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| CHEMICAL PEEL |
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| Chemical peel is one of the most effective techniques available for alleviating fine wrinkles and giving the face a long lasting youthful appearance. People with fine wrinkles, sun damage or color abnormalities of the skin and acne scars are candidates for a chemical peel. |
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| Chemical peel removes the top layers of the skin. Chemical peels are categorized into superficial, medium and deep peels depending upon the severity of the patient’s wrinkles and the degree of sun damage present and the concentrations of medications that are used. |
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| The different peeling agents used are: |
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| Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are naturally occurring organic carboxylic acids such as glycolic acid, a natural constituent of sugar cane juice and lactic acid, found in sour milk and tomato juice. This is the mildest of the peel formulas and produces light peels for treatment of fine wrinkles, areas of dryness, uneven pigmentation and acne. |
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| Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is used as an intermediate to deep peeling agent in concentrations ranging from 20-50%. Depth of penetration is increased as concentration increases, with 50% TCA penetrating into the reticular dermis. Concentrations higher than 35% are not recommended because of the high risk of scarring. |
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| Phenol is the strongest of the chemical solutions and produces a deep skin peel. Recent studies suggest that phenol is most likely only the carrier for another active component in the solution, namely croton oil. In fact, phenol alone produces only a light peel which is ineffective for restructuring the deeper dermal structures (such as wrinkles). Effects of a phenol chemical peel are long lasting. Improvements in the patient’s skin can be quite dramatic. |
