What is a chemical peel?
Chemical peels are a form of exfoliation that can improve a variety of skin conditions. Peels can reduce fine lines and wrinkles; improve the appearance of mild scars; treat acne; and reduce age spots, freckles, and dark patches (melasma) caused by fluctuations in hormone levels.
Chemical Peels Before & After Cases
Patient Testimonials
“Always a warm and welcoming staff. I am so thankful I found Marley for facials. After receiving peels and microdermabrasion treatments I have seen a great improvement in the quality of skin.” – Crystal Taren
“Brieana At Spa Vitoria is fantastic! She is very knowledgeable about skin and takes skincare seriously. She gives amazing facial treatments and is very helpful with what skin products will work best for your skin type. She also can help you out with your wobbly bits using Cool Sculpting!” – Carol White
how do chemical peels work?
Peels work by removing the skin from the surface layer, either exposing fresh skin beneath or prompting the body to regenerate new surface skin. Chemical peels are classified by their depth of penetration — superficial, moderate, and deep. Lighter peels exfoliate the outermost layer of the skin, the epidermis. These peels simply present fresher, healthier skin, and don’t require any downtime. Moderate and deep peels penetrate below the epidermis into the second layer, called the dermis. They cause more discomfort and require a period of healing time. Moderate to deep peels usually create anywhere from three to 10 days of facial peeling.
What are Chemical Peels Used to Treat?
With any depth peel, your skin will look smoother, softer, and brighter. More aggressive peels can address aging issues such as wrinkles and creases.
What are the benefits of chemical peels?
Chemical peels simply give your exfoliation process a boost. Peels remove layers of skin so that younger, healthier skin cells can show themselves. In the process, age spots, acne scars, fine lines, dead skin cells, and other imperfections are peeled away. The purpose of a peel is to erase imperfections and improve skin tone and texture.
What are the types of chemical peels you offer at Spa Vitoria?
- Light chemical peels — For these peels, we use alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids as the peeling agents. These are glycolic acid (which comes from sugar cane), lactic acid (from sour milk), salicylic acid (willow tree bark), and malic acid (grapes). Light peels remove just the outer layer of skin in a light exfoliation.
- Medium chemical peels — For medium peels, we use trichloroacetic acid. It is a relative of vinegar (acetic acid). Trichloroacetic acid creates deeper penetration than the milder acids used for our superficial peels. Because they penetrate more deeply TCA peels loosen the skin bonds more deeply. This means more skin will slough off in the days following the peel. There will also probably be some crusting of the skin.
How does microdermabrasion compare with a chemical peel?
Microdermabrasion uses microscopic crystals to lightly exfoliate the skin. These are sprayed onto the skin with a special handpiece that also provides suction to instantly suction away the crystals, skin cells, dirt, and other materials removed. Microdermabrasion is akin to a light chemical peel. Light peels are done with natural peeling agents, such as glycolic acid, and they don’t have any recovery. Microdermabrasion is that same level of limited exfoliation. You could consider them to be similar.
However, medium peels deliver far more skin rejuvenation than microdermabrasion could ever accomplish. They also require a short recovery period, which microdermabrasion does not.
Who is an ideal candidate for a chemical peel?
If you have the following skin conditions, peels can be a good treatment:
- Sun damage
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Texture issues
- Pigmentation problems
- Age spots
- Acne and acne scars
- Freckles
- Scaly patches
- Actinic keratoses (medium peels)
- Medium depth lines (medium peels)
To have a peel, you cannot have any active skin conditions or infections.
How Should I Prepare for a Chemical Peel Treatment?
Prior to your peel with our team at Saltz, you want your skin to be in normal condition. These means don’t use any products that increase your skin’s sensitivity prior to your peel. These would be products such as Retin-A, products with retinol, benzoyl peroxide, or alpha-hydroxy acids. This also includes natural supplements that increase skin sensitivity, along with treatments such as Intense Pulsed Light. Also, don’t have any hair removal treatments, be it waxing or depilatory creams or lasers, for at least one week before your peel.
What can I expect during my chemical peel?
The actual peel portion of these treatments at Saltz Plastic Surgery/Spa Vitoria varies depending on the type of peel and the peeling agent. We first thoroughly clean your skin. We then apply the peeling agent. For light peels, we can do this with a cotton ball, gauze, or brush. The glycolic or salicylic acid is applied and your skin will begin to whiten. You may feel a mild stinging, but this is minimal. We leave the agent on for the prescribed time and then wipe it off. Neutralization isn’t necessary. We then rinse your face and apply a mask.
For medium peels, we usually use a cotton-tipped applicator to apply the trichloroacetic acid, which is often mixed with other ingredients such as glycolic acid. As with the light peels, your skin will begin to whiten. For medium peels, we usually provide a hand-held fan to cool your skin. You’ll likely feel a little more stinging and burning as the agent is left on your skin for up. to 20 minutes. Once your prescribed time is up, the agent is usually neutralized and removed. We rinse your skin with cool water. A calming mask is then applied.
Due to their potential for scarring, hyperpigmentation, and hypopigmentation, along with the lengthy recovery times, we rarely perform deep phenol peels. We feel treatments such as laser skin resurfacing are equally, if not more, effective but do not present the recovery and possible scarring that can happen with deep chemical peels.
How Long Does a Chemical Peel Treatment Take?
Overall, the entire treatment usually takes around 30 minutes.
How Many Chemical Peel Treatments Will I Need?
Most peels are most effective with repeat treatments, usually from three to six. The treatments are spaced apart based on the depth of the peel and the necessary recovery time.
What can I expect after my chemical peel?
Here’s what to expect after your light or medium peel with us.
Light peels
Light peels are very easy to take. If these are new to your skin, initially light peels may cause some minor redness and irritation. But as your skin sheds the dead outer cells and becomes accustomed to these, your skin will simply glow after your peel. Because they are so easy to take, you can have chemicals peels on a regular basis; there is no limit to the number of light peels a person can have in a calendar year.
Medium peels
There will be some recovery with these peels, as they penetrate more deeply into the dermis layer beneath the epidermis. These peels can leave your skin red and stinging. You will have some crusting, as well. Depending on your skin, facial redness can linger for a couple of weeks. Patients can have only three or four medium peels over the course of a year.
How often should I get a chemical peel?
As mentioned above on this page, peels are a great way to help your body with the exfoliation process. Peels simply accelerate it. The peels we offer at Spa Vitoria are typically medium and light peels. We rarely perform deep peels because of their risk for scarring and pigmentation problems.
- Light peels can be done every month to keep your skin looking refreshed.
- Medium peels can only be done every three or four months.
How long will the results of my chemical peel last?
The results of your chemical peel at our Salt Lake City or Park City Spa Vitoria locations are permanent. After all, the skin that your body sloughs off won’t be coming back. Deeper peels improve acne scarring and fine wrinkles and the like, and those improvements are permanent, as well. But the human skin cycle marches on. Human skin fully regenerates itself every 27 days. The quality of our new skin changes over time, as we have less and less collagen to work with. Plus, our skin tends to thin as we age.
Bottom line? Peels are not like laser procedures; these are permanent results. It’s just that your skin continues to change after your peel.
Are there any activities I should avoid after my peel?
The peel will have removed some of the protective skin cells present on your epidermis. This makes it very susceptible to sun damage. After a peel, you need to limit your outdoor activities for at least one week. When you are outside, it’s imperative to wear 30 SPF or higher sunscreen.
Are chemical peels safe for all skin tones?
Chemical peels are not good treatments for patients with darker skin tones. This is because the peels can cause treated skin to become darker than normal (hyperpigmentation) or lighter than normal (hypopigmentation). Hyperpigmentation is more common after light peels, while hypopigmentation is more common with medium and deep peels.
Is the chemical procedure painful?
There is some mild stinging with your first few light chemical peels, but that usually is only present during the first few peels you have. With medium peels, you will have some stinging and burning as described above. We usually give you a sedative and you take some over-the-counter pain medication prior to medium peels to keep you more comfortable. Plus, we give you a hand-help fan, which helps.
Are chemical peels considered to be safe? What are the risks?
Chemical peels are nothing new. They’ve been performed for centuries. Cleopatra was the first documented chemical peel aficionado, using sour milk (lactic acid) as the ingredient to cause her skin to peel, keeping it younger looking and vibrant.
Our chemical peels are done by our Master Esthetician, Patty McIntosh, and they are safe and effective. Getting a chemical peel from the place you get your nails done is a bad idea. The chemical agents can burn and scar if the person applying them doesn’t know what he or she is doing.
You need to remember the goal — to remove varying degrees of the outer layers of the skin. Because this exfoliation is forced to a deeper degree, there is some redness and tenderness after your treatment. Your face will feel a little dry. With a light peel, it will feel as if you have a light sunburn. With a medium peel, it will feel more like a medium sunburn. There will be some light flaking with light peels. Medium peels will have a little crusting of the skin. Other than that, our light and medium chemical peels are safe without any real side effects.
How much do chemical peels cost at Spa Vitoria?
Our peels can vary based on the peeling agents you choose. As a ballpark, most of our chemical peels run about $150.
To read more on chemical peels visit our blog.
Schedule an Appointment Today!
To learn more about our Chemical Peels, please call 435.655.6612 for our new Park City office or 801.274.9500 for our Salt Lake City office. If you would rather have someone reach out to you, please fill out our contact us form.