Now, you can get a peel on your lunch break and go right back to work looking better and brighter, bypassing the red, flaky, irritated stage altogether. So what gives?
According to Derma di Colore New York City Dr Carlos A Charles, founder and medical director, it’s not that the chemical peels themselves have changed so much as doctors approach.
“Most dermatologists tend to avoid performing the deeper peels to minimise the associated high risk of complications,” he says. The alternative is superficial peels – the kind you get on your lunch break that leave no tell-tale evidence behind. “They are in fact true chemical peels”, says Charles, but they take longer to show results – about five monthly treatments along with the use of a strong topical retinoid in between sessions.
Chemical peels are substances used for the treatment of a variety of skin conditions including but not limited to sun damage or photo-aging, fine lines and wrinkles, superficial scarring, acne, and some pre-cancerous lesions. Additionally, they can help to minimise discoloration resulting from any skin insult commonly known as post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation or from melasma and they work by producing limited and controlled injury to the skin, thereby promoting the growth of new skin with an improved appearance.
Superficial peels, which primarily target the very top layers of the epidermis of the skin, are most commonly composed of glycoloic or salicylic acids in various concentrations. Medium depth peels are most commonly made up of Trichloracetic acid or TCA at varying concentrations, usually 20 to 35 percent. The advantages of this combination medium depth peel is that one can achieve greater penetration with modest concentrations of the TCA, thereby avoiding potentially adverse reactions. Medium depth peels target the deeper layer of the epidermis and the superficial dermis of the skin. With this increased penetration, these peels can result in an impressive improvement in skin texture with a reduction in pigmentation, freckling and some pre-skin cancers known as actinic keratosis. Although fine wrinkles and some acne scars may become less obvious with medium strength peels, they do not improve upon deep wrinkles and furrows.
Deep peels are typically made up of an ingredient known as phenol. Phenols produce injury within the deeper layers of the skin or the dermis. These stronger peels can treat moderate to severe photo-aging and wrinkles. While deep peels can potentially offer the greatest level of improvement, they also require long recovery times and carry the greatest risk of complication such as scarring and hyperpigmentation.
They are safe. However, as with all things in medicine, they must be performed by a trained and experienced professional. There are many factors that have to be taken into consideration when performing chemical peels, including but not limited to: baseline skin pigmentation, the concomitant use of topical agents, potential for skin irritation, active skin conditions, and the propensity for scarring. Those with more darkly pigmented skin generally should only receive superficial peels or very mild medium strength peels with proper supervision and preparation.
Anyone that is looking for modest correction of hyperpigmentation, sun damage, fine lines and for diminution of the appearance of pores should get peels. Additionally, peels containing salicylic acid can offer improvement to those with acne prone skin, particularly when used along with topical agents. Generally, peels are performed every three to four weeks with an average of about five treatments.