11 Reasons to Consider a Chemical Peel

Chemical peels are a non-invasive treatment for improving the skin's appearance. Whether it's age, acne, sun, scarring, or another type of damage, chemical peels can help reveal new, smoother, more even, healthier skin. You local MedSps has an excellent team of licensed professionals available to ensure you receive the best treatment possible for your skin.

What Is a Chemical Peel and How Does It Work?

A chemical peel is a treatment that can drastically improve the skin's appearance. Chemical peels use exfoliants and enzymes from natural ingredients to exfoliate and peel the skin. At-home chemical peels use exfoliants in lower concentrations, while professional chemical peels use highly-concentrated exfoliants that must be applied by professionals.

A chemical, acidic solution is placed on the skin which causes it to exfoliate and peel off, stripping away signs of aging and other damage in order to reveal smoother and brighter skin with a more unified appearance. It also triggers new cells to form quickly and can help the skin combat a lack of collagen or elastin. Once the chemical peel is complete, the skin will be clearer and more vibrant with a smoother, more balanced complexion. A chemical peel treatment will improve your skin's texture and tone.

Chemical peels are an excellent alternative to using lasers or derma abrasions in order to treat various skin problems. It is a non-invasive outpatient procedure so there is no need to stay overnight, though you may need to have a series of chemical peels and schedule a follow-up treatment to ensure your skin maintains its revitalized and improved appearance.

Are There Different Types of Chemical Peels?

There are different three main classifications for chemical peels: superficial, medium, and deep chemical peels can all be applied to the skin to achieve different results.

Superficial chemical peels use mild acids that gently penetrate and exfoliate the outer layer of skin, while medium chemical peels penetrate the outer and middle layers of skin to remove damaged and dead skin cells. Deep chemical peels deeply penetrate the skin and result in a more dramatic improvement in the skin's appearance.

You can receive a high-quality chemical peel in Minneapolis at the Wayzata Chemical Cosmetic Surgery and Spa. We have a variety of chemical peels that cater to your skin's unique needs. From the Vivier Brightening Peel, which revitalizes your skin and stimulates new collagen growth, to the VI Peel Purify, which safely reduces acne symptoms, to SkinMedica's Rejuvenize Peel, which deeply penetrates the skin in order to treat severe cases of hyperpigmentation, acne, and aging, our experts can help you find the best treatment for your skin.

Eleven Reasons to Consider a Chemical Peel

1. Scars

Scars may fade and become much lighter over time, but it can be a slow process, and they will never completely disappear. There are many different methods and treatments to reduce the appearance of scars quickly, and chemical peels are a particularly effective technique for reducing a scar's appearance.

When the chemical peel is applied to the skin, it exfoliates the skin and removes the outer layer of the skin. Beneath this layer, the new layer of skin is smoother and has a more consistent appearance, which reduces the appearance of the scarring at a faster rate than waiting for the scar to fade naturally or several other treatments and products used to treat scarring.

2. Sun Damage

Being outside and spending time in the sun is fun, not to mention unavoidable, but being continually exposed to the sun without protection can result in skin discoloration, wrinkles, age spots, actinic keratosis, and skin cancer. The sun's ultraviolet rays speed up the skin's aging as the ultraviolet rays damage elastin and collagen, which can cause the skin to sag, stretch, and form wrinkles.

This premature aging from the skin's sun damage can be reduced through receiving a chemical peel. The peel will remove the skin's epidermis, the outermost layer of skin which creates the skin tone and reveal new, fresh, revitalized layers of skin which will reduce the appearance of sun damage on your skin.

3. Wrinkles

Wrinkles are creases or folds in the skin that are an inevitable part of the aging process. As people age, their skin loses collagen and elastin, causing the skin to become more dehydrated and less elastic which results in wrinkles.

Sometimes repeated facial expressions can result in wrinkles as the skin gets thinner and less elastic or able to bounce back with age. Ultraviolet light from the sun breaks down collagen and elastin fibers which weakens the skin and causes it to be less flexible or to droop. Smoking, dehydration, and medications can also result in wrinkles.

Chemical peels can help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles by removing layers of dead skin, tightening and smoothing the skin for a more even complexion, and encouraging the growth of collagen, which will help reduce wrinkles and dryness in the skin.

4. Freckles

Freckles are small brown spots that are caused by cells overproducing melanin which gives hair and skin their color. Freckles can be genetic as well as a result of the skin being exposed to ultraviolet radiation. The melanocytes produce more melanin to reflect or absorb the sun's ultraviolet rays in order to protect the skin from further harm.

Freckles' appearance can be reduced through a chemical peel. Once the dead cells and epidermis are removed during the chemical peel process, the fresh, smooth skin from a lower layer is revealed and the skin tone becomes more even, which helps minimize the appearance of freckles.

5. Melasma

Melasma is a pigmentation disorder that can be induced through sun exposure or hormonal surges, including those that accompany pregnancy. Melasma results in the appearance of brown or gray patches on the skin that can last for years because the cells become hyperactive and produce too much pigmentation.

Melasma can be reduced through a chemical peel treatment. Once the chemicals exfoliate the skin, old, dead skin affected with melasma is shed and newer, healthier skin replaces it. This new skin is clearer, smoother, and more even, which will help reduce the appearance of melasma.

6. Crow's Feet

Crow's feet often appear around the corner of the eyes as people age. These fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes can appear deeper or more pronounced than other wrinkles and are generally more concentrated, drawing even more attention. Crow's feet are often caused by exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun as well as a lack of collagen and elasticity in the skin.

A chemical peel will let the skin exfoliate the old, upper layers and increase the production of new cells. Once new skin replaces the skin that was shed in the chemical peel, the skin will be tighter and more even, reducing the appearance of crow's feet, and allowing for a smoother and more even complexion.

7. Age Spots

Age spots, also known as liver spots or solar lentigines, are small brown or gray areas that appear as a result of being exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays which speed up the body's melanin production. Age spots are usually flat, darker areas that occur on parts of the skin that receive the most sun exposure, like the face, the back of the hands, the tops of the feet, the shoulders, and the upper back.

Age spots' appearance can be reduced through a chemical peel treatment. The exfoliation process can reveal new, more even skin while casting aside the older, more pigmented, and marked skin, which will help minimize the age spots' appearance and result in great looking skin.

8. Dull Skin

Dull skin can appear flat and make you look tired or unhealthy. Dull skin is not flattering and emphasizes wrinkles. It can be caused by dehydration which decreases the blood flow to the skin, a lack of exfoliation or moisturizer, smoking, stress which affects blood flow to the skin, sleep deprivation, living in a dry environment, or too much salt and processed food in your diet.

After a chemical peel treatment, the skin is left looking more youthful with a healthy and radiant glow because the peel has exfoliated the old, dead, dull skin, allowing new, fresh, bright skin to take its place.

9. Acne

Most people experience acne at some point in their life because of hormonal changes and clogged pores resulting from bacteria being trapped due to too much sebum or too many dead skin cells.

A chemical peel can help clear acne breakouts. The peel will penetrate and exfoliate layers of skin, allowing new, clean skin to replace the older, dirty skin. It will also clear up the skin and unclog pores, allowing creams and face scrubs targeted at eliminating acne to be more effective.

Unfortunately, the results of acne on your skin don't always stop when the breakout goes away. Sometimes acne leaves behind scars. Luckily chemical peel treatments can be used to reduce the appearance of old acne scars through removing outer layers of skin and replacing them with fresh, new, more evenly toned skin.

10. Dry Skin

Receiving a chemical peel can help you combat dry skin by increasing your skin's hydration. The peel exfoliates the skin and newer, healthier skin replaces the old, dry skin. Certain acids and chemicals can increase the moisture in your skin, increasing its hydration and working to minimize dry or rough skin.

11. Enlarged Pores

As people age, pores often begin to appear to be larger though enlarged pores can occur at any point in someone's life. Having enlarged pores makes it easier for the pores to become clogged with sebum, an oily, waxy substance that is secreted from sebaceous glands, or dirt, which can lead to acne and other skin problems.

Chemical peels result in minimizing enlarged pores and pores appearing smaller through removing outer layers of the skin, increasing collagen production, and increasing the rate of cell turnover. Chemical peels make the skin appear tighter and clearer and also results in a better complexion.