A chemical peel for acne is a procedure wherein a chemical solution is applied to skin in order to remove the top layers of it. The skin that grows back with time is a lot smoother and more radiant. Whenever you opt for a light or medium peel, you may need to undergo this procedure more than once so as to achieve your desired results.
The chemical peel for acne scars, or for wrinkles, discoloured skin, and other forms of scars, are applied on the face. They can be done alone or even combined with other cosmetic procedures. Moreover, these procedures can also be carried out at different depths, from light to deep. The deeper chemical peels offer more dramatic outcomes, but also take a longer time to heal completely.
In this article, we will take a look at how these chemical peels work, their types, benefits, and side effects.
Why is a chemical peel treatment done?
A chemical skin peel for acne can be considered as a skin resurfacing procedure. Depending on the issues you address with your cosmetologist, he/she will enable you to choose a chemical peel at one of three depths. These are as follows:
Light chemical peel
A light or superficial chemical peel seeks to remove the outer layer of your skin, also known as the epidermis. It is used to treat acne, fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, and uneven skin tone. You might need to have a light chemical peel every two to five weeks.
Medium chemical peel
A medium chemical peel seeks to remove skin cells from the epidermis and from various portions of the upper part of your middle layer of skin, also known as the dermis. It is used to treat acne scars, deeper wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. You might be required to repeat this procedure in order to achieve or maintain the desired results.
Deep chemical peel
A deep chemical peel seeks to remove skin cells from even the deeper layers of your skin. Your healthcare professional might recommend one for much deeper wrinkles, scars, or precancerous growths. This procedure doesn’t usually require repetitions to result in its full effect.
However, you should always keep in mind that chemical peels can’t remove very deep scars or wrinkles, or tighten sagging skin.
When it comes to achieving the best chemical peel for acne scars that’ll enhance your overall appearance and ensure that you restore your lost self-confidence, you should opt for the best skin and hair clinic in Hyderabad, which is Dermiq. We all deserve to feel confident and radiant when it comes to our own skin, and at Dermiq, this is our sole mission.
Having been recognized by the Time Health Survey as Hyderabad’s best skin and hair clinic, we are dedicated to offering exceptional care that addresses the specific concerns of all our patients. With the presence of Hyderabad’s best and most experienced cosmetologists and dermatologists, we ensure that you receive the most effective and customized treatment plan possible. This way, you can achieve your healthiest, most beautiful skin and hair.
Now that we have discussed the types of chemical peel procedures available to you let’s look at their side effects.
Side effects/risks
A chemical peel can lead to various side effects. Some of these are as follows:
Redness, swelling, and scabbing
Normal healing from a chemical peel can often involve redness of the treated skin after a medium or deep chemical peel; redness, swelling, or scabbing might last for a few weeks to a few months.
Scarring
A chemical peel can cause scarring rarely, and that too on the lower part of the face. In such situations, antibiotics and steroid medications can be employed in order to soften the appearance of these scars.
Infection
A chemical peel might also lead to a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection, such as a flare-up of the herpes virus, i.e., the virus that causes cold sores.
Changes in skin color
A chemical peel can also cause treated skin to become darker than normal, which is known as hyperpigmentation, or lighter than normal, which is known as hypopigmentation. While hyperpigmentation is more common after light or superficial chemical peels, hypopigmentation is more common after a deep peel. These problems are usually more visible in people with brown or black skin and can sometimes be permanent.
Heart, kidney, or liver damage
A deep chemical peel makes use of carbolic acid (phenol), which can damage the heart muscle and cause the heart to beat irregularly. Phenol can also prove to be harmful to the kidneys and liver. In order to limit exposure to phenol, a deep chemical peel is done one portion at a time in 10 to 20-minute intervals.
Moreover, a chemical peel isn’t for everyone. Your healthcare provider might caution you against a chemical peel or certain types of chemical peels in case you:
- Are pregnant,
- Have a personal or family history of ridged areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue (keloids),
- Have frequent or severe outbreaks of cold sores or
- Have taken the oral acne medication isotretinoin (Claravis, Myorisan, or others) in the past six months.
How do you prepare for such a procedure?
Firstly, you need to choose a doctor with adequate knowledge of the skin and procedure- a dermatologic surgeon or a dermatologist. Results can vary and largely depend on the expertise of the healthcare professional carrying out the chemical peel treatment. If done improperly, a chemical peel can result in various complications, including permanent scars and bacterial, fungal, or viral infections.
Before you opt for a chemical peel, your doctor will likely:
Review your medical history
You should be prepared to answer questions about your current and past medical conditions, as well as any medications that you’re taking or have taken recently. You should also educate him on any cosmetic procedures you have had in the past.
Do a physical exam
Your doctor is going to inspect your skin, and the area to be treated, in order to determine what type of peel might benefit you the most. He/she will also keep in mind how your physical features such as your skin tone and thickness of your skin might be impacted after the procedure.
Discuss your expectations
You should talk with your doctor about your expectations, motivations, and potential risks. Ensure that you understand how many treatments you might need in order to achieve the results you desire, how long it’ll take to heal completely, and how much it’ll cost you.
Before the actual chemical peel treatment is carried out on your face, you might also be required to:
- Take antiviral medication- Your healthcare provider might prescribe an antiviral medication before and post treatment in order to help prevent a viral infection.
- Use a retinoid cream- Your doctor might also recommend the usage of a retinoid cream, such as tretinoin (Retin-A, Renova, and so on), for a few weeks before your actual treatment to help with healing.
- Use a bleaching agent- Your healthcare provider might recommend you to use a bleaching agent (hydroquinone), a retinoid cream, or both, before or after the procedure in order to minimise the risk of side effects.
- Avoid unprotected sun exposure- Too much unprotected sun exposure before the chemical peel treatment can lead to permanent irregular pigmentation in treated areas. You should always look to discuss sun protection and acceptable sun exposure with your doctor.
- Avoid certain cosmetic treatments and few specific types of hair removal- About a week before the actual chemical peel treatment is carried out on your face, you should prohibit the usage of various hair removal techniques such as electrolysis or depilatories. Moreover, you should avoid hair-dying treatments, permanent wavy or hair straightening treatments, facial scrubs, or facial masks in the week before your face gets peeled off. You should skip shaving the areas that will be treated at least 24 hours before your chemical peel.
- Arrange for a ride home- In case you’re sedated during the chemical peel procedure, do arrange for a ride home.
Top 10 benefits of chemical peels
There is a peel for almost all of the most common types of skin concerns. Listed below are the top 10 benefits of obtaining a chemical peel treatment.
Treats Acne
Topical acne treatments are not as efficient as a chemical peel treatment. A chemical peel exfoliates deeper, thereby cleansing your skin more thoroughly and revealing a fresh new layer of skin that feels revitalised and rejuvenated.
Minimises pores
Large sized pores are a massive concern for many individuals all around the world, and all who have them, wish they’d go away. When the outer damaged layer of the skin gets peeled off, the fresh new layer of skin showcases smaller sized pores which one shouldn’t be concerned about.
Erases fine lines and wrinkles
There’s nothing that leaves us stuck in the past as much as the lines on our skin. These reminders prohibit us from living in, and fully enjoying, our present moment. Everytime fine lines and wrinkles bring your self confidence down, chemical peels will come to the rescue. These chemical solutions can ease even the toughest of wrinkles and permanently remove fine lines from your face.
Fades discoloration
We all deserve to feel vibrant, confident, and beautiful at all times. Whenever sunspots, discoloration, and hyperpigmentation are getting in your way, a chemical peel can certainly help. Most of the clients find that a peel works on skin discoloration incredibly, and lifts our skin for good!
Lifts skin
When you don’t wish to undergo the time consuming procedure of a facelift, a chemical peel could be the right alternative for you. Skin lifting is one of the most beneficial qualities of any type of chemical peel.
Balances texture
Uneven skin tone and blemishes add an aspect of unattractiveness to our skin that we absolutely hate. Chemical peel treatments enable in bringing balance to the overall texture of our skin.
Smoothes skin
Chemical peels are best known for their unparalleled skin smoothening benefits. By lifting rigid layers of skin from your face, hands, or neck, the result obtained is gorgeously smooth and attractive skin.
Soothes scarring
Scars not only make ourselves feel unattractive and lower our self-confidence, but at the same time, are often associated with a moment that we all wish to forget. More often than not, scars are not something we wish to carry throughout our lives, and this is where a chemical peel comes in handy. Scars from any past incident in our lives, or from acne, recede when exposed to the chemicals found in peels.
Non-invasive treatment
The chemical peel treatment is one of the best alternatives to surgical treatments that usually require the employment of needles. Some clients also pair this particular treatment with other forms of cosmetic procedures. For others, it is very comforting to know that they can achieve their desired look without having to undergo a surgery.
Better absorption of skincare products
If you’re someone who loves to use creams and serums to improve your overall appearance, then you’ll certainly love combining peel treatments with your skincare products. The best way to unclog your pores and remove dirt, dead skin cells, and debris, is by getting regular chemical peels.
Final Words
A light or superficial chemical peel improves the texture and tone of your skin and lessens the appearance of fine wrinkles. The results, even though subtle, do increase with repeated treatments. If you opt for a medium chemical peel, treated skin will be noticeably smoother. After a deep chemical peel, you’ll definitely notice a dramatic improvement in the look and feel of your treated areas. However, the results obtained may not be permanent.
With the passage of time and age and with new sun damage, you can come across new fine lines and wrinkles, and your skin color might also alter. With every chemical peel treatment, the new skin is going to be temporarily more sensitive to sun exposure. You should talk with your healthcare provider regarding how long you need to protect your skin from the sun.
