Exfoliation is the key to healthy, bright skin. But we’re not like snakes, which simply shed their entire outer skin layer when its time has passed. That would be beneficial, but pretty creepy for us human types.
Women can also be envious of men because they get to exfoliate their faces every day through shaving. While this may not apply to seemingly major league baseball pitchers these days, most men still shave away stubble along with dead skin cells and debris. This exfoliates the face in the shaving areas on a daily basis.
At Beaty Facial Plastic Surgery, women use chemical peels to achieve the same thing, without having to drag super sharp metal across your face every day. Chemical peels remove dead skin, revealing new, smoother, younger-looking skin beneath.
What can you treat with a chemical peel?
At Beaty, we perform chemical peels on the face. Here are the skin issues we use peels to address:
- Lessen the appearance of wrinkles caused by sun damage and aging
- Treat certain types of acne
- Minimize fine lines, especially those under the eyes and on the corners of the mouth
- Reduce the appearance of freckles, age spots, and melasma
- Improve the overall appearance of the skin
Types of chemical peels
The concept of a chemical peel can seem harsh. Just the word “chemical” sounds anything but soothing. The goal with a peel is to destroy certain parts of the skin. This encourages that skin to slough off and it encourages the production of new skin cells to take its place. With more than superficial peels, there is noticeable skin peeling that lasts from a day to two weeks. The duration depends on the penetration and type of the chemicals used in the peel.
- Superficial peels — These are mild peels usually done with acids derived from fruits, called glycolic acids. Superficial peels may have some light peeling over the next day or two, but nothing extreme.
- Medium peels — These peels usually involve trichloroacetic acid. They penetrate more deeply into the skin, causing a second-degree burn on the skin. There will be peeling and crust with medium peels as the skin begins the process of rebuilding.
- Deep peels — Phenol acid is used in deep peels, which are the deepest penetrating peel. They are only used on the face to avoid scarring elsewhere. These peels involve the most crusting of the skin and require the longest recovery time. Patients usually need to take at least one week off work, and diligently avoid sun exposure for months afterward. Deep peels also deliver the most skin rejuvenation.
If you’re interested in peeling your way to better skin with Dr. Beaty, give us a call at (770) 753-0053 and ask about your various chemical peel options.
