Are chemical skin peels for you?

You might have wondered how your favourite celebrities are able to look so fresh and youthful all the time no matter where they are. The secret behind their glowing and young skin is chemical skin peel treatment.

The skin peel treatment is the oldest procedures that is used for enhancing the appearance of skin and treat multiple skin issues. Egyptian women used to take bath in milk which has lactic acid to achieve glowing and healthy skin. The acid is meant for skin exfoliation which removes the dead skin cells and gives a smooth, fresh and even skin tone.

Your skin is exposed to the sun rays, dust and other debris on daily basis. All this makes the skin dull, clog pores, accumulates dead skin cells over the surface and ageing leads to formation of fine lines and wrinkles. As a result skin loses its vibrancy, glow and health. Chemical skin peels can deal effectively with all these issues and restores the health of skin.

The idea of applying a chemical on your skin may seem frightening but it is not an actually means chemical skin peeling. The chemical skin peel generally makes use of the acid solutions that peel off the outer layers of skin where dead skin cells accumulate. Due to the application of chemical solution, these dead skin layers can be removed easily.

Who should undertake chemical skin peel treatment?

The fresh and new skin is exposed after the chemical skin peel treatment. The chemical skin peel treatment for the face ranges from the mild superficial peels to the deep skin peels that are applied according to the skin type and issue that requires treatment.

The chemical skin peel is generally not recommended for the dark skinned people because it can trigger acne breakouts, hyper or hypopigmentation which leads to uneven skin tone which is often difficult to treat. The skin peel treatment is most appropriate for the light skin people.

Categories of skin peels

There are many types of chemical skin peels available which can be classified into three distinct categories depending on the concentration of acid in the peel. These include the following;

•         Superficial or light chemical skin peel
•          Medium skin peel
•          Deep chemical peel

Mild skin peels are suitable for almost all types of skin. They penetrate through the upper layer of the epidermis and remove the dead skin cells. The main peeling agent is often glycolic acid in these skin peels. These peels have little to no downtime and give immediate results. Their common side effects are redness, mild swelling and mild skin flaking.

Medium skin peels cause a second degree burn in skin penetrating through the epidermis layer. They are suitable for the light to fair skinned people and usually use trichloroacetic acid (TCA) as peeling agent. These peels have 5-7 days recovery time with moderate skin flaking and swelling after which the skin looks fresh and smooth.

Deep skin peels penetrates through the skin’s epidermis and dermis layers to cause a second degree skin burn. It is most recommended for the fair and light skinned individuals. The main peeling agent is mostly phenol. These peels have longer recovery period which takes about 3-4 weeks. The full results become visible after this period. Swelling, skin redness, discomfort and intense skin flaking are the side effects of these peels.

The skin needs to be protected with a good broad spectrum sunscreen after the skin peel treatment as it becomes highly sensitive.