What to Expect from a Chemical Peel

Gago Wellness Blog What to Expect from a Chemical Peel

From active acne and its scars to age spots, wrinkles, and sun damage, chemical peels can solve a lot of facial issues by causing your outer skin layers to lift off and flake away. Your chemical peel may contain one or more of a variety of acids, depending on your specific complaints, how long you’ve had them, and how deep within your skin layers they reside. 

Our master aestheticians at Gago Wellness in Brighton, Michigan expertly analyze your skin to determine the best treatment for reversing the effects of age, sunlight, and acne. Often, we recommend the Forever Young BroadBand™ Light (BBL) intensed pulsed light treatment to rejuvenate your skin from the inside out, which increases your collagen production and promotes cell regeneration. 

Chemical peels are also highly effective either as a stand-alone treatment or as a companion treatment to BBL, and we often administer them in between your BBL sessions throughout the year, alternating treatments for maximum results. 

But if you’re new to chemical peels and are wondering what to expect, here’s an overview that will familiarize you with the process and help you anticipate the days and weeks following your treatment. 

The day of your chemical peel

All chemical peels start with a thorough skin cleansing here in our office. If you’re getting a light or medium peel, we can begin the treatment right away, but if you’re getting a deep peel, we may give you a mild sedative to keep you comfortable. 

One of our experienced aestheticians uses a brush or cotton applicator to apply the chemical solution directly to your skin. As it sits on the surface, you may notice that your skin starts to whiten or look grayish. 

Most people feel some slight stinging as the acids penetrate the skin, and the stronger the chemicals, the stronger the sensation. If you get a medium peel, we offer you a handheld fan to cool your skin and ease the mild discomfort. 

When the treatment is over in 20-90 minutes (again, depending on your goals, the solution, and your skin), we neutralize the acid and remove it from your skin. 

The days and weeks following your chemical peel

Immediately following your chemical peel, you can expect your face to be red, tender, and somewhat swollen. We give you specific aftercare instructions according to the type of chemical peel you received, but in all cases you should avoid scratching, rubbing, and picking at your skin. 

It gets worse before it gets better

During the first few days, you may notice some or all of the following effects:

Of course, peeling is the signature characteristic of this effective skin treatment, so do expect to see some flaking. As your skin layers slough off, though, they take with them the age spots, wrinkles, and sun damage they contain.

The peel typically occurs between days three and four after your treatment. It’s best to let the peeling take place naturally, allowing it to flake away on its own without pulling at it.

After a light peel, skin typically heals completely in about a week, but medium and deep peels can take two weeks or more. While your skin is healing, make sure to protect it with a good broad-spectrum sunscreen and skip the makeup until we give you the green light.

Will my skin look dramatically different?

Chemical peel results vary from person to person and depend on several variables, including your age, the condition of your skin, the severity of the blemishes and discoloration, and the solution used. Most of our patients love their results and schedule a few follow-up sessions to achieve their ultimate goals. 

For even more noticeable improvement, consider Forever Young BBL, which tackles some of the same skin issues from a different angle. This noninvasive treatment sends therapeutic light beams down through the layers of your skin to heal and rejuvenate without damaging any of your skin tissue.

To learn more about chemical peels, Forever Young BBL, and whether either or both are right for you, call us at 810-315-6863 or request a consultation using our handy online scheduling tool. With the right chemical peel, this may be the year you turn back the clock.

 

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