Pro-Teeny Bikini Beany Goodness

Hi friends!

In an effort to eat healthy, slim down for the summer, and feel energized, I have been cooking a lot of lean meals recently.  While my lunches are homemade sandwiches, I try to make higher-protein dinners. One such dinner that I tried (SUCCESSFULLY!) to make this week is my all-time-favorite pink bean stew recipe ("mashta-shorba," as we call it in our family) that my grandmother, mom, and aunt all mastered!  Their versions were so good that I was always too scared to try it out myself...I mean, what is worse then making one of your favorite family dishes and ruining it? Okay, there are a lot worse things than that, but it would still be pretty sad...

Well, as I am in a rather "ballsy" mood this month, I called my aunt, got the recipe from her, and bravely forged ahead. And thank goodness I did! The stew came out great, it's packed with a ton of protein, and it has been lunch/dinner for Dr. Love and I for days now! So good, so healthy, so inexpensive to make, so easy to make, but this recipe is time-consuming!!! I mean a whole 5-6 hours of cooking with stirring every 30 or so minutes. It is worth it though, and I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do!

 Pink beans...soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly.

 Large yellow onion...sliced.

 Onion slices...sauteed.

 Onion, bean, bulgar, turmeric, black pepper, red pepper, and water...slowly simmering.

 Potatoes and jalapenos added.

Ingredients

• One Pack of Uncooked Pink Beans (If you can't find these at your grocery store, you can swap in pinto beans)
• One Ladle full of Bulgar (AKA: cracked wheat grain) 
• Two Russet Potatoes 
• One Large Yellow Onion
• Two Jalapeno Peppers
• Turmeric (I think I put in a little less than a teaspoons worth)
• Salt (to taste)
• Black Pepper (About half a teaspoon)
• A pinch of Red Cayenne Pepper (I use this red pepper mix that my grandmother made a loooooong time ago...it's the best...)

Recipe
1.  Soak pink beans in a bowl filled with water overnight;
2. In the morning, rinse beans several times with fresh water;
3. Cut onion into slices and sauté in a large pot with canola oil (on Medium works best on my stove) until onions are soft/caramelized (I added a dash of brown sugar to my onions to bring out their sweetness);
4. Once the onions have softened and started to lightly brown, lower heat from Medium to Low, pour pink beans, turmeric, black pepper, red pepper, and bulgar in pot;
5. Then pour enough filtered water over the contents of the pot so that you have 2 inches of water on top of it all. This part was tricky for me, as a lot of the stuff floats/rises as soon as you pour the water over it, so it's hard to tell how high the water is. I would say, err in the direction of less water, and just watch it as it cooks. You can always add more water during the cooking process (although, that will slow down the cooking, unless you pre-heat the water you're adding), but it's really annoying to have to take a bunch of tasty/spice-filled water out at the end when you realize you added way too much (happened to this girl here).
6. Now you just give it all a mix, and let the contents of the pot cook (You'll see small bubbles, anything more means your heat is too high. That is bad, because you could end up burning the beans at the bottom of the pot, so you want to make sure the heat is just right), for the next 5 hours.
7. During that time, you will need to stir the stew every 30 or so minutes...this part is a pain, but it is worth it!
8. After 5 hours, peel your potatoes, chop them in half, and toss them and your jalapenos into the pot. Once the potatoes and jalapenos are in the pot, there should be enough liquid remaining in the pot to cover the top of the potatoes.
9. At this point, you can add salt to taste...I added less than I really though was necessary at first (just to be safe), and added more once the stew was done and I could give it a taste test.
10. Let beans cook for another hour after you add potatoes, jalapenos, and salt.
11. At 6 hours, you are done and ready to eat!!!

 Final product on left. I made a tomato, avocado, red onion, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, and salt salad on side.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and that it kick starts your protein-powered, bikini-ready, summertime fun!

In the meantime, have a great weekend!!!

x

What You Caulking About?! Part Three

Hi friends!

As my dear friend Ili suggested, this post should actually be titled "Caulk Off!" 

Why you ask? Well, because after over a month of not using our master bath while Dr. Love removed existing caulk/silicone, prepped the area, and then attempted to re-caulk the tub, the frustrating end result is that this DIY project was a "Paris Tries" failure.

How so? Well, to start off, I delegated most of the work to Dr. Love. The blog is called Paris Tries, but sometimes Paris makes Dr. Love try...much to his dismay :).  When Dr. Love got to the re-caulking step and attempted to use the prescribed application tool, the thing was ridiculously impossible to use and wasn't producing smooth looking results. By the end of the afternoon, Dr. Love was so over it and concluded that it made more sense to call in the pros.

The cost estimates I received back from the pros ranged from $45 for full job (labor and materials) to about $150/hour for labor, not including materials. The $45 guys got the gig, came in, did the job in an hour and everything seemed perfect...UNTIL.... My friends, this a true example of a DIY turned "bring-the-pros-in" turned never-ending project. Everything seemed fine, until Dr. Love took a shower in the tub and noticed that the caulk was splitting from the tub edges...that is bad news because it makes a home for bad things like mold, bleckh.

Long story short, the pros are coming back out this Friday, they are bringing a lot more caulk (they say the sides of our tubs are super deep), and they have graciously offered to re-do the entire thing for free. We insisted on paying them for the re-do (I mean it's $45, I don't even know how they make money off of this), but they refused and said that they want to give it another go to ensure that we are happy with the results. I'll let you know how the re-do goes...if all ends well, I will gladly share the name of the the company we used! If not, I'd rather not disparage them publicly :). After all, they have been extremely kind, professional, and accommodating. 

Lesson of the day: Even pros can have caulk problems...

On an entirely different note, Dr. Love and I went out to dinner on Sunday and it was the first (and only, thus far) day that I put makeup on my post-chem-peel face (pic below). I had on the thinnest layer of mineral powder I have ever put on my face (I use Priori CoffeeBerry and love it), a bit of bronzer, zero concealer, mascara, and lip gloss...seriously minimal summer makeup...and I felt fresh and great! Less makeup = happy Paris :)  Looks like the procedure pain, zombie face-melting, allergic reaction, and subsequent itch/burn was all worth it...round 2 in 3-4 months....

Hope you guys have a great rest of your day and are enjoying your summer!

x

I'm Still Standing...Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Part Five)

 Just a quick update for my concerned/curious friends!

Status Update:

PAIN: Nada! Slight itching here and there (more so at night when anti-inflammatory pills wear off), but more like a sunburn itch, rather than a rash itch.

DISCOMFORT/SLEEP: Got up a couple of times for restroom/Vaseline application, but slept pretty freaking well throughout the night.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY/ANTI-BACTERIAL PRECAUTIONS: No more anti-inflammatory cream for now, because it was drying my face out and causing more redness/itchiness.  Will be done with anti-inflammatory oral pills come Monday...woot woot!  Anti-bacterial pills will continue for a while longer, while skin is new and exposed. This shouldn't be a problem though, because they are low dose and the same pills that derm prescribes to me if/when I ever have a breakout. Valium dosage is very low, and I'm pretty sure it does not do much for me, so tonight is probably the last night I will be taking them.

SPIRIT: Relieved to be burning/itching free...feeling very pleased with results...and feeling even more blessed than usual for friends, family, and health.

RANDOM: In order to decrease the swelling that is expected post-chem peel (even when an allergy does not occur), I was instructed to drink A LOT of water throughout this whole thing. I take my doctor's instructions very seriously, so I have been drinking water non-stop. The results have been amazing!  I have always heard about the benefits of water consumption to your skin/health/energy, but I honestly never really bothered to drink it so religiously...until this past two weeks. Not only has my skin all over my body become much softer, I feel energized, don't have stomach acid problems (I would expect all the meds to have caused a major acid stir-up, but nothing), and I have trimmed down a few pounds. While not sleeping well has probably also contributed to the weight-loss, I really think the water consumption has played a big role. Especially, given the fact that I was warned that the anti-inflammatory meds could lead to weight gain, especially if taken for longer periods of time (and for obvious reasons, I have been taking them for longer, and at higher doses, then initially planned).  Just the opposite has happened.

The most profound, unexpected consequence of this chem peel is something deeper though...and here's where I'm going to get a bit cornier than usual. I really feel like the two weeks at home, one week in agony, and lots of time by myself has made me happier overall. I feel like I finally did something that I've wanted to do for a long time (take care of my acne scars in the only way that the derm believes it can be done for me), and while it was the most uncomfortable/agonizing thing I have been through, it was worth it!  My satisfaction with my decision/chem peel may be more based on the psychological consequences of this journey then the objective results of the peel (after all, the projected/expected reduction in scarring is only 25%), but, regardless, I'm happy I did it, and happy I made it out alive and can slowly venture back out into the big, beautiful, sunny world....with a hat and sunscreen on, of course :).

Thanks for your interest/patience/concern, friends!  Below are some pics for your entertainment.

 Day 13

 Day 14: Morning

 Day 14: Night

 Day 15: Two weeks out! Prometheus with Dr. Love tonight...woot woot!!!

Next week: Tub caulking update, garden news, and other updates. In the meantime, here are two articles I just read and really enjoyed...thought you may enjoy them too:  Why Women Still Can't Have It All by Anne-Marie Slaughter AND 23 Things I Think New Parents Should Know by Melissa Sher. 

I'm Still Standing...Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Part Four)

Just barely standing, friends, just barely...

[NOTE: Please take pity on me if you see any grammar mistakes/typos...it's hard to type well when all the nerve endings on your face are blowing up...]

Status Update:

PAIN: HOLY MOLY I'm itching like a crazy person!  As I mentioned in earlier posts, my derm had mentioned that slight itching/discomfort were expected during the peeling phase of this process. In order to help with that issue, on Friday he prescribed me a topical anti-inflammatory cream. We both assumed that the cream would put an end to the itching, but boy were we wrong!  Unfortunately, we chose the weekend to be wrong, so by the time the itching really got bad for me, Dr. Love and I were already two hours away at my in-laws' house to spend the Father's Day weekend with them. When we got to my in-laws' house on Saturday night, my face was itching/burning like crazy, but I assumed it was just because the skin was so raw and that the cream would kick in soon enough. [A special shout-out to my in-laws and Dr. Love for sun-proofing every single window in their house so that I could sit anywhere in the house without a hat on...I love you all.] However, by Sunday morning, after an entire night of no sleep and major itching and burning, it became painfully obvious that something was up. As soon as I looked in the mirror on Sunday morning, I noticed a bright, red rash developing on both sides of my neck. The rash had not been there the day before and was also developing in an area outside of the chemical peel application zone. Luckily, I had my derm's cell phone number on me (he had graciously offered it to me in case of a weekend emergency) and I didn't hesitate to call him about the rash. After asking about the intensity of my discomfort/itching and the development of my rash, he quickly concluded that I was experiencing an allergic reaction to the anti-Bacterial medication he had prescribed me. While an allergy to the medication was not common, he was aware that it existed and told me to stop taking it immediately. He asked that I go into the office this morning for him to confirm in person and for him to write me a prescription for a different anti-Bacterial.

DISCOMFORT/SLEEP: I did not sleep a wink last night due to all the itching and burning and started to develop small patches of rashes all over my body as the night went on. The itching was so painful and uncomfortable that I spent the night pacing our upstairs hall and bedroom and finally succumbed to tears. I spent a good thirty minutes crying like a baby in the bathroom, all the while trying to keep my salty tears from making contact with my raw, inflamed skin. I don't know if it was the exhaustion, the burning/itching, or the self-pity that did me in, but I simply could not keep the tears in. By the time I had cried my eyes out, it was 5:15 am. At that point, I could on longer avoid waking Dr. Love up because I had no idea how to make myself feel any better. Poor sleepy hubby got up like a pro, inspected my rashes, and pulled out his laptop to do some internet research and cancel all of his Monday meetings. Of course, all the research pointed to the same diagnosis, I was suffering from a drug allergy, and we concluded that I would need to just find a way to cope until my derm's office opened in the morning. Dr. Love convinced me to down a bunch of water, and by 7am that had provided me with enough comfort that I was able to lay down and dose in and out of sleep for the next 3 hours (waking up periodically to drink more water). Basically, it was a night of no/very little sleep for both of us. What little sleep I did get I owe to my Dr. Love...

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY/ANTI-BACTERIAL PRECAUTIONS: After my check-up this morning, my derm confirmed the allergy, prescribed a new anti-bacterial, upped my anti-inflammatory, prescribed me more Valium to help me sleep, and told me that, while what I was experiencing was very painful/uncomfortable, it would go away in the next two day. He also assured me that, while the allergy had left a rash/rawness all across my face, the end product of the peel would not be adversely affected by the allergy, except for the obvious fact that my recovery time has been extended by a week. Therefore, my one week of peeling and being trapped in-doors has now been extended to two weeks.

SPIRIT: Last night, while I was weeping for my burning face, my lack of sleep, and my itchy body, I couldn't help but think about those friends and family that suffer from real diseases every day. All I could think about was how many nights they stayed awake roaming the halls of their homes, crying and hoping that the could get some comfort and sleep. While I wish I hadn't had this allergic reaction, and while I cursed myself for undergoing this chemical peel all night while in the midst of my agony, I kept reminding myself that I have it pretty damn good. I have a non-life threatening allergic reaction a medication that I'm taking because I elected to undergo a cosmetic procedure to improve the look and appearance of my skin. Come on now, friends, let's get real...I may be itching like hell, but what I'm going through is anything but. As always, feeling blessed and thankful for all of the lovely family, friends, and docs I have around me...and especially feeling thankful for my sleep-deprived, yet still dashingly handsome, Dr. Love.

Now for some pics...my brother-in-law was wise enough to remind me to take a few "in-the-moment of pain and agony" pics for you guys. Enjoy!

 Day 8: Slight itching has set in, but still no idea about allergy. Heavy peeling underway.

 Day 9 Morning: Peeling heavily and itching more.

 Day 9: Afternoon: Gone through a lot of peeling, and experiencing increase in swelling and itching.

 Day 10 (Father's Day at in-laws' house): Really feeling the itching/burning.

 Day 10 (Father's Day at in-laws' house): Rash has formed on neck, and most of top layer of skin has peeled, leaving behind a bright red, raw, rash covered surface.

 Day 11 (this morning before doc visit and 24 hours since last dose of drug I am experiencing allergy to): Face is swollen, red, burning. I look like crap from no sleep and lots of discomfort.

  Day 11 (this morning before doc visit and 24 hours since last dose of drug I am experiencing allergy to): Neck rash still very visible and itchy.

  Day 11: Thigh rash.

 Day 11: Ankle rash.

So, while the plan was to be done with these chem peel posts by early this week, it appears that the saga continues for a bit longer.  I am expected to be itch/rash free by Wednesday and normal-looking by Friday, fingers crossed. Will keep you guys posted on any further developments, such as the one about this anti-med girl counting down the hours until she gets to pop a Valium pill tonight and get some shut-eye...an unexpected development, indeed!

x

UPDATE: Slept like a newborn baby (got up a few times for restroom, Vaseline application) last night, thanks to the Valium. The med I was allergic to appears to be leaving my system, as my body rashes are minimizing and my level of itchiness, swelling, and redness has gone down substantially.  Shout-out to my derm for knowing his science and acting quickly!

Thanks for all of the love and concern, friends!

x

I'm Still Standing...Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Part Three)

Good afternoon, friends!

Due to the expressed high demand to view nasty pictures of my face melting away, I have yet another chemical peel update for you this week. That makes it three posts this week...we're breaking records this week!

WARNING: As always with the chem peel posts, please discontinue reading if you are faint of heart.

 Day Five: Peeling has begun in chin area.

 Day Six: Chin is entirely peeled...the rest is taking it's sweet time.

Day Seven: Happy about chin peeling, but still waiting for more peeling. The rest of my face is peeling far slower than my chin, but I have been advised that this is normal. Annoying, but normal. ;)

Status Update:

PAIN: Still no pain since initial procedure; however, I have become more itchy in the past two days. Had a derm appointment this morning and was reassured that the itch is an expected side effect.

DISCOMFORT/SLEEP: The itching has meant less sleep at night. I usually pass out within minutes of laying my head down (thanks to the Valium...last of five pills consumed last night), but wake up to itching at least 5 times in the night and wake up to use restroom at least another 3-5 times. (Derm ordered lots of water consumption to keep my hydrated and speed up the healing process. I've taken him very literally and drink water non-stop, which means lots of restroom visits). When I'm not getting up to put Vaseline on the itchy parts or to use the restroom, I'm usually tossing and turning. That hasn't been fun, but hey, let's face it, a little bit of an itch and some lack of sleep is nbd when all you do the rest of the day is sit inside the house.

POST-PROCEDURE CARE: Same as first reported...throw some soapy (Cetaphil) water on my face in shower and rinse it off. Apply post-shower Vaseline and continue to apply Vaseline at least every two hours.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY/ANTI-BACTERIAL PRECAUTIONS: Still taking the pills, although, my dosage of anti-inflammatory meds is lower this week. The derm prescribed me a topical anti-inflammatory today, which he said will help with the itching and will eliminate the need to up my anti-inflammatory oral med. You know me...the less pills I need, the happier I am!

SPIRIT: I'm still feeling pretty grateful to be able to have this time off to heal and hopefully improve my skin. The itching and lack of sleep is making me a bit less pleasant to be around that I was earlier in the week (basically, my friends Emily and Jess got the best of me on Tuesday when they visited, while poor Dr. Love returned from his work trip on Wednesday night to find his wife itchy and tired...my bad.)

Any irritability that I feel about the itching and fatigue is entirely overshadowed by all the love I'm getting from all my friends and family. While I am camped up in our bedroom most of the day (way too bright downstairs and am getting frustrated with wearing a hat all day), I feel like I am constantly in the company of all of my loved ones. All of the texts, beautiful flowers (pic below), calls, visits, Gmail chats, homemade meals, and comments on this blog are so very very very appreciated and make face-melting, uber-grossy me feel GREAT! Love you all!

BTW: For those of you who are sick of the melting face stories and pics, worry not!  Next week there will plenty of updates relating to the my garden, caulking the tub, and our Boston travels. 

x

I'm Still Standing...Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Part Two)

Hi Friends!

I'm happy to report that I have survived three whole days of face melting fun thus far.

WARNING: The images below may scare the crap out of you...so, if you're faint of heart, don't scroll down. IMO, I don't look nearly as scary as I had expected. (Side note: I'm a little disappointed I didn't get the peel during Halloween week...it would have made for an awesome costume [sigh]).

Okay, so here are some more progress pics:

 Day Two: swollen, but not yet dark or peely...

 Day Three: (Super swollen) I couldn't even get a pic of me with a straight face given how amused I was about my ridiculous make-shift sun shielding contraption. Our house is windows central (which I usually love), but it's been quite a challenge staying out of the stream of light and my floppy hats make too much contact with my face to work right now. As a result, I made a fedora hijab for myself. I look absolutely ridiculous, and love every freaking second of it, hahaha!

Day Four: Swelling is on it's way down, peeling is beginning around mouth, color is less brown/brick, more red.

Status Update:

PAIN: No more pain after the initial acid application (holy crap that was painful) and two hours post-application burning and slight muscle spasms in face. 

DISCOMFORT/SLEEP: I have been prescribed a few Valium pills that I used 30 minutes prior to procedure, Saturday night before sleep, and last night before sleep. I fall into a pretty deep and relaxing slumber after taking one. Being that I'm generally super pill-popping adverse, the meds are really doing their job quickly and effectively. Only problem is, I wake up at around 5am to adjust myself and spend the rest of the morning negotiating how to get comfortable on my back (I usually sleep on my sides, so this has been a challenge).  Another annoying piece of the puzzle is that, even though my hair has been pulled back all week (including during sleep), I keep getting fly-aways stuck in the vaseline on my face. It tickles and is hard to pull off without scratching my face, but oh well, not really that big of a deal. 

POST-PROCEDURE CARE: Lots and lots of vaseline on my face all the time. Doc said I don't have to wash my face, but can gently throw soap and water on it if I want. I'm a clean freak, so every morning when I shower, I fill my hands with gentle face soap and water and splash it all over my face. Doesn't do much because of the layers and layers of vaseline, but it makes me feel a whole lot cleaner. 

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY/ANTI-BACTERIAL PRECAUTIONS: I have been prescribed (and take) daily doses of both in order to keep the swelling at bay and to make sure that my exposed skin doesn't get infected. Like I said, I usually don't take meds until I have to, so it appears that my body is responding really quickly to these meds...so far (thank God!) inflammation is on its way down and I don't seem to have any infections forming. 

SPIRIT: I'm feeling pretty darn happy for a number of reasons. For one, I have been so frustrated with my acne scars for so long that I am just so excited and proud that I decided to take the plunge and do this. Regardless of how much of an improvement I see the first time, I am just happy that I didn't chicken out and that the pain was bearable enough that I could face it again. More importantly, I thank God that this was a voluntary procedure and that I am not, instead, recovering from one of the million awful, painful, and devastating operations that people with serious diseases and ailments have to endure daily. It is not lost on me that my peel is a luxury and that it is a privilege to be undergoing this process to make me feel better about myself.

Also, and more importantly, how could I possibly be in anything but a great mood when I have so much love around me? Dr. Love held my hand throughout the entire procedure and periodically makes fun of how ridiculous I look in my makeshift hijab :); my friend Jess baked me the most delicious peanut butter cookies I've ever had; my aunt and cousin came by Saturday with a ton of food and spent the whole day entertaining my bloated, scary-looking, snappy self (the meds were not my friend on Day One); my in-laws have been checking up on me daily; and a ton of other friends and fam have been calling, texting, and sending their love and well-wishes my way. I am so very blessed and love each and every one of them for being the absolute BEST!

ENTERTAINMENT: I've been catching up on my favorite trashy reality/tv shows, and read through ALL three of the Fifty Shades books. My review: The quality of writing in Fifty Shades of Grey was crap and wayyy too redundant...to the point where the exact same descriptions were being used over and over to describe things (in hindsight, I think I understand that the point of that was to really emphasize certain features of the characters and their relationship). Either way, it annoyed me. That being said, upon finishing Grey, I wanted to read more...so, a job well-done, E.L. James. I picked up Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed upon finishing Grey. Darker was far less annoyingly written then Grey, and focused on more than just bedroom shenanigans. By the time I got to the end of Freed, I couldn't even believe I was still reading the same story. That's all, don't want to give anything else away ;).

Overall, I recommend reading the books, but then hiding them or passing them on to friends. My biggest nightmare, at this point, is for my cousins or future children to find them and start reading them. They were a fun read, but definitely too graphic to just leave laying around. 

K, friends, that's my update! Hope I didn't scare you with the pics. Would love to hear your feedback/review of the Fifty Shades trilogy if you're reading and who you think should be cast in the movie as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.  Also, feel free to ask about any details of the peel/post-peel process that you are interested in and that I have failed to cover.

x

I'm Still Standing...Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Part One)

As you know friends, I subjected myself to a deep chemical peel this morning. The end product is that my acne scars are supposed to smooth out a lot (about 25% improvement with first peel, and much more with second peel) and the peel also has the additional consequences of tightening up skin and smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles. At 29, my only reason for doing it is to get rid of the acne scars that I consider to be my one major insecurity in life. However, you won't see me complaining about the anti-aging side benefits ;).

My mission, in sharing the details about my chemical peel journey, is to educate those of you who are suffering from post-acne scars like me and considering skin improvement options, to entertain those of you with naturally beautiful skin, and to keep  a photo journal of my skin's progress for myself.

I can think of about a billion things I'd rather show you (or anyone for that matter) then pics of my acne and acne scars, but it wouldn't be fair for me to just show you the after pics and pics with makeup on. Those do not truly reflect the skin that I have and am so bothered by that I would basically go through a controlled acid burn to fix.

So, without further ado...here are a couple before pics...

 (Left cheek)

(Right cheek)

As the pics evidence, I have acne scars and redness. The scars are mostly the product of stress-induced adult acne (primarily caused by my mom's passing and the stupid California Bar Exam prep) and the allergic reactions that I had to the nickel in chocolate. While my acne is mostly under control (thanks to my great derm), the scars needed some extra help. 

The Chemical Peel Procedure

The type of peel I had done is a "TCA" Chemical Peel. The process is quite simple. I lay down while my derm first uses an alcohol/disinfecting wipe all over my face to remove makeup, lotions, and natural oils off my face. The next step is about 15 minutes of rubbing wipes with acid on them all over my face. At some points, the derm would emphasize certain areas that hadn't "frosted" yet. Frosting is the whitening of the skin that is the immediate byproduct of the TCA peel.

In all honestly, the peel burned like a b$%^h.  At the 75% done mark, my breathing exercises, a fan, and Dr. Love's hand holding could no longer control the pain and I totally started tearing up and lightly crying. I mean, not audible crying, but streams of tears down my face...I just thank God that I didn't pee myself.

When it was done, I was able to rinse my face off with cool water and apply Vaseline all over it.  It is now 2.5 hours post-procedure, and the burning/tingling sensation is finally wearing off. Immediately after the procedure, my face was all white (Geisha looking), pretty swollen, and on fire. Right now, it is more pinkish, still swollen, but only tingling.

And now a few post-procedure pics:

 (An hour after chemical peel procedure...burning and swollen, but ok enough to take a pic)

(Two hours after chemical peel procedure...swollen but in good spirits)

I'm going to spend the rest of my day catching up on some trash tv (Real Housewives of New York City [love those cray cray ladies], The Bachelorette, and starting the second book in the Fifty Shades trilogy [scandalous!]). 

Have a great weekend and "speak" with you all soon! If you have any further questions about the chemical peel, drop me a comment and I will be happy to share my new-found knowledge with you! 

x

Since I've Bean(town) Gone

Hi friends! Long time no talk...

As you know, Dr. Love and I spent most of last week in Beantown. The trip was absolutely perfect and my only complaint is that we packed in so much sightseeing, good eating, and friend catching-up that I am completely exhausted this week.

I don't want to leave you hanging though, so below are some pics from our trip...more details about our trip to come tomorrow (if possible*) or early next week latest.

*I have a deep chemical peel scheduled for tomorrow morning...the procedure is supposed to be smooth out my acne scars (I promise before and after, and maybe some "during," pics) and is only supposed to be painful for a couple minutes. However, my derm has prescribed some relaxant/pain relief meds to me, so I may be a little too out of it to write tomorrow. If so, I promise to deliver early next week.

Until then, have a great Friday, an even better weekend, and "see" you Monday!