Types of Peels
Light Peels
The most popular peel is the light peel or superficial peel. These peels remove the top layer of skin - the dead surface cells called the stratum corneum. The chemical solutions in these peels are alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), most of which are derived from citrus fruits, milk sugars, and sugar cane.The mildest of the peel formulas,AHAs brighten, freshen, and exfoliate skin, repairing minor sun damage and smoothing dry areas. Because AHAs remove only the most superficial layer of the skin, healing is so swift that these are sometimes called "weekend" peels. Many people will have a light peel done on a Friday and return to work on Monday, with minimal makeup. Many people will have a series of these peels.
Medium Peels
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 Application of chemical peel solution.
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For a medium peel, a more potent chemical is used to remove all of the outer skin layer, or epidermis.The chemical, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is a colorless synthetic acid, normally used in a concentration of about 35 percent. Because it penetrates more deeply than a light peel, a medium peel goes further to rejuvenate sun-damaged skin. Medium peels also reduce fine surface lines and wrinkles, often completely removing them. A medium peel is particularly effective at treating uneven pigment, such as age spots or melasma. It will also diminish superficial blemishes and shallow scarring from acne, but not deep pi tt ed scars.
Depending on your skin's condition and what you'd like to have treated, your doctor may combine your medium peel with a simultaneous light peel. After the AHA exfoliates the most superficial layer of your skin, the TCA penetrates more deeply, maximizing the benefits.
Deep Peels or Modified Deep Peels
The traditional deep peel procedure, which you may have heard about, uses a chemical called phenol or carbolic acid. A deep peel removes all of the epidermis and part of the skin's middle layer, the dermis. As a result, it removes wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. Creases in the nasolabial fold and deep crow's feet soften but do not disappear totally.
Because phenol is such a powerful chemical, it makes the traditional deep peel a serious medical procedure. Why? The chemical solution can be difficult to control, and if it penetrates too deeply it can cause scarring and pigmentation problems.
Furthermore, if the phenol solution penetrates into the blood stream, it can cause heart rhythm disturbances or kidney damage.
Since the risks, recovery, and complications are much higher with a traditional phenol peel, it is rarely done anymore. A newer procedure, a modified deep peel, is rapidly growing in popularity. For this procedure the peel solution ingredients - liquid soap, Croton oil, phenol, and water - are modified.The modification uses more Croton oil and only a small amount of phenol, which enhances the effect while eliminating the complications and potential toxicity frequently associated with the phenol peels.
You may hear this newer peel referred to as a Hetter Peel, named for Dr. Gregory Hetter, its inventor; a Croton oil peel; or a modified phenol peel.The effects of a modified deep peel are dramatic when used for facial wrinkling, especially the leathery crisscross lines, and the deep lines around the lips so common with sun damage. These peels also improve acne scarring and eliminate pigmentation problems.
The modified peel can be done on the entire face for an overall skin rejuvenation, or only in localized areas such as under the eyes for "crepey" lower lids or around the mouth to remove the vertical smoker's lines. [back][next] |
