Skin Peels

Skin peels have been often referred to as "chemical peels" or "acid peels" but the words "chemical" and "acid" are not so popular these days.

But the idea, and the treatment, and the benefit, remains.

And the basic idea is to apply a solution onto the facial skin with a view to stimulating that facial skin to restore itself and strengthen itself and improve itself.

These are the most user-friendly of skin peels. Using weak hydroxy-acids applied gently, these skin treatments hydrate the skin and loosen-up surface dead skin cells, which then fall off without you barely noticing. Your skin surface is freshened, your skin metabolic rate is increased, there's a little skin glow. 

And these treatments can be done regularly, as there's little-to-no, usually no, downtime.

And as they are done over and over your skin improves bit by bit.

A bit stronger, these peels can cause actual visible peeling of your skin, as you might see after a moderate sunburn. Or, if not actual peeling, perhaps flaking.

Perhaps a bit uncomfortable to experience, a low-ish pH (=acidic) solution of a hydroxy-acid is spread over facial skin, then typically neutralised. Skin may be then pink. Once recovered, facial skin glows fresh, with "new" skin on the surface. Repeated, and dermal neocollagenesis and strengthening is stimulated, tending to diminish fine lines and prompt strengthening.

Alpha-hydroxy-acids are often called "fruit acids"  and here is a more detailed summary of what they are. But in essence these acids that arise in nature in fruit or milk from the fermentation of natural sugars. So, they are generally mild, natural, and moisturising. They also have the effect of breaking the little chemical bonds that hold surface skin cells together, and so these skin cells become loosened. Once this happens your fresher, newer skin cells are suddenly on display. Your skin also responds by increasing collagen production. 

Retinol is natural, powerful Vitamin A, and is a famous and effective anti-ageing agent. A retinol-based skin peel is a fast and effective way to get a rapid retinol effect on and in your skin. As with other skin peels, surface cells flake off and new thicker dermal collagen is stimulated.

Salicylic acid is the only beta-hydroxy-acid we use in skin care. Its special role is that it is oil-soluble, and so it is able to sneak its way deep into sebaceous glands to loosen up sebum plugs contributing to acne. So salicylic acid peels are good for acne

By rights, medium depth skin peels are those that use an acid that eats through the whole epidermis and into the superficial dermis. Typically this would involve a concentrated glycolic acid peel or a mild-to-moderate trichloroacetic acid peel (TCA peel).

This sort of peel will typically cause several days downtime.

Although significant freshening of skin can result, the downtime makes this peel unpopular, and we at Peach generally try to achieve the same end with a series of more-acceptable treatments. 

Truly deep chemical peels are, today, rarely done in any cosmetic medical practice. Such peels involve strong formulations of trichloroacetic acid, or carboxylic acid (= phenol). 

Down-time can last for weeks.

Phenol peels can require a general anaesthetic to perform, and because phenol can irritate cardiac function and cause arrhythmias, phenol peels should be done under the care of an anaesthetist and with cardiac monitoring.

Suffice to say, this is not the sort of skin peel we offer at Peach Cosmetic Medicine

Light day-only skin peels are a safe and easy and pleasant way to spruce up your skin. Applied regularly, they form a great foundation to maintaining youthful skin. And they don't require medical assessment, so you can arrange them over the phone.

Superficial peels are a step-up. We use these to accelerate the skin rejuvenation we are seeking through topical skin care, and especially to manage skin pigmentation conditions such as melasma.

Some patients have had a lot of experience with these superficial peels and feel very comfortable having them regularly. Their choice in this fits in with our shared objective for them.