What are chemical peels?
A smooth, glowing, clear complexion is waiting right below the surface of your skin. Chemical peels are popular nonsurgical treatments for treating a variety of skin conditions and diminishing the signs of aging on the face, hands, neck and chest. Most patients want an overall improvement in skin tone and texture, which chemical peels are very effective at delivering.
Chemical peels can treat the following problems:
- Acne.
- Age spots.
- Uneven skin tone.
- Dull complexion.
- Fine lines.
- Freckles.
- Melasma.
- Rough skin.
- Sun-damaged skin.
How do they work?
A chemical peel involves brushing a liquid on the areas you want to treat. The liquid sloughs off the dead skin cells and stimulates the growth of new cells.
The types of peels are:
- A mild-strength chemical peel, also called a superficial peel, helps combat fine lines, mild acne and dry skin. Using a mild acid, such as Alpha-hydroxy acid, it penetrates the topmost layer of your skin to improve the its overall appearance. One advantage of mild peels is that they are safe to do as often as once a week until you see results.
- A moderate-strength skin peel uses trichloroacetic acid to penetrate and remove the top two layers of skin, erasing wrinkles and acne scarring and improving skin tone and texture. For your comfort, the doctor may administer a sedative, pain reliever or anesthetic before the procedure. Treatments can be scheduled as often as every three months or as infrequently as once a year, depending on your skin and your individual response to the treatment.
- A deep chemical peel uses phenol to work its way down to deeper dermal layers. This kind of peel is reserved for serious skin conditions, such as severe scarring, deep wrinkles, severe hyperpigmentation, major sun damage or precancerous growths. A deep chemical peel requires anesthesia, pain relievers or sedatives, and a doctor will monitor your heartrate and blood pressure during the treatment. Usually, about two weeks of downtime is required after this procedure, but the results last for several years or longer.
Benefits of Chemical Peels
Chemical peels can give sun-damaged, wrinkling, scarred or otherwise damaged skin a reboot. No matter what type of peel you get, you can expect improved skin tone and texture.
What You Should Consider Before Chemical Peels
If you are interested in learning more about chemical peels, talk to your doctor to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure and, if so, what kind of peel is best-suited for you. Chemical peels yield excellent results, but expect some skin redness and peeling afterward. In general, the deeper the treatment, the more peeling and the longer the recovery. Talk to your doctor about the risks of deeper peels.
The glowing skin that a chemical peel can provide is hard to duplicate with other treatments. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Amy Watson at Pensacola Dermatology to find out if a chemical peel is right for you.