Chemical peels can give tired, city-weary skin a new lease on life, emerging like a butterfly to reveal a radiant new complexion.
We all know the drill: eat well, down litres of water and maintain a religious skincare routine that includes daily sunscreen. This will all help in the quest for more youthful-looking, glowing skin, but sometimes your body’s biggest organ can do with a little helping hand to look its best.
If you’ve tried every lotion and potion on the market in a quest for a flawless complexion but have been left less than satisfied, a chemical peel could be for you.
What is a chemical peel?
The treatment involves adding a chemical solution to the facial skin to remove the damaged outer layer, leaving smooth, beautiful skin underneath.
The practitioner will apply the solution and leave it for anywhere between 15 minutes and one hour, depending on the type of peel and the skin’s condition. It’s then washed off and a soothing ointment is applied.
Who is it for?
Facial blemishes, wrinkles, scarring, acne, sun damage and pigmentation are just some of the conditions that can be improved with a chemical peel.
Chemical skin peels tend to be classified into one of three categories: broadly speaking, traditionally a light peel uses alphahydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs); a medium peel might use trichloroacetic acid (TCA); and a deep peel may use phenol as the main ingredient.
The type of chemical peel chosen by the practitioner will depend on your skin type and colour, as well as the specific skin condition that needs to be tackled.
How can I prepare for a peel?
Most practitioners recommend that you don’t expose skin to the sun for a week before the peel and also advise that you don’t apply any scrubs or face masks, don’t wax, bleach or pluck skin and don’t apply fake tanning solution to the skin beforehand, so the skin is left in its most natural state.
The light peel
This type of peel is non-invasive and removes the upper layers of damaged and dead skin, as well as encouraging skin cell regeneration.
A light peel provides gentle treatment for fine lines, chronic dry skin, acne and uneven skin pigmentation.
Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as glycolic, lactic or fruit acids or beta-hydroxy acid (BHAs) such as salicylic acids are used in a light peel.
When applied, the AHA solution works by removing the outer layers of skin, revealing a smoother layer underneath. The peel also stimulates the production of new elastin and collagen, which contributes to healthy, youthful skin. The peel exfoliates the skin’s surface and unclogs pores, as well as reducing mild acne scars and fine lines.
A light peel is be suitable if you have fairly mild skin imperfections and wish to rejuvenate the appearance of your skin without the recovery time needed for a harsher skin peel.
The peel takes less than one hour, and between five and eight peels are usually needed to achieve the best results.
After a light peel your skin will have an improved texture, tone and pigmentation. It will need to be cared for with a gentle cleanser and moisturiser and must be protected from the sun’s rays.
Post-peel side effects are rare when opting for a light peel – but skin can sometimes experience slight irritation or flakiness.
The medium peel
A medium peel is a good choice if you want more dramatic results than a light peel can offer but can’t spare the prolonged recovery time of a deep peel.
This treatment can be used to correct acne scars, smooth out fine lines, correct uneven pigmentation and under-eye circles and improve the overall appearance of your skin.
It uses trichloroacetic acid (TCA) to remove the dull, damaged outer layers and reveal a smooth, new skin layer underneath.
The degree and depth to which the TCA penetrates the skin can be adjusted depending on what’s suitable for your skin, as can the concentration of TCA in the peel.
TCA chemical peels are perfect for ‘spot’ treatments that can be used on any area of the body and can be completed in as little as 15 minutes.
Sometimes multiple medium peels are needed, although it all depends on what results are wanted and the condition of your skin before the peel.
After a TCA peel a superficial crust will form over the treated area. This will flake off around three to seven days later and the new skin can have a reddish tinge, although this discolouration will normally fully fade within a week. Slight facial swelling is another side effect that can sometimes be experienced after having a medium peel, but again this should settle down quickly.
The deep peel
For deeper skin penetration a deep peel is the best choice. This treatment uses phenol as the chemical solution to combat more serious imperfections such as sun damage, course wrinkles, deep scars and even pre-cancerous growths.
A deep peel will give you a more dramatic result and usually only one treatment will be needed in your lifetime. But the drawback is this type of peel is more uncomfortable than light or medium peels and skin will take significantly longer to recover.
Because a phenol peel uses carbolic acid to treat the skin, this peel is not suitable for treating selected areas and must be used on the full face.
Not everyone is suited to a deep peel – the bleaching effect of phenol means it’s not recommended if you have dark skin or freckles and it’s also not appropriate to ‘spot-treat’ areas of the face as it could leave a patchy effect.
Because of the dramatic results and possible side effects of a deep peel, it needs careful consideration and discussion with your dermatologist before you go ahead with it.
If you do opt for a deep peel you will be put under sedation and anaesthetised with local anaesthetic to numb your skin. The peel takes between one and two hours and is then washed off before a soothing ointment is applied.
After the treatment, skin is left swollen, red and uncomfortable and a crust will form. This will flake off to reveal a layer of bright pink skin, which will fade to a pale smooth complexion after two to three months. After having a phenol peel, skin will no longer be able to tan and should be protected from sunlight.
A phenol peel provides dramatic skin rejuvenation and after the healing is complete the skin is more elastic, clearer and luminous and the appearance of deep wrinkles and severe discolouration will be significantly reduced. A deep peel can make you look younger and results can last for decades.
So, peel back the layers to reveal the shiny new you!
