Chemical peels are a tried and true skin care treatment. In fact, they may be the secret to maintaining beautiful skin. At Skin Deep MD, we perform chemical peels for adults of all ages and skin types, with each medical-grade formula carefully selected to suit the patient. All chemical peel procedures are overseen by Dr. Denham, our board-certified medical doctor to create exceptional improvements in skin appearance, quality, and texture.
What Are Chemical Peels?
A chemical peel is a quick, easy treatment to regenerate the skin. A customized chemical solution is applied to the face and works to remove damaged skin layers. After several minutes, the solution is removed and the skin sheds damaged layers over the next several days. As this occurs, fresh, new, youthful skin is revealed.
What Skin Conditions Do Chemical Peels Address?
While they are most frequently performed on the face, chemical peels can also be used to treat the neck, chest, and hands. Peels are commonly used to address a wide range of skin issues, including:
- Aging skin
- Wrinkles
- Sagging skin
- Sun Damage
- Crow’s feet
- Hyperpigmentation
- Scarring
- Melasma (gray to brown patches)
- Acne and acne scars
What Are the Different Types of Chemical Peels?
In all chemical peels, a solution is applied to the skin for deep exfoliation. This popular technique is used to improve the texture and appearance of the skin. The fresh, regenerated skin that is revealed is more supple, youthful, and has fewer wrinkles, lines, sun spots, and other flaws.
Chemical peels come in three basic types or strengths:
- Superficial Peel: This peel uses a mild acid such as alpha-hydroxy acid to penetrate and gently exfoliate only the outer layer of skin. It is used to treat rough skin and mild discoloration and to refresh the skin of the face, neck, chest, or hands.
- Deep Peel: This treatment is done on the face and can only be performed once. A deep peel uses phenol or trichloroacetic acid to deeply penetrate the skin’s middle layer and remove damaged cells. It produces dramatic improvement of moderate lines, age spots, shallow scars, and overall skin appearance.
- Medium Peel: This stronger peel uses glycolic or trichloroacetic acid to penetrate and remove damaged skin cells from the outer and middle layers of skin. Medium peels are performed to improve fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, freckles, and moderate discoloration. They can also smooth rough skin and treat some types of precancerous growths.
Do Chemical Peels Hurt?
Chemical peels are not generally considered painful, but it is normal to experience a stinging sensation. The gentlest, most comfortable peels use alpha-hydroxy, glycolic, fruit, or lactic acids. The strongest peels, which use phenol to remove deep wrinkles and lines of the face, may sting more than treatments with gentler acids.
What Is Recovery Like after a Chemical Peel?
After a chemical peel, you may experience some redness, swelling, and irritation, which can be alleviated with specific creams and gels. Recovery time and side effects will depend on whether you have a superficial, medium, or deep chemical peel:
- One to seven days healing after a superficial peel. Expect some redness and possible scaling.
- Seven to 14 days healing after a medium peel. Many patients experience redness, significant swelling, and blisters. Antiviral medication is taken for 10 to 14 days and the skin must be soaked daily.
- 14 to 21 days healing after a deep peel. The treated area will be bandaged and must be soaked, after which ointment is applied, several times a day. You will need to take antiviral medication for 10 to 14 days and avoid all sun exposure for three to six months. The results are a very thorough skin rejuvenation, and well worth the wait.
Benefits of Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are a low-risk, highly-customizable treatment that can make your skin care products work better and improve the texture, smoothness, glow, and overall health of your skin. When the topmost layer is shed, it stimulates the cells below to regenerate, with an increase in natural collagen and hyaluronic acid production for a stunning improvement in smoothness, tone, and suppleness.
Schedule a consultation for your at SkindeepMD so we can evaluate your skin quality and advise you on the most appropriate options for you.
