There are so many treatments available for improving the condition of our skin nowadays, particularly with regards to skin rejuvenation and micro-dermabrasion and it can be hard working out which is the best option. I opted for a home chemical peel treatment, partly due its lesser cost than those undergone in a clinic, and partly because I liked the idea of doing the treatment myself while in my own home. This particular peel by Skin Culture was developed in 1937 and has been proven to achieve positive results. I accepted this as being good enough testimony for me to try it out.

I've tried various at home micro-dermabrasion kits and exfoliating treatments over the years, but although they may make my skin clean and fresh looking, nothing ever improves the sun damage and hyper-pigmentation my skin suffers from.

The Skin Culture 4000 Peel is a 6-day facial peeling treatment that you do in the privacy of your home. It evenly removes several layers of skin cells, revealing the fresh, new skin underneath. It's safe and very effective.

Skin Culture have a help line which they encourage you to phone prior to undertaking the peeling treatment. You should also do a 6 day patch test to make sure you don't suffer from any allergic or other problems. In any case, you must ring the helpline before you commence the first day of using the peel so they can answer any other questions you may have. There is, of course, a detailed instruction booklet with a step by step guide.

In this review, I'll provide some details about the product I'm reviewing. Following on from that, I'll give my own step by step experiences of using the product and my results. I apologise for the length of this review, but I felt a day by day recap of my experiences might be helpful if anyone wished to have a go themselves!

~~~Where to Purchase and Cost~~~

I've only ever seen the Skin Culture Peel available online from http://www.uk.skinculture.com/skinpeel.html and also see http://www.skinculture.com/more_peel_4000.html. The main website can be found at http://www.skinculture.com/.

I purchased my Skin Culture Peel 4000 at the beginning of December while it was on a special Christmas half price offer of £80 including postage. It usually retails at around £150, but at the time of writing is selling on offer at £97.49 excluding postage.

The peel is sent via recorded delivery and you receive a plastic pocket containing 4 tiny pots of cerate 39xxx peeling cream (4 pots because I'm doing the peel 4000) and 1 28g pot of normalizer cream. The normalizer cream is used after you've finished your 4 peeling treatments.

I didn't experience any adverse reactions to the patch test. However, I'm fortunate that my skin isn't at all sensitive and I've never suffered from any adverse reactions to face creams.

~~~Who is it Suitable For~~~

The Skin Culture Peel can be used on any skin colour. It can help improve the following conditions:

* Fine Lines - this includes laugh lines, crow's feet, brow lines, and crinkly skin.
* Acne Scarring - reduces and removes, dark marks, red spots, rough skin, & blocked pores.
* Sun Damage - reverses & removes the photo-aged and sun-damaged outer skin layers.
* Age Spots - lightens and removes dark spots, and blotches.
* Blackheads - open blocked pores eliminating black/whiteheads, smooths rough skin.
* Uneven Skin Tone - lightens, brightens revealing an even coloured skin tone.
* Large Pores - reduce the size, look, and appearance of large pores.
* Hyper-pigmentation - reduces & improves the look of darkened skin patches and spots.
* Other Complexion Irregularities.

~~~Types of Peel~~~

There are 4 levels of peels available, each progressively stronger.

Peel 1000 is a light peel and will help with removing outer dead skin and will brighten your complexion.

Peel 2000 removes dead thickened skin and dirt while freshening and revitalising your complexion.

Peel 3000 is a medium penetration peel which removes years of thickened skin. It's a 6 day peel process which will firm the skin, restore softness, renew colour while making your skin look younger.

Peel 4000 is the deepest, maximum strength peeling treatment. It removes years of deep ingrained dirt, as well as rough, thickened skin. It restores softness while firming the skin and renews natural skin tones. It promises it gives skin a second life!

I decided to use the Peel 4000 treatment. Despite people telling me I have lovely skin, I can see the effects of years spent in the sun and this level of peel seemed to offer everything I wanted to improve in my skin.

~~~How to Use the Treatment~~~

On the first day you thoroughly cleanse your face then apply the first peeling treatment with a spatula. You wait 90 minutes then wipe it off with cotton wool. Any residue is removed using Vaseline. You mustn't wash your face for at least 8 hours, therefore it's recommended you do the treatments in the evening. In the morning you wash your face with warm water, then cold water, then leave it. You put nothing on your face until the second peeling treatment which is done at the same time as the first.

You repeat day one over four nights. On the fifth night you use the normalizer cream, leave on for 90 minutes then wipe off any excess.

In most cases, peeling occurs on days 5 and 6. In some cases it can start earlier or take later. You must use a high factor sun screen of at least SPF 30 for the month following the treatment. If you wish, you can even undergo another peeling treatment after a month.

One last thought, if you're going to do a treatment such as this, you need to factor in down time where you won't want to 'face the world' outside. This is when your face begins to peel and it's not a pretty sight!

~~~My Experience~~~

Day 1: After cleansing my face thoroughly and letting it dry for 5 minutes, I opened one of the little pots of cerate 39XXX. I found myself staring at the contents. It didn't look pleasant. Inside is a putrid yellowish looking paste with an even worse smell emanating from it. After tying my hair back, I took out the spatula and spread the paste all over my face, while taking care not to rub it in.

The smell is all encompassing and any one venturing near you will recoil in horror. It's best to go through this part while you're alone. As indicated in the instructions, as soon as the paste was applied over my face, I began to experience the hot and stinging sensation as described. It was bearable but after 5 minutes I wasn't looking forward to 90 minutes of this feeling with another 3 nights to go through. However, after 10 minutes, the stinging subsided and I couldn't feel it at all. Unfortunately, the smell remains as strong throughout.

What a relief once the 90 minutes is up and I could scrape off the paste. You mustn't wash it off, just scrape it off with the spatula. Then, any remaining paste has to be removed with Vaseline. I'd made sure I bought a small jar of Vaseline before I started. I rubbed Vaseline over my face then wiped it all off with a piece of cotton wool.

You then must wait at least 8 hours before washing your face with warm water followed by cold water. It's suggested that you do this procedure before going to bed, which is what I did. In the morning you just wash your face and leave it. You don't put any creams, lotions or potions on.

My face feels very tight and looks slightly red on the first day and I can still go out and about and face the world.

Day 2: I repeat last night's scenario. The same hot stinging sensation again and this time when I remove the paste, my face looks redder than last night. The following day my face has taken on a somewhat robust look, redder than yesterday but still not too abnormal.

Day 3: the same process again. Face stings for 10 minutes then it subsides. My face has become very red now once the cream is off. I feel a bit self conscious the next day when out and about.

Day 4: Thank goodness it's the last day. Once tonight's paste is wiped off, my face is very red, like I have a bad sunburn. I can still go outside although I have begun the peeling process around my mouth. It's starting to flake off in tiny amounts, but it's still not noticeable enough to prohibit me from mixing with the great wide world.

Day 5: Thank goodness, tonight I can smother my face with normalizer cream. Now this barely has any perceptible smell at all. It provides a welcome relief to my poor tortured skin. This cream is white and very thick and glides easily over my roughened skin. Again I must leave it on for 90 minutes before wiping off any excess. I mustn't wash my face until the morning.

My skin is peeling more around the mouth area but nowhere else. The rest of my skin now looks like it's covered in a layer of cling film. When I smile or pull extreme facial expressions, the look of my skin is quite terrifying. In fact, it gives me a glimpse into the future where I can see what I might look like aged 80. I try not to make too many facial expressions because it scares my kids. Actually, they're very accepting and take it all in their stride. Mum has warned them that her face will be falling off in a few days so they must be prepared.

Day 6: Still not much in the way of peeling. The instructions say the peeling mainly occurs on days 5 and 6. In some cases it completes over days 7 and 8. I fall into the category of some cases, whereby my facial peeling is nowhere near complete on day 6. This is annoying as it meant I had to cancel visiting plans over Christmas.

The shedding of my skin is working up from around my mouth to the sides of my nose. I must continue using the normalizer cream until all peeling is finished. I'm no longer in any fit state to present my face to the outside world. I'm now confined to my house, which is no bad thing seeing as it's the school and Christmas holidays so I don't need to do the school run. Friends are banned from visiting.

Day 7: The peeling is spreading out much more now. Most of my nose is done, and half of my cheeks.

Day 8: Still peeling and not finished yet. I got my first real glimpse of the effects of the peel today. One of my greatest hopes of the peel were to achieve a more even skintone. I suffer quite badly from uneven pigmentation as well as a couple of quite bad sun spots. That's due to growing up in Australia and spending years and years in the sun playing tennis. Anyway, today I was helping the peeling process along a bit. It's just too hard to resist sometimes. The instructions warn you NOT to peel or pull at your skin and to let it shed naturally. I found this impossible at times but I didn't ever pull skin that wasn't ready to be removed.

Day 11: Today I have exfoliated the last remaining flecks of skin, mainly around the edges of my face and top of my forehead. I've been able to face the world for the past three days and am back to normal now.

~~~My Verdict~~~

So, now the peeling's over and done with and I can fully examine the results. I can honestly say my skin is in better condition than I can remember. My skin seems positively dewy, just as described on their website. The minor brown spots have faded, however, one particularly bad spot is somewhat lighter but still very noticeable (to me). It will require laser treatment as I had been told the pigmentation is right down in the epidermis layer, far deeper than any chemical peel.

I'm very excited at the results in my under eye lines. I wasn't expecting anything very much with regards to wrinkle or line improvement, but after a bit of skin came off from under one eye, there was barely a fine line to be seen. Blackheads and a couple of whiteheads are non existent and my skin tone is greatly improved.

Two weeks later and I'm very happy with the results. I know once (if) summer arrives, I'll need to take extra care when out in the sun but I won't be avoiding it altogether. I'd certainly recommend this treatment as the ultimate exfoliation kit. You do need to be aware of the time it takes and that you'll likely want to stay hidden away from the world while you shed your skin! But once that's over and done, the fantastic results speak for themselves.