Chemical Peel Types and Uses
The most widespread cosmetic procedure done today is the chemical peel. Each year, thousands of people get this procedure done in a doctor’s office or use an over the counter product to perform it themselves at home. It’s becoming very common.
Getting a facial chemical peel can help improve the skin’s tone and texture as well as minimize acne, fine lines, and wrinkles. A deep cleaning chemical peel can help minimize deeply set wrinkles and scarring from past acne and is sometimes used to remove pre-cancerous cells on the skin.
There are three main types of chemical peels done today, a mild, medium and a deep chemical peel. The mild peel is the most superficial; it doesn’t go very far into the epidermis and can be done at home. While there can be some redness and drying of the skin, the recovery time for a mild peel is usually less than 24 hours. Many people like to use facial chemical peels like this along with microderm abrasion at home to get a deep cleaning of their pores and to exfoliate dead skin cells from their face.
The medium type peel is often done in spas or salons by an esthetician; one example would be a TCA peel so named because it uses trichloroacetic acid. Medium peels take off the outer most layers of skin and can cause up to second degree burns depending on what type of acid is used and how long that acid is left on the skin. This is why these peels should not be done at home; you need a trained skin care specialist to determine what the right amount of time is for your skin care needs.
Lastly there is a deep peel that is usually done with phenol acid and should only be performed by a doctor. Phenol acid is very strong and is used to treat deep wrinkles, scaring, and to remove pre-cancerous skin growth. The recovery time from a deep peel can be weeks to months and in that time it is very important that you stay out of the sun so as not to damage the fresh skin. There is typically more redness, swelling, peeling and even scabbing with deep chemical peels so it’s important not to touch your face so that you don’t get a skin infection while you are recovering.
Chemical peel cost will vary by type. The mild peel will run from around $100 to $200 while the medium peel can cost $500 or more. Deep peels, which require physicians, will easily top $1,000 and can climb much higher depending on the practitioner and the procedure’s duration. Keep in mind that deep chemical peels are often considered a form of plastic surgery.
Chemical peels can be useful in treating acne or in just eliminating fine lines and wrinkles. Even the mildest peel uses some fairly powerful chemicals so you should be very careful when attempting an at home chemical peel – in fact, try to avoid doing it yourself and seek the services of a qualified professional.
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