
Aging and sun damage can take a toll on the skin, revealing facial veins and pigmentation, uneven skin tone and wrinkles. For those of you who are looking for ways to improve the appearance of your skin without surgery or, if you’d like to enhance the effects of other cosmetic procedures, a chemical peel may be a viable option.
A chemical peel will improve the texture and look of the skin on the neck, chest, arms and hands. However, not all peels are created equal. Depending on the result you’re looking for and the condition of your skin, you can select from a variety of peels. Some will promote a smoother tone and a healthy glow, while in depth peels will penetrate beneath the skin’s outer layer to reveal new skin and restores a youthful radiance. Here’s a brief overview of the various options:
Alpha Hydroxy Peel (AHA)
The mildest peel, AHA exfoliates the skin to loosen and remove dead cells on the skin surface. Regular treatments will improve the appearance of fine lines, brown spots and dry skin. This peel also helps with the treatment of acne by clearing clogged pores and AHA can be combined with microdermabrasion.
Glycolic Acid Peels
Glycolic peels and AHA peels provide similar results, but the glycolic peel will stimulate the growth of collagen.
Trichloracetic Acid Peels (TCA)
This medium-depth resurfacing treatment goes slightly deeper than AHA to reveal a new layer of skin. The result is a smoother, more vibrant appearance, softening of fine lines and the minimizing of superficial skin discolorations. This peel will also diminish the appearance of acne scars and is suitable for most skin types. TCA treatments will reveal results in 4 to 7 days, as the outer layer of skin peels way to reveal a new layer of skin.
Phenol Peel
This is the strongest and deepest penetrating facial peel and is generally recommended for the treatment of deep wrinkles, sun damage, aging skin and acne scars. It removes the upper skin layer. Recovery time will be determined by the strength of the concentration, but in most cases is a minimum of 7-10 days, followed by an overall redness to the skin for 2-3 months.