Chemical Peels

Some people say that for one to feel good, s/he must look good first. So much so that with so many modern advances in skin care and beauty treatments available, there is just no more excuse for one to not look beautiful and youthful anymore. While some people would say that looks are not the be all and end all of everything, looking good can do so many wonders that could actually work for you.

Dating many years back, people have been using different kinds of essences to look beautiful and maintain youthfulness. Chemical Peels have been introduced for over a hundred years now and have continued to remain popular among beauty buffs at present.

Chemical Peels have been used to improve the appearance of the skin by sloughing off the outer layers of dead skin and stimulate the production of new skin cells to reveal younger looking skin. This technique is especially performed to treat reduce or eliminate problem facial skin caused by sun, acne scars and blemishes as well as fine lines around the eyes and the mouth. Skin pigmentation coming in many forms such as age spots, sunspots, freckles and splotching due to birth control intake, as well as dull skin can be improved with a chemical skin peel. In addition, it can also be used to rev up the appearance of your neck or the back of the hands. A chemical peel, however, cannot change pore size, remove deep scars and lesions or improve the appearance of sagging skin.

Chemical Peels usually involves three types of peels: the Superficial, Medium Depth and Deep Peel. The superficial peel is the most commonly used among the three types, wherein it removes outer layers of dead skin cells to reveal new and younger skin. Medium depth peel penetrates deeper into the skin to even out color and texture, as well as reduce the appearance of wrinkles and acne scars. The Deep peel, although not widely popular due to limited availability, works better than the two types of peels since it goes deeper into the skin’s lower dermal layer and can thereby greatly reduce or remove the appearance of wrinkles, spots and blemishes.

In a chemical peel procedure, the doctor applies a solution mainly containing trichloroacetic acid, alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids to small areas of the skin. Patients may experience a warm, tingling sensation but will disappear after a while.

If you are highly considering a chemical peel, you must first make sure of the dermatologist’s qualifications and experience in practicing this kind of technique. Your doctor will check your medical history and evaluate if you are qualified and which type of procedure is recommended for you. Take note that not everyone can undergo chemical peels, since there are factors that need to be considered before you can be given the green light in undergoing this procedure. Factors such as medical background, history of viral infections, sun sensitivity, pregnancy and prior skin treatments such as dermabrasion within the past six months may not make you a good candidate for a chemical peel.

After treatment, a reaction similar to that of sunburn may occur, depending on the type of peel procedure applied. Patients may experience redness and then followed by scaling which usually last for three to seven days. Patients who undergo medium depth and deep peel may expect swelling and occurrence of water blisters. It may break, turn brown and peel off for a period of two weeks. Take care not to expose yourself under too much sun, as too much exposure after a chemical peel may cause serious complications on your new, regenerating skin. Carefully following these post-procedure steps may give you results you so desire which can even last for up to ten years.