Chemical peels are one of the most popular cosmetic treatments, with around 1.4 million chemical peels taking place every year in the United States alone. In the UK, since the mid-90s, chemical peels have consistently remained one of the top treatment options. The only change is the advancement in peel ingredients and technology that make the peel as effective as possible.
Peels can offer a multitude of benefits from reducing acne, improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improving skin tone and complexion by reducing discolouration. The great advantage of peels is that your cosmetic practitioner can tailor a peel treatment to suit your personal skincare needs and what you want the peel to achieve.
So, what is a peel treatment and is it right for your skin?
What Is A Chemical Peel?
Put simply; a chemical peel is a skin resurfacing treatment. It works to shed the top layers of skin through exfoliation to help speed up cell turnover. As a result of removing the older, dull surface cells, you can bring smoother, younger-looking skin to the surface.
Depending on your skin and skincare goals, there are many peel options available. Some peels focus on the very top layer of the skin to help improve skin brightness and radiance. Some peels will penetrate deeper into the skin to help with concerns such as acne scarring, severe sun damage and even help with precancerous growths.
As there are so many ways a chemical peel can work to improve the skin, it is essential to receive treatment from an experienced and qualified practitioner who knows how to personalise your chemical peel treatment to get the best results for your needs.
Types Of Peel Treatment
As peels can offer so many different results, there is a huge range of options out there. It is even possible to have at-home peel treatments. While these can help with exfoliation at home, they usually have a very low concentration of acid to ensure they are safe for home use.
When an experienced medical professional performs a peel treatment, they will have prescription-strength peel ingredients with much higher concentrations of acid. This means these in-office, professional peels can offer better results. Furthermore, a skilled practitioner will be able to tailor the solution and application to suit your specific skin requirements.
For medical peels, there are three main types to consider;
Light
Also known as superficial, this type of peel works to remove the outer layer of skin in the epidermis. Typically, this is done using acids known as alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acids. These include more well-known acids such as salicylic acid and lactic acid.
In fact, in Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra used to perform facial peels with sour milk (lactic acid).
The benefit of light peels is that they require minimal downtime and are often known as the lunchtime peel treatment because of this. By shedding the outer layers, this encourages new cells to grow stronger and healthier, so that skin looks younger, tighter and more refreshed.
Medium
A medium peel is more intensive and travels through the epidermis to the top layers of the dermis too. This deeper penetration means it can target more skin concerns and achieve more noticeable results. Medium peels typically use a trichloracetic acid (also known as TCA) to achieve results such as a reduction in fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation, acne and acne scarring. They can also improve the skin’s overall texture.
A medium peel will cause the top skin layer to shed, and as a result, the skin can feel raw and red for up to around seven days afterwards. However, from then on, patients can continue their normal activities while beginning to see the results of their peel.
Deep
This type of peel is so intensive that typically it is only ever performed once. Using a phenol acid, this treatment can target deep wrinkles, excessive skin laxity, scarring, sun damage, and precancerous growths. Downtime for this treatment can last for up to two weeks. It is important to note that this type of peel isn’t suitable for every skin type and can cause scarring in darker skin tones. As with all treatment, it is best to have a skincare consultation before beginning treatment to ensure it is right for you.
How Peels Can Help Skin Concerns
Acne
Peels with salicylic acid can help to penetrate into the skin to unclog pores. Furthermore, salicylic acid can then remain in the pores with its anti-inflammatory properties to help them to stay clear for even longer. At the same time, a peel treatment can help to skim the surface of the skin to remove any pimples and blackheads on the surface of the skin.
Acne Scarring
If there are deeper acne scars, then a practitioner can apply a high strength peel such as TCA to the affected areas while using a light concentration, such as salicylic acid, on the rest of the skin. This method can help to even the whole skin outfor a significantly improved skin tone and texture.
Discolouration and pigmentation
Chemical peels help to encourage cell turnover. As sunspots and discolouration typically only affect the top layers of skin,a peel can help to shed the topmost layer of skin. All thewhile, it encourages cell renewal and turnover. This means it can bring health skin cells to the surface, which will help create a more even skin tone.
Ageing
From skin laxity to fine lines and wrinkles, a chemical peel can really help to create younger, smoother skin. Firstly, the dull top layer of skin is removed, then signals to healthy living cells to multiply and move to the surface, which can help to increase collagen production too. You can increase the effectiveness by using hyaluronic acid, helping cells to feel firmer, tighter with a radiant and youthful complexion.
Texture
Even with a light peel, it is possible to see noticeable improvements to skin texture after a chemical peel. Not only does it slough away dead skin cells, but it focuses on preparing healthier skin cells so they can surface, which can make your skin appear much smoother, softer with improved skin texture.
Skin Care Efficacy
If you’re no longer noticing the effectiveness of your skincare products, then a chemical peel can help your skincare work harder for you. By removing dead skin cells from the surface, you allow your products to penetrate deeper into the healthycells where they can work their magic.
This means that your skincare practitioner may be able to recommend skincare products that can help address any skin concerns you have. With a chemical peel, your skin will then be more receptive to any topical treatments.
Skin Peels At Concept Derma Clinic
At Concept Derma Clinic our experienced practitioners can conduct peel treatments for a range of skin concerns. Our peel treatments can be used across the skin but are most commonly used on the face, neck, décolletage, back and hands.
Focusing on using the safest, highest quality ingredients, we work with two trusted, and results-driven medical-grade brands for our peel treatments: Zo Obagi and AlumierMD.