Burn Baby, Burn!

Tim's birthday and my birthday are four days apart. (Landon has a Feb. birthday too!) We have been together long enough now that when our birthdays come, we just pick up something we really want or need and say that it's from each other. This works really well for us, as Tim doesn't need another tool box and I don't need anymore trinkets that really aren't my taste. Last summer Tim and I were in a giftshop in Royalton and he spoted a key chain with his name on it. He bought it, handed it to me and said "Give this to me on my birthday." Done. I love it. This year however, what I want for my birthday, isn't quite as simple. I have to go back several years to explain it. For most of my teens and 20's, if I wasn't at work, you could find me in a beach chair, laying on the beach. I loved to set my chair right in the water at the edge of the ocean. I would only get up to flip over or to move my chair as the tide came in. I was a beach bum and I have the sun damaged skin to prove it. So for the last 10 years or so, it has been on my bucket list to get a skin treatment. To be more precise, I want a chemical peel. Yowza! That's right. Burn baby, burn! ( A chemical peel is a facial treatment where, the doctor applies an acid that is stronger than what is available in topical creams. The acid burns the outer layer of the skin, which peels off, causing new, smoother skin to regenerate. Like a sunburn. Only this burn doesn't cause damage. It makes your skin better! Now, doesn't that sound like fun?)

I love how this lady is SMILING!

I hope to be smiling too...

Yes, I do know that it will be a little painful.

But, don't most things worth having

cause a little pain?

I am sure you all have heard the nightmare stories regarding chemical peels, and I have no doubt most of them are true. However, there are varying degees of peels. Light, medium, and deep. The deep ones are where all the horror stories come from. I just want a light one. The prices range from $50 to $5000. Peels are a very common facial procedure and millions of women have them done every day. The only thing that has prevented me from making an appointment, is the uncertainty of where to have it done at. There are many fly by night shops set up and way too many quack Dr.'s out there. It's my face. I don't want it messed up any worse!! So a few months ago, I was at a small gathering and I couldn't help but notice the woman sitting next to me on my right side. Her face was pink and flaking a bit. She was fanning herself with a piece of folded paper. I immediatly thought, "Chemical Peel!" I wanted so badly to ask her about it, but since it's such a personal topic, I didn't know how to approach her. So while I was trying to think of a question to open the floor and get her to talk to me, the lady on my left made a comment to her. (Thank you woman on my left!) I honestly don't even remember what she said, but I think it was something regarding the temperature in the room. I was so shocked when the "right" lady just came out and said she had a peel and started to tell us about it. I told her that it had been on my bucket list for years, but I just didn't know where to go. She told me where she went and I decided right then and there I was going to do it! I have a lot of respect for this lady and know that she would only go to a clinic where the best Dr.'s would be available. I trust her 100% and besides, her skin is fabulous! So I made my appointment. I am going to the Catalyst Medical Center in Fargo. (You can google it.) I am getting a light peel. The peel is $80, but I get a $25 discount for it being my first visit! It takes more than one visit before you see real results. That's o.k. I'm prepared for that. So when I told Tim what he was getting me for my birthday this year, he was so happy and thought it was a fantastic idea!!

O.k. I lied.

His actual response was,

"What? You want a what???"

Then,

"O.k. Whatever makes you happy dear."

(That's why we are still married after all these years!)

Now, here is the real reason that I have decided to share my "peel" story with you all. I live in a small town. While there are many wonderful things about living in a small town, one of the bummers of living in a small town is, people love to talk. By the time a story goes from one end of the town to the other, it gets so blown out of proportion and it is no longer anywhere near close to the original story. So I wanted to put my story out there, so that in the event you should happen to hear someone talking about it incorrectly, you can correct them for me! I can hear the rumors already....

 

"Did you hear about Desiree?

Poor thing.

She had a face lift.

 Didn't help at all.

 Not at all...."