Chemical Peel

Is your skin showing signs of aging like pigmentation or uneven skin tone? Do you wish you had smoother, youthful looking skin that glows? But do you feel you're not quite ready for more invasive treatments like Botox, dermal fillers, and plastic surgery? A chemical peel can give you smoother skin with a quick non-invasive office procedure. Keep reading to learn more about the different types of chemical peels, what to expect with the treatment, and how you could benefit from it in terms of enhancing your beauty.

What are chemical peels?

A chemical peel is a cosmetic treatment in which a chemical solution is applied on the skin of the face, neck, chest, or hands to improve the appearance. The chemical solution removes the top layer of skin cells and allows smoother new skin to grow back. Peels are used to correct problems like uneven skin color and tone, age spots, fine lines, scars, and sun damage. The type of peel can vary from light to medium to deep. A deep peel offers more noticeable results but the recovery from the treatment takes longer.

How do chemical peels work?

A peel consists of a chemical solution such as alpha hydroxy acid, salicylic acid, trichloroacetic acid, lactic acid, carbolic acid, or glycolic acid. When the acid is applied to the skin, the top layer of skin blisters, exfoliates, and peels away. A new, smoother, less wrinkled and less sun damaged layer of skin regenerates to replace the old skin cells. This new layer of skin looks more youthful and beautiful. However, the skin is temporarily more sensitive to sun exposure.

Who is a good candidate for a chemical peel?

In general, chemical peels offer more dramatic results in fair-skinned and light-haired individuals. However, people with darker skin color can also benefit from peels, depending on the types of chemical peels used and the problems being treated.

It is worth noting that chemical peel treatment is performed to address problems like uneven skin tone, fine lines, acne scars, and sun damage. More severe problems like deep wrinkles, sagging skin, bulges, or volume loss do not respond well to this treatment. Such problems can be better addressed with other cosmetic treatments like fillers, Botox, laser resurfacing, or surgeries like brow lift. Your cosmetic surgeon, dermatologist, or aesthetician will help you determine what is the best treatment for your skin concerns.

Who should avoid getting chemical peels?

Chemical peels are not recommended in people who have used isotretinoin, an oral medication for acne treatment, within the past six months. Your doctor may also advise against chemical peels if you have a personal or family history of keloid (raised scar) formation. People who have frequent outbreaks of herpes virus cold sores are not good candidates for chemical peels. Lastly, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are usually advised to wait before getting chemical peels.

What type of chemical peels can I get?

There are 3 basic types of chemical peels:

Superficial or light peels

These are also called lunchtime peels because they are quick to perform and there is no downtime. Mild chemicals like alpha hydroxy acids are used to gently exfoliate the outer layer of skin cells. The treatment is performed to improve the appearance of minor problems like skin discoloration and roughness. A light chemical peel leaves the skin looking fresher and smoother. A light peel can be performed on the face, neck, chest, and/or hands. You may need more than one treatment to get the desired results. A light peel can be repeated every 2-4 weeks.

Medium Peels

A medium peel uses slightly stronger acids like glycolic acid or trichloroacetic acid that can penetrate the outer and middle layers of skin and correct more damaged skin. This procedure is used to treat problems like fine lines, age spots, freckles, and moderately uneven skin color. A medium peel is also used to smoothen rough skin and treat some types of pre-cancerous skin growths like actinic keratosis. Medium peels may need to be repeated to get and maintain optimum results.

Deep peels

This treatment use stronger acids like trichloroacetic acid or phenol that can penetrate deeper inside damaged skin. A croton oil peel is a modified phenol peel that can offer dramatic results. A deep peel is recommended for treatment of age spots, shallow acne scars, moderate lines, and freckles. A deep peel like a phenol or croton oil peel can only be done once and is usually done on the face. The improvement in damaged skin from a deep peel is dramatic, but the recovery time is longer than a light peel or medium peel.

Why it's done

When you get a chemical peel, new skin is revealed, which is smoother, fresher, and younger looking. The procedure is therefore used for treatment of conditions like age spots, shallow scars, fine lines, discoloration, uneven skin tone, and sun damage.

What should you do before considering a chemical peel?

It is essential that you have a through skin examination by a doctor before undergoing skin peels. This will ensure you get a good result and lower your risk of complications from the procedure. A cosmetologist, aesthetician, plastic surgeon, or dermatologist can examine your skin and determine the best peel procedure for your face. Some skin types may not be ideal for this treatment, for instance, skin that is prone to scars that keep coming back. Also, if you have infections such as cold sores, the doctor may advise you to wait and have treatment with antiviral medication first.

Consultation with a doctor is essential to ensure you are a good candidate for the chemical peel treatment and to reduce the risk of side effects and complications from the peel.

How do you prepare the skin for a deep chemical peel?

Before you get a peel, you should give your doctor complete health information, including any history of scar formation or cold sores. In preparation for the treatment, your doctor may ask you to stop taking certain medications. The doctor may also give you some creams to apply on the face to prepare for the peel, such as glycolic acid, Renova, or Retin-A. Depending on your health history, the doctor may prescribe antiviral medication or antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection.

Part of the conversation with your doctor will be about your aesthetic goals and expectations from the peel, which will determine whether you need superficial peels or deep peels.

How is a chemical peel done?

A chemical peel is a quick outpatient procedure that is done in the office. You can get it done by a dermatologist, plastic surgeon, aesthetician, cosmetologist, or other qualified expert.

Before applying the chemical solution for the peel, the doctor will thoroughly clean your skin. A chemical like salicylic acid will then be applied to areas of your face. The specific chemical will depend on whether you're getting a light or deep chemical peel. You will experience some stinging and burning sensations on your skin for 5-10 minutes. Placing cool compresses on the skin can help reduce the discomfort. With deep peels, you may need pain medication.

After 5-10 minutes, the doctor will apply a neutralizing solution to end the treatment. You will be sent home with instructions to avoid sun exposure.

What to expect after a chemical peel?

After a chemical peel, your skin will feel like it is sunburned. The reaction is more severe with deep peels compared to superficial peels. The redness and scaling is temporary and usually resolves in three to seven days.

After a medium or deep chemical peel, there may be swelling, crusting, and peeling of the skin for up to 14 days. The doctor may place bandages on the skin after a medium or deep chemical peel.

It is worth noting that you will have to limit sun exposure for several months after a chemical peel because the new skin that grows is fragile. You can speed up the healing process with good skin care by using a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

You can resume normal activity after a chemical peel, but your doctor may advise you to avoid strenuous exercise and sweating for a few days.

How long does a chemical peel last?

A superficial chemical peel may need to be repeated at 1-4 week intervals to get the result you want. Medium chemical peels can be repeated every 6-12 months to maintain the result. A deep chemical peel is only done once.

What are the complications, risks, and possible side effects of a chemical peel?

Temporary redness, scabbing, irritation, and swelling of the skin is part of the normal healing process after a chemical peel. If you have a medium or deep chemical peel, the redness can last for several months.

Chemical peels are a safe and effective treatment for the most part. Rarely, complications can occur, including scarring, changes in color, or infection.

If scars develop, their appearance can be softened with steroid medications. If the chemical peel causes flare-up of cold sores, which is a viral infection, then this can be treated with antiviral medication.

Side effects like hyperpigmentation (darker skin) can occur after superficial peels. Hypopigmentation (lighter skin) is a complication of deep chemical peels. These skin color problems are more common in people with darker skin.

Very rarely, carbolic acid peels can cause serious side effects like damage to the heart muscle, leading to heart rhythm abnormalities. These types of chemical peels contain phenol and they can also damage the liver and kidneys. Your doctor will do a deep chemical peel one portion at a time and wait 10-20 minutes between portions to limit the risk.

How much do chemical peels cost?

The cost of a chemical peel depends on the type of peel you are getting. The average cost of a light chemical peel is $150. Deep peels can cost as much as $3,000 if they involve anesthesia and an overnight hospital stay. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports the average cost of a chemical peel as $675. However, the cost of a chemical peel can vary greatly depending on where you live.

What you should know about chemical peels

To summarize everything you've learned about chemical peels, here are some fast facts:

• A chemical peel uses a chemical solution like salicylic acid to remove the damaged outer layer of skin.
• Even people with sensitive skin can get peels. Light peels are gentler than mechanical exfoliation.
• Peels only act on the outer layer of skin. They cannot correct all the signs of skin aging. For example, peels are not effective against deep wrinkles, sagging, volume loss, or other such problems with your appearance.
• The peel procedure itself is pretty quick and takes about 20-30 minutes. That's why it is sometimes called a lunchtime facial. However, deep peels can take up to 90 minutes to perform.
• Recovery from a chemical peel is relatively quick, usually under seven days. For deep peels, it can take up to 14 days for the skin to stop looking raw.
• You will need to protect your skin from sun exposure after a peel because your new skin is sensitive.

Finding a provider for chemical peels

The MeTime app makes it easy to find a dermatologist, surgeon, cosmetologist, or aesthetician in your area. You can click and upload pictures and have suggestions sent directly to you. Want to learn about chemical peels and how they can make you look younger and fresher? Try the MeTime app now!