smooth and lovely. But I have to be honest: If you have serious cystic acne before using this product, you are probably still going to have it after. The last thing I want is for anyone to get their hopes up for nothing.

Why it Isn't Going to Work For Me

In my case, healing and clearing my cystic acne is my biggest concern. Therefore, I have decided to go back to the only thing that has ever helped me in the past: The Dan Kern Regimen from Acne.org. I was hoping I could do the Regimen and chemical peels at the same time, but after trying it this week, I've decided that doing both is too irritating, at least in the beginning while my skin is still getting used to the medication. My hopes are that I can stabilize my skin with BP, then slowly lessen how much I need per day and begin doing chemical peels again once per month. I'm also planning on buying the Regimen brand of AHA glycolic acid lotion to hopefully gain some of the effects of the chemical peel in a more gentle way. When and if I try it, I will post my review here.

In Conclusion 

If you have severe cystic acne that is very painful and inflamed, you may be better off focusing on using something anti-bacterial to help your problem. Acne that is so inflamed can sometimes become infected with Staph, and you don't want to be using chemicals to peel off the top layer of your skin when you are already in such an irritated situation.

However, if you have mild to moderate acne that isn't painful and inflamed, plus you have scars or red marks that you'd like to get rid of, definitely check out this product. I believe that it will do great things for you!

Stay tuned for more updates about how the Regimen is working for me, as well as reviews on my favorite new BB cream and other cool makeup products that I've recently found.