Answered by SecondMedic Expert
Dermatologist · Dermatology
Chemical peeling is a cosmetic treatment that involves applying a chemical solution to the skin in order to remove its outermost layers. This process stimulates the growth of new, healthy skin and can be used to treat various skin conditions such as acne, fine lines, wrinkles, freckles, sun damage, age spots and melasma. It can also be used as an anti-aging procedure or to improve overall skin tone and texture.
The most commonly used products for chemical peels are glycolic acid, lactic acid and trichloroacetic acid (TCA). Glycolic acid peels are considered "lighter" than other types of chemical peel since they only penetrate the very top layer of skin - however they may still require several treatments before achieving desired results. On the other hand TCA is a much stronger solution which penetrates deeper into the dermis - therefore it's more effective at treating deep wrinkles or pigmentation issues like melasma but carries harsher side effects in terms of discomfort and recovery time.
During a chemical peel treatment patients first undergo a thorough facial cleansing followed by application of either one specific type or combination of different acids onto their face (or body). Depending on which chemicals have been chosen it will take anywhere from 10 minutes up to an hour for them to penetrate all way down through your epidermal layers until finally being neutralized with water/hydrogen peroxide mixture or another type appropriate cleanser – this helps keep your skin safe from overexposure during entire procedure and prevents any possible burns due to solution staying too long on surface without being properly neutralized earlier on! Afterward patient should expect some redness with potential swelling that usually dissipates within few days post-treatment session; while typically there is no downtime required following these procedures depending on how strong each individual’s reaction was doctor might recommend taking additional days off work just until all side effects fully subside again!
