What Is A Chemical Peel?

Does your skin appear lackluster, dull, tired, or uneven in tone? Do you feel like you've exhausted your resources trying fancy lotions and potions that promise results but don't make a noticeable difference in your appearance? Skincare can be frustrating, especially if you have fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, and acne scarring that doesn't go away on its own. But thankfully, there are clinical solutions that can make a big difference in your complexion. Chemical peels work to injure the skin in a controlled manner so that as your skin heals from the chemical peel procedure, it also addresses and corrects much of the skin damage you desire to eliminate.

How They Work

Chemical peels work by applying an exfoliating product to the skin. Products often include glycolic acid, TCA, and Jessner's solution. These products essentially injure the treated skin- but not in a bad way! This injury allows for the epidermis to become wounded. As it heals it regenerates newer, fresher skin, which in turn grows back without the flaws being treated by the peel.

For CO2 resurfacing, a carbon dioxide laser is used to ablate the skin layer by layer, enabling the skin to regrow with even surface and pigmentation. Best of all, the results last, not only generating newer, fresher-looking skin in the days following the treatment but by encouraging long-term collagen remodeling.

The Procedure

There are three categories of laser and chemical peels: superficial, medium, and deep. Which level is used is based on the individual and how much treatment they require to achieve their desired effects.

For the superficial level, the peel affects the epidermis only, while medium damages both the epidermis and papillary dermis to the regular dermis level. Deep peels go all the way to what is known as the mid-reticular dermis.

Because of their more gentle nature, superficial peels can be done in-office, and usually require a series of peels to achieve optimum results. For medium and deep peels, the patient usually requires sedation or general anesthesia.

Downtime

While downtime for recovery is minimal, there are steps you must take to care for your tender skin post-procedure. Facial skin must be washed twice a day with a special cleanser, being careful to not get the skin wet at any other time. Ice to the skin is to be avoided to prevent skin death, but much of the discomfort from the peel dissipates before the patient ever leaves the office.

Patients will experience redness and swelling for several days following their procedure, but it will clear up quickly, revealing your beautiful results!

To schedule a consultation to see if a chemical peel is right for you, contact Dr. Mitchell's office today!