Are you looking for an effective way to get rid of acne scars, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin texture, and other signs of aging? If yes, skin resurfacing treatments such as chemical peels might be a great option for you.

Read on to learn more about them.

What Are Chemical Peels?

A chemical peel is a skin treatment that involves the application of a chemical solution on your skin to chemically exfoliate the damaged layer of the skin. This promotes the growth of new skin cells, revealing a new layer of younger-looking, smoother, and even-toned skin.

Chemical peels can be used to treat various skin conditions, including acne and acne scars, wrinkles, melasma, uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, sun damage, age spots, and freckles.

Types Of Chemical Peels

Here is a brief overview of some of the most popular types of peels:

Light Chemical Peels – Superficial peels that remove the outer layer of dead skin cells to reveal new, healthy, and glowing skin. It uses a mild concentration of lactic acid, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid.

Since these exfoliate only the outermost layer, your skin will recover within 2-4 days.

Medium Peels – These peels penetrate relatively deeper into the skin to exfoliate the dead skin cells from the upper part of the middle layer of your skin. The recovery usually takes 7-12 days, though some slight redness may take a bit longer to subside.

Medium peels use slightly more concentrated chemical compounds such as trichloroacetic acid, or glycolic acid.

Deep Peels – These use concentrated compounds, such as phenols and TCA that can penetrate the top two to three layers of skin. A deep peel can address more severe sun damage, acne, and other scars, as well as reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Thus, it can take a week or two to recover from this treatment.

Why You Need to Stay Out of the Sun After a Chemical Peel

You may experience some redness and swelling immediately after the peel, but this usually resolves within a day or two. You may also see some peeling or flaking of the skin within a few days, which is normal and part of the healing process.

However, chemical peels are skin resurfacing treatments and might make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so it’s important to wear sunscreen and limit your sun exposure for the next few weeks.

Here are a few things that can maximize the benefits and minimize the risk of side effects post-treatment:

• Use a mild moisturizer that doesn’t contain harsh active ingredients.
• Avoid picking at peeling skin, let these fall off naturally.
• Limit your sun exposure.
• Avoid wearing makeup till all the flaking skin peels off.
• Avoid heavy workouts or other strenuous activities that result in heavy perspiration until the skin has healed completely.

It’s also best to wait at least 1 to 2  weeks before going back out into the sun. If this is unavoidable, be sure to apply sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 50 beforehand. You can also use a piece of clothing such as a scarf to protect the treated area from direct exposure.

Chemical peels are a safe and effective treatment, but only when performed by board-certified and well-trained providers. At Luxe Medical Aesthetics, our expert team of highly skilled aestheticians has helped countless people in Houston and Katy, Texas achieve smoother and more radiant skin than ever.

Give us a call and book your appointment now!