A peel refers to an agent that is applied to the skin, which will cause exfoliation or shedding of the skin and the subsequent stimulation of new skin growth. In a sense, a peel is resurfacing the ‘old skin’ leaving a fresher new skin surface.
In general, the deeper the peel penetrates the skin the better the result. The commonest or most available peels are the superficial to medium depth peels. These can peel just the superficial layers of skin called the epidermis, or can penetrate deeper down to just within the dermis, as is the case with the medium depth peels.
‘Deep’ chemical peels which work all the way down deep in the dermis have been all but abandoned now. These peels have been largely replaced by the carbon dioxide and erbium resurfacing lasers, which have introduced a remarkable degree of control for working at these deeper skin depths as well as giving more reliable results.
Peels can be used to treat a variety of skin problems, some of the main uses are:-
- Mild to moderate sundamaged skin
- Fine lines
- Some pigmentation, blemishes
- Smoothening some skin texture problems
- Some acne
The most widely available peels are:
- Light peels: AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) or ‘fruit acid’ peels e.g. glycolic acid
- Light/Medium peels: Jessners and modified Jessners peels e.g. P.C.A. peels
- Medium peels: TCA (trichoracetic acid) peel also known as ‘The chemical peel’
