Your Guide To Chemical Peels

Regardless of how well you take care of your skin, it is still aging. The good news is that there are ways to help turn back the clock and slow the aging process of your skin. One of the most powerful ways of thwarting aging is through a chemical peel. Chemical peels are not only helpful for aging purposes, but can also be used to get rid of pre-cancerous growths on the skin.

How Chemical Peels Work

When a chemical peel is performed by a plastic surgeon, a chemical solution is administered to the skin. The chemicals used in the peel are often referred to as being exfoliating agents or wounding agents. The skin then needs time to absorb the ingredients of the chemical peel. Afterwards, the skin will begin to peel and will take with it many of the signs of aging that you see in the mirror every day. The length of time it will take for the skin to peel depends upon how deeply the chemical was able to penetrate in to the layers of the skin. It could be anywhere from two days up to 14 days.

The chemical peel will be successful in destroying portions of the skin in a controlled type of manner in order for new skin growth to take place. The results are not the same for every person, as no two people’s skin are in the exact same condition.

Categories of Chemical Peels

There are three different categories of chemical peels. There are superficial peels, medium (or medium depth) peels, and deep (or deep depth) peels. What separates one from the other is the kind of chemical solution that is applied to the skin and how deeply it penetrates.

There are certain factors that play a role in how deep the chemical peel is. These include how much acid is contained in the peel, the quantity of coats that are applied to the skin, and what span of time is permitted before the acid in the chemical peel is neutralized. Deep depth peels yield the most dramatic results of the three types, but they also incur greater risks to the patient, as well as the potential for more pain and a longer recovery period.

o Superficial Peels: These types of peels are the mildest and gentlest of the three and can effectively be used on all skin types. Superficial peels affect only the outermost layer of the skin, the epidermis. For this kind of chemical peel, the plastic surgeon will use liquid that is made up of a mild (diluted) acid. Most superficial peels are made up of alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA), salicylic acid and a low concentration of trichloroacetic acid (TCA).

o Medium Peels: Medium chemical peels go deeper than superficial peels and bring about a second-degree burn to the skin. They penetrate through the epidermis and into the superficial part of the upper reticular dermis. The main ingredient for this type of chemical peel is trichloroacetic acid. Some surgeons may choose to do a medium depth peel in a series of stages and then use a different type of chemical agent that is then followed by TCA.

o Deep Peels: Deep depth peels (as the name suggests) penetrate the deepest into the layers of the skin. This chemical peel goes through the epidermis to the mid reticular dermis. It brings about a second-degree burn that is more serious than the one that occurs with a medium chemical peel. These types of peels can only be done on the face. The chemical that is most commonly used for a deep peel is called phenol and is often performed by a Los Angeles cosmetic surgeon.

Deep peels are not recommended for individuals who have darker complexions, as they can serve to bleach the skin (a condition that is known as hypopigmentation). Some lighter skinned individuals may also experience hypopigmentation when they undergo a chemical peel.