PSA: That 'miracle' at-home chemical peel advice from a client's cousin was a disaster

A client last month kept telling me her cousin swore by using a certain percentage of glycolic acid from a beauty supply store for a 'professional level' peel at home. She was really pushing for me to try it on her, saying it would save her money. I was new to the spa and felt some pressure, so I gave in against my better judgment. Let's just say after about 90 seconds, her skin turned bright red and started stinging like crazy. We had to neutralize it fast and she left with what looked like a bad sunburn. It took a full week of calming treatments to get her skin back to normal. I learned my lesson about listening to random advice over my training. Has anyone else had a client try to give you really bad treatment tips?

3 comments

3 Comments

grays1313h ago

Remember reading about a guy who used a hardware store chemical to strip paint off his deck and thought it would work on his face. People get DANGEROUS ideas when they mix DIY culture with skin care.

charles_mitchell9h ago

Oh man, that's terrifying. I saw a thread where someone was convinced they could use acetone as a toner because it "cleans grease off stuff." The scariest part is they'll post pictures of their red, peeling skin asking what they did wrong... like they're shocked a solvent meant for industrial glue removal didn't work out.

parker_palmer443h ago

Honestly the worst part is how these ideas SPREAD. Someone posts their "miracle" paint thinner face peel, then ten people in the comments ask for the brand and mixing ratios. It's like watching a bad science experiment go viral.

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