I’ve been doing at home skin treatments for about 10 years and I’ve been documenting progress, changes & results along the way. I wanted to share these images so that they can help you understand the potential results you can get from these different treatment options. Some of these photos I have never shared before. In the beginning, I didn’t have a good camera or lighting, so that may impact what you’re seeing. But, I did my best to take similar photos and to truly reveal the state of my skin as clearly as possible. Some of the photos have been altered in a minor way to crop them, make them the same size when they’re side-by-side or adjust the lighting slightly. You may notice that in some photos my brows are filled in or that I am wearing mascara and eyeliner. If you see that, it’s the only makeup I’m wearing. I’ll be updating this post in the future as I have more photos and information to add to it.
Disclaimer
My Personal thoughts
In this post, I’ll be sharing a lot of closeup photos and details about skin changes. So, I am going to be very detailed and particular with what I’m pointing out, while documenting any changes. I do the same thing in my videos where I share before and after photos. But, in real life, I think who you are means much more than all of this stuff. I know I am going to get older, get lots of wrinkles and that is just fine. I do want to age gracefully and I love being able to reverse and slow some of the things down, by doing at home treatments. Many people are extremely interested in looking and feeling their best – or looking as young as they feel, and I am right there with you. I’m here as a guinea pig of sorts – to share what has worked for me personally. I love being able to make positive changes in my skin and in my health, while doing it from home.

Botox, Filler & Tretinoin
I just wanted to let you know that I have never had any injections in my face – to add volume or paralyze the muscles. This might be one of the most commonly asked questions I get, so I wanted to state this here. I also wanted to mention that none of my results have anything to do with Tretinoin or retinoids. I’ve never consistently used them, though I have tried from time to time. I’ll do a video and post on that in the future.
Old Photos
Here I want to start out by sharing some old photos of how my skin was years ago. This whole post will take you through many years, numerous experiments and the changes my skin has gone through as a result. For a little background information – I lived in Arizona as a young child between the ages of 6 and 9. I had a lot of sun exposure with no sunscreen ever being used. I also lived and worked overseas in numerous hot and sunny climates in my early 20s. Lastly, I lived in Vegas from 2009 to 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed the sun and the swimming which I did daily, where I wore little to no sunscreen. I am working on transferring some photos from my old computer to an external drive, and when I get that done, I’ll update this area with more “before” photos. I think it helps to see the progression and changes along the way.
Even though I had a lot of sun exposure, I also want to point out that I remember when I was 18 and in my early 20s that I looked quite young for my age. I think in my early and late 20s is the time when I experienced excessive sun exposure and then probably began looking my age or maybe even older. That’s where the photos begin below.
Glycolic Peel Results
I was 32 in the pictures from 2014 and 37 in the 2019 photos. This was when I first really began getting into skincare and when I started documenting changes with photos. As you can see, this appears to have gotten rid of quite a few under eye lines and a line on the side of my eye. Check out my comprehensive post and video sharing full details on how glycolic peels got rid of those wrinkles & the other skin issues glycolic peels can treat. Currently, my favorite peels are sold by Platinum Skincare (affiliate link). You can use the code “Holly10” for 10% off your order.
Disclaimer: If you are a business owner providing skincare treatments to people or selling a skincare product, you do not have my permission to take or use any of the photos on this page.
Microneedling Results
Microneedling really changed my skin from the inside out. Interestingly, I noticed that it got rid of lines and wrinkles which I had on my forehead. The photos don’t show those lines well enough, but I had numerous forehead lines on the sides of my forehead. I think it also really improved my under eye area. I think it had a slight impact on smile lines, but those are hard to treat. It greatly improved the tone, texture and overall appearance of the skin. The microneedling pen I am currently using is this one (affiliate link). Check out my comprehensive post & video sharing what I did and how microneedling totally transformed my skin.
TCA Peel Results
In my experience, TCA peels totally resurface the skin and can improve textural issues, sunspots and lines and wrinkles (to some extent). This was a 20% TCA Peel which I did at the age of 38. You can check out my comprehensive TCA Peel Video and Full Details here. I share the entire process from start to finish and bring you with me day-by-day. From what I’ve learned, you don’t want to do too strong of a TCA peel, but you want to push it as far as you can, without going too far. So I did several layers with this peel and I am really happy with the results. PS – my face looks very weird in the first after photo. I can’t figure out why, but it does. 🙂 Currently, I purchase my TCA peels from Platinum Skincare (affiliate link). You can use the code “Holly10” for 10% off your order.
Note: I’ve mentioned in the past that I don’t think I’ve had the most long-lasting results from TCA peels. This is because I tend to not follow up with proper skincare or subsequent lower strength glycolic peels.
I personally believe that you can get long-lasting results if you do a series of TCA peels within a four month time period, or if you follow up with regular glycolic peels or the use of tretinoin or retinoids. I wanted to test my theory out, so I took an “after photo” that was four months after my TCA peel, and at that point, my results were still visible and going strong. In the future, I’ll take more “after” photos.
TCA Peel Results from 3-2022
The last TCA peel I did was in March of 2022. I documented the entire experience, but have yet to post about it here or on a video. I had too much going on at the time, and sort of forgot about it. I was also under the impression that I didn’t do a deep enough peel, or get significant results from it. But, when looking back at these before and after photos, I do see positive changes that it made in my skin. Please note that the “after” photos is only 8 days after the TCA peel. So, it would be much better if I had a photo taken a month or two later, to really show the state of my skin after a period of time. I will be updating this post in the future with more recent photos. My after photo looks like a jail mugshot! 🙂
Dietary Changes Made A Huge Impact Too
One last thing to keep in mind is that diet can have such a huge impact on how your skin looks and feels. I believe supplements can play a part in improvements too, if your diet is right for you.
In addition to the glycolic peels improving my skin back between 2014 and 2019, I had also made dietary changes that I know made a huge difference. I share full details on the changes I made and how that impacted my skin in my video here about how I fixed my puffy face and swollen eyes. I share a lot more closeups in the video.
Photo comparison: these pictures compare my skin and facial appearance in 2014 vs 2019 (comparing age 32 to 37). My skin in 2014 was ruddy, had more redness issues and looked noticeably unhealthier, swollen and puffy. I share what I did to improve my diet in the video here, and I will make a detailed post in the near future too.
Photo where I’m holding a baby bunny, wearing a red hat: This is the truth of how my skin looked at times in 2017. The hot and humid weather just accentuated the puffiness in my face. I know we all have our days and our puffy under eyes, but my issues are much less severe nowadays.
Disclaimer: The Content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The creator hereby disclaims any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the Content, which is provided as is, and without warranties.
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This is super helpful thank you so much for sharing! I discovered your account a couple days ago when researching peels. I’ve watched your micro needling videos now too. My wedding is in less than 3 months and I want to diminish some pores and scars on my face or at least smooth my skin out some. I’m not sure if I can combine micro needling and a peel in that time (tca or glycolic). Or if I can do a peek in the month after micro needling? What do you think would have the best results in that time?… Read more »
This is a fantastic comprehensive breakdown, thanks so much for the documenting your experiences. My sister is getting married in November; I was doing some research for her and came across some of these hacks. I will definitely check out some of your other content. Thanks again!
Hi, I’ve been watching your videos on microneedling, and have been wanting to try it. So I ordered and just got my DrPen and numbing cream. Do you recommend any other items that i should have before I do it. Also, have you ever done your lips? The Aesthetics office I go to to get my facials & other treatments have this on their menu as well as I’ve seen in on social media. do you have any suggestions or recommendations regarding this?