Skin Doctors, Rapid Peel

Skin Doctors are an Australian company producing products targeted at treating a host of common skin problems. For instance, if you have puffy eye bags, pigmentation spots, spider veins or wrinkles, Skin Doctors are bound to have something suitable. They claim to “bridge the gap” between ordinary skincare products and cosmetic surgery. Of these, one of their ‘Professional Results’ range is Rapid Peel, a concentrated glycolic exfoliator.






Exfoliation is a real buzz word in skin care regimes with all sorts of do-it-yourself kits sold over the counter. Nowadays, simply washing our face is no longer considered a sufficient method of cleansing. Instead, we are urged to exfoliate using various scrubs, masks or facial peels, all promising to reveal the fresh, bouncy, dewy skin that’s lurking somewhere underneath our grimy top layer.

Rapid Peel is an exfoliator of sorts. It contains concentrated glycolic acid which is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) or fruit acid. The benefits of using Rapid Peel include “loosening dead and lifeless skin cells so that the fresh new supple skin underneath can be revealed'. It also says that used regularly over time it can brighten skin while reducing pigmentation.

I've tried several Skin Doctors products over the years with varying degrees of success. Since their products aren't exactly cheap, I usually end up buying them on the strength of the promotion on the packet. And they are pretty good at that. The packaging itself is a simple plain, black and white clinical style, designed to give their products a pharmaceutical appearance.

Rapid Peel is rather an odd name to give this product since it’s designed to do its job over a period of twelve weeks. However, the idea is for you to build up a tolerance to the peeling effects gradually so that those with sensitive skin are less likely to suffer from any adverse effects.

It's very easy to use and doesn't require any special equipment. Simply wash your face then dispense the pump twice to squeeze out the clear, gel like serum. For the first two weeks you apply it onto your face and leave it for one minute. Weeks three and four it's left for two minutes and so on until weeks eleven and twelve whereby you wait six minutes. After each application you wash it off with warm water.

Although I don't have sensitive skin, and I've used some pretty harsh ingredients on my face over the years, I do experience a slight tingling sensation when I first apply the serum. My eyes also start to water a bit. After about fifteen seconds this feeling disappears and the serum quickly dries to a smooth mask.  Once it's washed off, there aren't any obvious changes such as peeling or flaking skin but my skin does feel quite smooth.

I've been using the Rapid Peel serum for about eight months. I must admit I don't slavishly adhere to the time limits given and tend to leave the serum on a little longer than suggested. For instance, once I reached the six minute stage, I generally leave it on for around ten minutes, once a week without it causing me any problems.

As for the results, overall there isn't too much difference to the appearance of my skin. However, it does smooth out any roughness and helps eliminate problems like blocked pores and whiteheads.  But, as I mainly purchased this product in the hope of minimizing sun damage, unfortunately it hasn't made any noticeable effect in that respect. However, results are likely to vary from person to person, just don't expect dramatic improvements if you have sun damage.

Rapid Peel is a gentle exfoliator so it's suitable for those with sensitive skin but will probably work best for people with only light pigmentation. And for a small one ounce bottle costing around $55, it has lasted me ages and is still going. However, I probably won't continue buying this once it's run out as there are other products that do the same job at a much friendlier price.