Understanding Chemical Peel

This procedure is commonly performed on visible body parts such as your face, hands and neck.

There are essentially three types of chemical peels; light, medium and deep peels. The way to differentiate between them is the strength and type of solution being used to treat the affected areas. The process for each technique is essentially the same.

With each technique a varying amount of acidic solution is applied to the affected area; causing the skin to blister and peel off making way for new rejuvenated skin.

Alphahydroxy acids such as glycolic, lactic or fruit acids are most commonly used to produce light peels for treating fine wrinkles, dry skin, uneven skin pigmentation and acne scars.

The biggest advantage of this type of peel is recovery time (1 day) compared to TCA (Trichloroacetic acid) which is used to produce medium peel and can take up to several weeks to heel.

Depending on the scared area, your surgeon may recommend five to eight peels with two or three weeks between each peel. Initially you may experience string,redness or irritation of skin, but this will lessen as your body adjusts to this skin regimen.

The recovery time can be much longer and more painful than light peel, but much quicker the phenol. This type of peel is very effective against removing superficial blemishes, wrinkles and correcting skin pigmentation problems.

Other considerations with Trichloroacetic acid peels are:

- Time required to perform the procedure ( 10-15 minutes)

- Preferred for darker skin types

- May require pre-treatment with AHA creams- You will be required to stay out of the sun (1week) and use sun block after

Phenol is by far the strongest solution used for producing deep peels. This procedure is very effective against removing large wrinkles and deep acne scars.

The procedure is used on the face only and can take up to 1hour for full facial. The recovery time is slow and can take several months for you to recover.

There are other health complications associated with this type of procedure especially with patients already having heart troubles. Please discuss your medial history with your surgeon and explore all possibilities of health implications prior to accepting this type of treatment.

If you are considering any of the above procedures you should enquire about all of the following during initial consultation with your surgeon.

- Cost (This can vary from one place to next). Also check with your insurance company as chemical peels may be covered under some circumstances.

- Discuss any pre-treatment such as Retin-A or AHA creams which may be required as well as recovery time.

- What will happen before, during and after the procedure? Also inquire about where the procedure will be performed and by whom?