Chemical peels are effective for erasing signs of aging from your skin. This safe and successful cosmetic treatment can leave you with fewer lines and wrinkles, smoother, brighter skin and a more even complexion — all the requisites for looking younger.
Chemical peels are popular skin rejuvenation procedures. But is this cosmetic treatment right for you?
What Is a Chemical Peel?
A chemical peel is a noninvasive cosmetic procedure that removes your outer layers of skin through the controlled use of a chemical solution.
Peels are categorized by how deeply the chemical solution penetrates the skin, and are typically referred to as superficial, medium or deep.
Superficial peels only address the top layers of skin, or the epidermis. Medium peels reach down further to remove the epidermis as well as the top layer of the dermis. Deep peels affect all of those, plus a few additional layers of the dermis.
After a peel, the affected tissue regenerates, providing you with a fresh, younger look.
How Does the Chemical Peel Process Work?
When preparing for a chemical peel, patients are advised to use a high SPF sunscreen. Some may also need to pretreat for a couple of weeks with a tretinoin cream, or take a round of antiviral medication prior to getting a peel.
The peeling process begins with a gentle cleansing, as a defatting solvent is wiped over the area to be treated. The chemical solution is then applied and allowed to penetrate the skin for a specific amount of time, depending upon the type of peel.
Next, the solution and exfoliated skin cells are removed, and a soothing ointment is applied. The patient is then sent home to heal. The duration of the healing process varies based on the specific type of treatment, although every patient is different.
Superficial peels don’t really need anesthesia, but deeper peels may require local anesthesia or oral sedation. Cold compresses are often enough to manage pain, although patients who opt for deeper peels may prefer to have pain medication available.
Is a Chemical Peel the Right Cosmetic Treatment for You?
Peels are commonly recommended cosmetic treatments for fine lines and wrinkles from sun damage as well as uneven skin tones and blotchy or dull complexions. Peels are also used to treat age spots, acne scars, precancerous lesions and rough or leathery patches of skin.
Most patients who are in overall good health can safely undergo this type of cosmetic treatment. However, anyone with darker skin should seek a doctor’s recommendation before having a chemical peel, as the newly revealed layers of skin could be significantly lighter than their current skin tone.
The professional aesthetic artists of the Beauty Now team, a part of the Mobley MD Utah Facial Plastic Surgery network, can determine the right cosmetic treatment to erase years of damage from your skin. Call our Salt Lake City office today to schedule a professional consultation for a chemical peel.