Many People Turn to the Chemical Peel in the Search for Smooth Skin

Thanks to new trends like social media, the skincare movement has exploded over the last couple of years. It's like almost everyone knows someone who is doing something to improve their skin. Though there are numerous techniques that one can use to better their skin and the chemical peel has become one of the most sought-after solutions.

Maybe you are already considering using this method, but it's important to be well informed before you go ahead. The celebrities and influencers you see with almost perfect skin online don't tell the whole story. This is because as a particular skin improvement method has worked for someone else, it doesn't mean that it will work for you, and vice versa. The simple reason is that the biology in everyone's body is slightly different. Therefore, it's wise for you to proceed with any form of skin treatment cautiously.

Purpose of a Chemical Peel

Chemical peels are a chemical treatment that makes the top skin blister and peels off when applied to the skin. The new skin that appears is typically less wrinkled and much smoother than the old skin. This is why the treatment is used to achieve smoother skin. It can be used on the face, hands, and neck. Besides smoother skin, other benefits linked to chemical peels are: 

• A notable reduction in freckles, age spots, and dark patches or melasma. Melasma usually results from taking birth control pills or pregnancy.
• It's pretty effective in treating several kinds of acne. If you have been struggling with chronic acne for a long time and no other treatment seems to work, it might be worth it to give chemical peels a shot.
• Treating skin damage caused by aging and sun damage like wrinkles. Some people opt to go for chemical peels to reverse the effects of aging on their skin rather than other cosmetic solutions like cosmetic surgery.
• It can work to eliminate mild scars without having to resort to more extreme measures like surgery.

Risks involved

There are of course some risks, like there are with any procedure. Some of the risks of a chemical peel includes: 

• Scarring - In some rare instances, a chemical peel can cause scarring, especially in the lower part of the face. Medications and antibiotics are usually utilized to soften the scars.
• Infection - In some individuals, chemical peels can result in fungal, bacterial, or viral infection. Among the most common ailments is the herpes virus, which can explode after a chemical peel resulting in cold sores
• Swelling, redness, and scabbing - after a chemical peel, the healing process will involve redness in the affected parts. This redness could be accompanied by scabbing and swelling, which can last a few weeks if the skin was subjected to a medium or deep skin peel.
• Skin color changes - The chemical treatment can cause the skin to become darker (hyperpigmentation), or lighter (hypopigmentation) in the affected areas. The former is more prevalent for superficial peels, while the latter is typical of medium and deep peels.
• Kidney, liver, and heart damage - Carbolic acid that is used in deep chemical peel has been shown to damage heart muscles; thus, interfering with the regular functioning of the heart. This chemical has the same effect on the kidney and liver.

Types of Chemical Peels

There are three main types of chemical peels that can be chosen. They include the light, medium and heavy chemical peels. 

Also known as the superficial peel, the light chemical peel eliminates the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin). As the name suggests, it uses mild chemicals to get rid of:

• Uneven skin tone
• Fine wrinkles
• Acne
• Dry skin

Medium skin peels soak a little deeper into the skin compared to superficial peels. Thus, the treatment is able to remove the epidermis and the upper parts of the dermis (the middle skin layer). The treatment uses somewhat more potent peeling agents here to causes the desired mild burn on the skin to deal with:

• Wrinkles
• Acne scars
• Uneven skin tone

Deep skin peel works to remove the epidermis plus the upper and middle dermis layers. In this case, powerful chemicals are used, and a local numbing will be used to address most of the pain and discomfort. This treatment's effects can last up to a decade and is best for removing:

• Deep wrinkles
• Precancerous skin patches
• Deeper wrinkles