TCA 25% Chemical Peel - day 1

Today I finally decided to start using the peel I bought in May.  I've waited all summer because I read that doing peels in the summer is a BAD IDEA since the new skin just can't be protected adequately from more sun damage--but of course, I read that after buying it.

I prepared by using Cetaphil, then I wiped with Alcohol Swabs. These are really convenient, and I decided to buy them since I'm going to be doing some peels this winter.  I also got a neutralizer to apply after the peel comes to a frost (looks kind of white, and took about 1 minute to frost). 

You can see that the skin is a bit pink, but not bad.  I used TCA Chemical Facial Peel 50% and made a 25% concentration by adding 1 teaspoon of the acid and 1 teaspoon of distilled water.  The darker spot near my thumb is where I used 50% (full strength); that's a fairly obvious sunspot.  I used Complex Cu3 cream, which has copper to speed recovery.

Just for the record, I'm 46, and I've had my share of unprotected sun exposure.  I've only recently begun to wear sunscreen.

The reason I'm starting with my hands is that I want to get an idea of what to expect when I get enough courage to do this on my face.