Skin Peel
A skin peel (also known as chemexfoliation, chemical skin peel and derma peeling) is used to improve the appearance of facial skin, improve skin texture, correct blemishes, skin discolorations, uneven skin tone and some forms of facial scarring due to acne or other skin problems.
Additionally, it can be prescribed as part of an aging skin treatment program. During this procedure, the top layers of the skin are treated with a chemical compound (usually an acid) which penetrates the skin causing a chemical burn. The skin then blisters and eventually peels off revealing the finer, unblemished skin underneath. A laser skin peel involves the use of lasers to treat the skin and cause the reaction needed for the skin to peel off.
Chemical skin peels are usually classified by the depth at which the chemicals penetrate the skin. Different substances can penetrate deeper to peel back more layers of the skin. Three different chemicals are normally associated with an acid skin peel:
Alphahydroxy Acid (AHA) - AHA treatments include Glycolic Acid peels, Lactic Acid peels as well as some other fruit based acids. Chemical face peels that use AHA's are considered "light" peels and do not penetrate deep into the skin. They can be used for minor skin blemish and texture problems and the recovery time is again reduced from that of TCA and Phenol peels.
Benefits:
-AHA acid peels are usually appropriate for even dry, rough skin
-Sun damaged skin can be dramatically improved with this procedure
-Effective in treating cystic acne scars and other acne related conditions
-Can be mixed with skin lightening substances to simultaneously treat pigmentation problems
-AHA's are organic substances
Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) - TCA is used for medium depth skin peel treatment. It is less effective and invasive than Phenol and as a result, some conditions may require repeated treatments. One of the benefits of TCA however is that the healing time needed is shorter than that required with a Phenol peel. TCA peels may also require a mild anesthetic.
Benefits:
-Effectively treat skin wrinkles
-Remove superficial discoloration and blemishes
-Can normally be used anywhere on the body without irritation
-A TCA skin peel can usually be performed in less than 20 minutes
-Safe to use on dark complexions
-The depth of the skinpeel can be adjusted based on the skin problem being corrected
Phenol - This is perhaps the strongest of the acids used in facial skin peels. Your skin care specialist will most often only use Phenol to correct skin with very advanced damage depending on their salon policies. This type of acid peel is also recommended for facial treatment only as it can scar other types of skin on the body. Phenol also has skin lightening effects so it is not frequently used on darker complexions. Like TCA peels, a mild anesthetic may be used.
Benefits:
-Can effectively treat advanced skin damage and pigmentation problems due to aging and sun damage
-Effective in treating and eliminating deep wrinkles
-Sometimes used to remove growths and lesions on the skin that may lead to cancer
-Phenol has been successfully used to permanently remove freckles
-Long term skin rejuvenating results
Laser Skin Peel
With laser skin peels a laser is used to remove the upper layers of the skin. This triggers the regeneration process and the new skin that is created is free of blemishes and rough skin texture. With laser facial treatment, your skin care practitioner is able to adjust the depth of the peel by controlling the intensity of the laser.
It is important to note that some States do not require that a skin care specialist obtain a license to perform a skin peel treatment. As a result, you want to take care in selecting a qualified practitioner.
Following any skin peel, sunscreen should be used (after a Phenol peel it is required). This will keep the skin from sustaining damage as it properly heals and maintain skin firming.
Applying natural alpha hydroxy acids to the skin (such as lemon, grapefruit and blackberry) can help to remove the top layers of skin and allow rejuvenation.