Of Course, Chemical Peels Have Their Unpleasant Side

Chemical peels are one of the methods developed by science to give the skin another chance at near-perfect re-growth. Peels weren’t designed to cure acne. However, it is used now as an alternative treatment to the skin condition.

How Does Chemical Peel Work?

As the name implies, chemical peels cause the skin to exfoliate. It loosens the natural chemical bindings in the skin, causing the treated layers of the skin to shed off easier. The space afforded by the treatment allows new skin to grow in place of the shed layers.

This process allows the following to happen:

o Deep exfoliation of the skin

o Skin renewal

o Diminishing visibility of fine lines (ageing)

o Diminishing wrinkles in the skin (ageing)

o Balances the pigmentation

o Exfoliation of hair follicles (when applied to the area)

Is Chemical Peel Effective?

According to healthcare professionals, chemical peels aren’t your best bet when it comes to the treatment of inflammatory acne. However, chemical peels are promising when it comes to the treatment of comedonal acne.

Comedones are simply the whiteheads and blackheads found on your skin. If they are too numerous, they may cause acne to break out all over your face.

If you’re wondering how deep a chemical peel is, the answer is ‘superficial’. It doesn’t go down that deep. That means your skin’s color is quite safe. Changes in the skin’s pigment are generally unwelcome in acne treatments. It causes aesthetic problems to the affected parties.

As for acne scars, chemical peels may also be used. However, the concentration of chemicals varies significantly, because scar tissue is more difficult to remove than regular acne.

Basic chemical peeling procedures often help people by balancing out the color of the skin. It doesn’t darken, because it doesn’t go down deep enough to affect the melanin-producing regions of the skin.

Finding the Right Treatment

Chemicals peels are by no means uniform for everyone. Your chemical peel would depend on the following factors:

o Type of skin

o Severity of your acne

o The degree of visible scarring

o Budget

The fourth factor may be the most deciding factor of the four. How much can you pay for removing your acne? Can you spare a few hundred dollars? A thousand dollars? Five thousand? Don’t rely on your health insurance. Unlike wigs, acne doesn’t count as a potentially life-threatening situation.

Side Effects of Chemical Peels

Of course, chemical peels have their unpleasant side. The following have been documented side effects of chemical peels:

o Persistent redness

o Permanent change in the skin’s pigmentation

o Scarring

o Reactivation of cold sores

o Spreading of reactivated cold sores to other parts of the face

If you’ve had herpes in the past, the following should not be done on you:

o Microdermabrasion

o Dermabrasion

o Laser abrasion

Some of the basic disadvantages are:

o Sensitivity to sunlight

o Pre-treatment is required for better penetration of chemicals

o Not for keloid-forming individuals

o Not for individuals who are prone to scarring

o Deeper peels may cause problems to some

o The peels can only be carried out by certified estheticians and doctors; not by you at home

Monica C. is an online medical researcher on acne treatment and skin care. For more information about acne treatment, please visit her website http://www.10acne.com/ now.