How Chemical Peels Combat Aging Skin

Narrator: Warning: This video contains graphic images. Like many of us, Maria Gould spent much of her life worshipping the sun.

Maria Gould, Patient: Oh, I loved to lay out in the sun.

Robert Kotler, MD, FACS, Cosmetic Surgeon: Let’s go back in history just a little bit. I’m going to give you the close ups.

Maria Gould, Patient: Oh, Oh my goodness, this is horrible.

Narrator: Maria was lucky enough to avoid skin cancer, but her skin paid a high price in premature aging.

Robert Kotler, MD, FACS, Cosmetic Surgeon: You can see the jaws. That’s where the wrinkles really show, around the mouth and lip.

Maria Gould, Patient: Yeah, and look at them right here in my cheeks.

Robert Kotler, MD, FACS, Cosmetic Surgeon: And then, here’s the real killer.

Maria Gould, Patient: Oh my goodness.

Narrator: Today, Maria shows little sign of skin damage. Her secret? A deep chemical skin peel.

Maria Gould, Patient: Wow what a different it makes.

Robert Kotler, MD, FACS, Cosmetic Surgeon: I think the chemical skin peel is one of the greatest gifts of cosmetic surgery to patients because it takes old skin and makes it new. Surgery can’t do it, because surgery cannot pull out lines and wrinkles. This is a very common misconception.

Narrator: To get the results she needed Maria had to go further than the common outpatient peels done at the dermatologist office. In a deep peel, the top layer of skin are literally destroyed with a harsh chemical while the patient is under anesthesia.

Maria Gould, Patient: And you almost turn purple for the first night, your like, because it is the dead skin, you know that’s going to fall off. And they bring you here and they scrub all that old skin off. Then it’s pink.

Narrator: So you go back under completely?

Maria Gould, Patient: Yes. Yes to get all the old skin off. I guess I do not know how they scrub it cause you are out. You are still peeling, you know, for a couple of weeks.

Narrator: How long does the redness last?

Maria Gould, Patient: The real real red, maybe a mouth you know. Then it starts to pink in about six months you’re back to normal.

Robert Kotler, MD, FACS, Cosmetic Surgeon: Well, let me just see how things are going, it looks like you’ve healed up very well.

Maria Gould, Patient: I am real happy with it. Yes.

Narrator: Six months may seem like a major commitment, but experts say results can last years if skin is taken care of and well protected from the sun. Unfortunately, not everyone is a candidate for the deeper chemical peel.

Robert Kotler, MD, FACS, Cosmetic Surgeon: You can’t do everybody. The ideal patient, and the patient least likely to have problems is very fair skin, with blue or green eyes, with natural red or blond hair. And they also tend to have thinner skin. Those are the best patients. On the other end of the spectrum, are people with black skin, brown skin, yellow skin, or olive skin that is very oily, and thick, they are less predictable and are more prone to problems.

Narrator: Those like Maria who are fortunate enough to have the right kind of skin the results can be life changing.

Robert Kotler, MD, FACS, Cosmetic Surgeon: So you sense a difference in how you were?

Maria Gould, Patient: Oh definitely. It changed my life. It worked.