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.

With any depth peel, your skin will look smoother, softer, and brighter. More aggressive peels can address aging issues such as wrinkles and creases.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Overall, the entire treatment usually takes around 30 minutes.