Light chemical peel – Medium chemical peel – Deep chemical peel
A chemical peel improves skin tone and texture by applying a solution that causes damaged outer layers to peel away, revealing a younger, healthier appearance. This procedure is mainly used on the face, but can also be used on the neck, chest, arms, hands and legs.
Chemical peels are an effective way to deal with the effects of aging and environmental influences such as uneven tone, sun damage, wrinkles, blemishes and scars. They have several strengths designed to treat specific skin conditions and produce specific aesthetic results.
An ideal candidate for a chemical peel is a light-haired, healthy-skinned non-smoker who wants to treat one or more of the following conditions:
uneven skin color
irregular pigmentation
brown spots
Freckles
dull skin
sun damaged skin
Acne
scars
Rough or scaly patches of skin
Fine lines and wrinkles
Crow’s foot
saggy skin
For best results, candidates with the following conditions should not have a chemical peel:
Dark skin (due to less effective results)
Cuts or broken skin
infections
Sunburn
Herpes
pregnancy or lactation
Accutane use in the last six months
Skin conditions or conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, or rosacea
Abnormal skin scars
Skin sensitivity due to medication
By removing the damaged outer layers of the skin, the skin’s appearance becomes fresh, with an improved tone and texture, reducing or eliminating the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and uneven or unwanted pigmentation.
First, the skin is clean. Depending on the peel, the chemical solution is applied lightly or heavily to the skin. The patient then feels the solution working, either with a tingling sensation (in the mild and medium ranges) or with a burning sensation (in the deep range). The skin is closely watched as the chemical solution works. Mild to moderate bites can last about 15 minutes.
Once the desired result is achieved, the chemical solution can be neutralized, and the skin is cleansed. If a deep peel is applied, the skin can be treated with a protective ointment. Over the next few days (or weeks for deep skin) the outer layers of skin will loosen, revealing a new surface. The results of a chemical peel usually last from several months to years, depending on the depth of the peel.
Depending on the strength of the chemical peel, recovery may simply involve redness and restriction of exposure to direct sunlight for a few days, or it may require weeks of dressings and topical treatments before normal activities can be resumed, in severe cases.
