Age and sun can cause skin to lose its youthful appearance. This may be seen as wrinkles, mottling and dark spots. Chemical skin peels remove the top layer of skin so that the body makes a new, younger looking layer. The dead skin flakes off in 5 to 7 days, revealing the new skin underneath. Chemical peels are tailored to the individual. Often, different chemicals are used on different parts of the face in order to achieve the desired result for each individual.
We perform most chemical skin peels in our Palm Desert office under sterile conditions to ensure your health and comfort. To protect your eyes and other delicate areas of your face, goggles, tape, ointment and/or gauze may be used. Your hair will likely be pulled back and covered as well. Topical numbing medication may be applied to your skin for additional comfort and even IV sedation or local anesthesia may be considered, especially if a deep peel is being applied.
With a cotton-tipped applicator or gauze, the chemical solution is applied to your skin and the treated areas will begin to turn white. Mild stinging is to be expected. After a certain amount of time, a neutralizing solution or wash will be applied to remove the chemicals from the skin. A cool compress will be provided to cool and soothe the treated skin.
Recovery from chemical peels depend on what type of peel was used, however, generally one can expect some redness, dryness and mild irritation of the skin after the procedure. These symptoms can last days to even months for deeper chemical peels. Prior to sending you home, you will receive directions regarding how to moisturize, clean and apply protective ointments to your skin.
Here at our Palm Desert office we will monitor your progress with follow up visits to ensure your comfort and optimal results. Cool compresses can help minimize swelling, redness and throbbing. Makeup is usually not recommended for a few weeks depending on what treatment you receive. Strict protection from the sun is strongly advised for at least the first month after a chemical peel to avoid discoloration.
Chemical skin peels in general result in glowing, youthful and smoother skin with less wrinkles, scars and other blemishes that come with age and environmental exposures. However, chemical skin peels are not for everyone and results may not be optimal for those with darker skin tones, have taken medications containing tretinoin recently, have a history of scarring badly (keloids), or easy break out in cold sores. If you fall into any of these categories, there may be some things you can do to optimize your results. Options can be discussed during your consultation visit.
With our Glytone Advanced Enerpeel, new collagen is stimulated to produce tighter and firmer skin. This helps eliminate pigmentation and wrinkles faster and with less surface irritation. Treatments are performed ideally every 3 weeks.
Our Micropeel treatment you can achieve deep manual exfoliation that removes dead skin cells and facial hair to reveal a smoother, brighter complexion. This allows for greater penetration of topical solutions for a more results-orientated facial. The Micropeel treatment is excellent for chest pigmentation as well as wrinkle reduction.
