A chemical peel is a skin-improving treatment in which a chemical is applied to the skin and allowed to expand. During the next 1 to 14 days after the peel, depending on the depth of the chemical in the skin, the skin begins to peel. This process destroys parts of the skin in a controlled way so that new skin can grow in its place. The chemicals used are sometimes called peeling agents.
What is a chemical peel?
This type of treatment uses chemical solutions to improve the texture and appearance of the skin by removing the damaged outer layers. Although chemical peels are mostly used for the face, they can also be used to improve the skin in the neck and hands area. Sun exposure, acne or aging can leave your skin tone uneven and leave wrinkles or scars. Chemical peels are one of the most cost-effective ways to improve the appearance of your skin. The potential outcome of a chemical peel depends on the type of chemical and technique used.
Chemical peels are cosmetic treatments that can be applied to the face, hands, and neck. Where cosmetic doctors use these materials to improve the appearance or texture of the skin. During this procedure, chemical solutions will be applied to the area being treated, causing the skin to peel and eventually peel off. Once this happens, the new skin underneath is smoother, appears less wrinkled, and is less damaged.
There are a number of reasons why men and women get chemical peels. They may try to treat a variety of things about the skin, including:
- Wrinkles and fine lines
- Sun damage
- acne scars
- Hyper pigmentation
- Wounds and scars
- Melasma and deformity
- Uneven skin color or redness
Types of chemical peels
There are different types of chemical peels, based on the depth of the chemical and the type of chemical used. Things that may affect the depth of a peel include the strength of the acid in the peeling agent, the number of skin layers targeted, and the amount of time allowed before the acid is neutralized. Deep peels give more dramatic results and can only be performed in a plastic surgeon’s office. But deep peels may have higher risks than other types of peels. It can cause more pain and take longer to heal. There are three basic types of chemical peels:
superficial peeling
It is the least intense type of chemical peel. A superficial chemical peel may be the right choice if you have uneven skin pigmentation, dryness, acne or mild wrinkles. This type of peeling removes only the outermost layer of skin in a mild exfoliation and can lead to visible improvement in skin that is not significantly damaged.
This type is based on mild peeling agents and includes combinations of alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid and malic acid. All of these chemicals are milder options than those used in deep peels. You can repeat these treatments at regular intervals to achieve the desired results.
Steps to perform a light chemical peel
- The doctor cleanses the face
- The chemical solution is applied to your skin and left for a few minutes. You may feel some mild stinging.
- Then the chemical peel is washed off and neutralized.
Medium chemical peel
Acne scars, deeper wrinkles, and uneven skin tone can all be addressed with a medium chemical peel. The chemicals used for this type of peel will remove skin cells from the outer layer of the skin and the upper part of the middle layer of skin, or the dermis. Agents used in medium chemical peels include trichloroacetic acid, Jessner’s solution and glycolic acid.
Steps to perform a medium chemical peel
- Your face will be cleansed.
- Spread the chemical solution on your skin and leave it for just a few minutes. You may feel some burning with the treatment.
- The treated area may turn a yellowish-gray color.
- Chemicals with lye are neutralized with the salt solution.
- Your skin may turn red or brown in the days immediately following the peel.
- The peeling process usually begins within 48 hours and lasts for a week. It is important to keep the skin well moisturized during the peeling process.
Deep chemical peel
If you have deep facial wrinkles, sun-damaged skin, scars, areas that appear damaged from other causes or even pre-cancerous conditions, a deep facial chemical peel may be the right choice for you. Your doctor will carefully determine if you are a good candidate for this treatment.
Your doctor will use a stronger chemical called phenol to penetrate the lower dermal layer of your skin. For this type of peel, you may need a topical anesthetic and a sedative to treat any discomfort. Deep chemical peels usually involve some type of pre-treatment lasting up to eight weeks. This preparation will prepare your skin for the peeling process and speed up the healing process.
Pre-treatment may include the use of a retinoic acid cream or skin softener gel, which is a prescription vitamin A derivative. This thins the surface layer of the skin, allowing the chemical solution to penetrate evenly and deeply.
Steps to perform a deep chemical peel
- You will be given a relaxing sedative along with a local anesthetic to numb your face.
- Your face will undergo a gradual cleansing process.
- The phenol solution is applied to the area after an appropriate period of time.
- The chemical is neutralized with water and a saline solution.
- A thick layer of ointment is smoothed over the skin, to prevent dryness and pain. The ointment should stay in place. Sometimes, the surgeon will cover your skin with medical tape or gauze instead of ointment.
Materials used in chemical peels
Chemical peels are a great way to help rejuvenate your skin to give it a beautiful glow. Used to treat skin problems such as fine lines and wrinkles, acne scars, active acne, or just to help your skin look its best, chemical peels are very popular with both men and women. However, did you know that there are different types of chemical peel agents that are proven to do different things? At Turkiyaholidays Beauty Center, we know that everyone has different skin needs and that is why we work hard to provide our patients with many options.
Glycolic peel
One of the most common types of peels that most patients are familiar with, glycolic acid peels use alpha hydroxy acids to help increase skin performance and encourage the production of new skin growth. As one of the many benefits of new skin growth, glycolic acid also helps stimulate collagen production, improve the appearance of large pores, and help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
Exfoliate with blue glow
This unique peel uses salicylic acid, a natural substance to slough away dead skin cells while simultaneously stimulating new cell growth. The blue glow peel is designed to reduce acne breakouts, balance skin tone, reduce fine lines, and reduce acne scars.
Revitalizing peel
This type of peel is designed to provide patients with powerful results after receiving a series of peel procedures. A revitalizing peel uses alpha hydroxy acids to improve skin texture and quality, reduce the appearance of fine lines, and give patients a more youthful, healthier glow. Plus, revitalizing peels have been shown to help fade any type of skin pigmentation, stimulate collagen production, and reduce the appearance of acne scars.
Lactic peeling
This peel is designed to prepare patients before major peels without them having to worry about peeling skin. Lactic acid is used to gently exfoliate your skin, pigments and sun damage are naturally dissolved and skin will suddenly look brighter and younger.
Before a chemical peel
Your doctor can help you determine the depth of the peel and the type of chemical that’s best for you. This decision depends on your skin type, the areas you want to exfoliate, the kind of results you want, how much risk you can take, and other things. A small test spot may be peeled off to get a better idea of the results, especially for people with darker skin.
You will begin to prepare your skin 2 to 3 weeks before the peel. You will cleanse the skin twice a day, apply a special moisturizer or cream once or twice a day, and use sunscreen every day. This routine will help skin peel off more evenly and heal faster after peeling. It may also reduce the chance of infection and other problems, especially uneven color changes in the skin.
In some cases, it is also suggested to use Routine A on a daily basis. This medication is often used to treat acne, but may help speed healing after a peel. For a medium and deep facial peel, you may be given a short course of prep treatment such as using aciclovir to prevent viral infections. This is more likely if you had cold sores before treatment and if the peeling was close to the mouth or eyes.
What do you expect after a chemical peel?
The recovery time after a chemical peel depends on the type of peel that was performed and how deep it was. Proper skin care after peeling is very important. This care can speed healing, help results last longer, prevent infection and avoid discolouration in the treated area caused by sun exposure. Proper skin care after peeling is very similar to the care used to prepare for the procedure. Post-operative care often includes:
- Clean the skin often. You will use water or a special lotion that your surgeon tells you to.
- Change the bandage or ointment on the wound for medium and deep peeling.
- Moisturizing the skin daily.
- Avoid exposure to the sun until peeling has stopped and sunscreen can be used.
- After peeling stops, sunscreen should be used every day. The new skin is likely to be damaged by the sun.
- Some doctors may also suggest using tretinoin cream every night, usually starting 2 to 3 weeks after the peel.
After the superficial peeling process
Superficial peeling is done on an outpatient basis. Patients do not need anesthesia, and this type causes only slight pain afterward. Most people can return to their normal activities right away. The skin heals quickly after a superficial peel, and the skin may turn pink. In most cases, there is only a small amount of visible peeling after the procedure. You can use makeup to cover any redness so that it fades over time.
When does the face peel off after a medium chemical peel?
Medium peels are usually done on an outpatient basis as well. You may need to take a few days off work to recover. A medium peel causes mild skin burning and it takes 5-7 days for the skin to heal to a mild point where you can use makeup to hide the redness caused by the peel. There will be little or no pain after the peel. But there may be some swelling, especially if the area around the eye has been treated. The skin will turn reddish-brown in two to three days and become scaly. Then the skin will begin to peel off over the next few days.
After a deep peeling process
A deep peel causes a deep burn to the skin, and the skin grows back about 10 to 14 days after the deep peel. The skin stays very red for 3 weeks, and up to 2 months for some people. Most patients take about two weeks off work and complete healing of the skin may take several months.
- Oral pain relievers may be given to relieve pain after peeling.
- Some patients have severe swelling, mainly around the eyes. Elevating the head may reduce swelling slightly and cortico steroids may be used to relieve severe swelling.
- You may be given a short course of antivirals and antibiotics to prevent infection after the peel.
- Wound care is very important after a deep peel. This care can speed up healing and prevent wound infection.
- You may be asked to shower several times a day to reduce peeling. You may have to return to the doctor’s office often to have the wound cleaned and examined.
Why is chemical peeling done?
- Superficial peels are used to improve the appearance of pigmentary changes in the skin, acne scars, moderate sun damage, or fine wrinkles on all skin types. It can be done on the face as well as a chemical peel for the body. Superficial peels can also be used to prepare the skin for a deeper peel.
- Medium peels are used to treat mild to moderate wrinkles, long-term sun damage, pigment changes, and precancerous skin lesions usually caused by sun exposure. Medium peels are used most often on the face.
- Deep peels are used to treat severe wrinkles, long-term sun damage, visible pigment changes, and lesions that grow on the skin. Deep peeling is done only on the face. Deep peels are not done on darker skin types, as they bleach the skin which may cause discoloration.
Deep chemical peels may not be performed and replaced with superficial peels if you have:
- I recently used isotretinoin, which is a medication used to treat acne.
- You recently had surgery or radiation treatment on your face. This can make skin regrowth more difficult.
- Active herpes disease that affects the area to be treated.
- AIDS, as this can delay healing and increase the risk of infection and skin discoloration after peeling.
- Known allergy to some medications.
How well do chemical peel results work?
The results of a chemical peel depend in part on the depth of the peel. However, all types of peeling have varying degrees of results that differ from case to case.
- A superficial peel may reduce sun damage and signs of aging slightly, but it doesn’t eliminate them. Results may not appear for some time. When they appear, you may only see small changes and may need repeated peels to get the effects you want.
- A medium peel can work well on pigmentation differences and reduce fine wrinkles and signs of sun damage. You may need to have a second peel 3 to 6 months later for the best effect.
- A one-time deep peel removes wrinkles and may tighten skin. The effects are often significant and obvious. In general, a person cannot repeat a deep phenol peel.
Your skin type, how you care for your skin before and after a peel, your doctor’s level of experience, and your lifestyle after treatment can also affect the results. Some types of skin problems respond better to chemical peels than others. People with fair skin who limit their sun exposure after treatment tend to have better results than those with darker skin who continue to spend a lot of time in the sun. Before you decide to get a chemical peel, talk to your doctor about what kind of results you can expect.
Changes in the color and texture of the skin resulting from aging and sun exposure may persist after a chemical peel. Chemical peels are not a permanent solution to these problems.
Risks of chemical peeling and its side effects
In general, the deeper the peel, the greater the risk of side effects and problems. Chemical peels can cause:
- Skin redness, expect some skin redness after a chemical peel. With deep peels or with some skin types, redness can be intense. It may fade within a few weeks, or it may last several months.
- Skin color changes, where the treated areas may be darker or lighter than the surrounding skin.
- Continuous crusting.
- Swelling, mainly around the eyes.
- The occurrence of light scars.
- An allergic reaction to the chemical.
- infection. People with a history of herpes outbreaks seem to be more likely to get sick after a chemical peel.
- Increased sensitivity to sunlight.
Chemical peels are designed for wounds and removal of the upper layers of the skin. You need to prepare yourself for what your skin will look like after a peel. You should also be prepared to use makeup to blend the skin tone between treated and untreated areas, such as between the maxillo facial area. It is important to let your doctor know what you would like to achieve and to make sure you know what results you can expect. Even with realistic expectations, you may not see results for several weeks or months after a chemical peel.
During the early recovery period after a chemical peel, before the skin has finished peeling completely, you’ll need to avoid sun exposure. After your skin stops peeling, you’ll need to apply sunscreen every day and limit your time in the sun as much as possible. New skin is more likely to be damaged and discolored from sunlight.
Chemical peels and laser peels are two of the most popular techniques for improving skin texture and appearance. Although these techniques use different methods, they have the same effect on the skin. They destroy and remove the top layers of the skin to allow the skin to grow back.
No one method is better than the other. When done by an experienced surgeon, laser resurfacing may be slightly more precise than chemical peels or regular peels. But the choice of technique depends on the site you want to treat, your skin type and condition, your doctor’s experience, and your preferences. Some people may get the best results with more than one technique.