Chemical peels are nothing new — Cleopatra is believed to be one of the first to use a natural chemical peel, using sour milk (lactic acid) on her face. If you have the following skin conditions, a peel can create a remarkable improvement in your skin’s quality, firmness, and tone, leaving you with a youthful appearance that doesn’t quickly fade.

With a chemical peel, we can treat any of the following skin issues:

• Sun damage
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Texture issues
• Pigmentation problems
• Age spots
• Acne and acne scars
• Freckles
• Scaly patches
• Precancerous lesions (deep peels)
• Deep creases and lines (deep peels)

To undergo a peel, you must not be experiencing any active skin conditions or infections.

The distinct chemical peels we offer at The Skin Elite have varying skin penetration depths and corresponding recovery times. After a light peel, your skin will be red, dry, and mildly irritated. This lessens with repeated light peels, and moisturizer is all that will be needed for your recovery. After about a week, your skin will have completed its light flaking and peeling and will be back to normal.

Medium peels will involve some crusting because more skin is removed. You will have some swelling, which can be soothed with ice packs. Treated skin will darken and may develop brown patches, typically taking between seven and 14 days to heal. In some cases, residual redness can linger for weeks.

Deep peels remove the most skin during the actual peel enabling them to treat issues like cystic acne scarring, deep wrinkles, sun-damaged skin, and pre-cancerous growths. Deeper peels can come with significant swelling and may even sometimes swell the eyes shut. You will need some pain medication for a few days during your recovery. Treated areas will develop new skin within about two weeks, although the redness can linger for much longer. The fresh, new skin must be protected with sunscreen whenever you venture out. 

There is not much you need to do to prepare for your peel. During your consultation, we may recommend using a retinoid cream such as Retin-A before your peel to shorten your treatment time and speed the healing process.

Do not exfoliate your skin or utilize treatments like waxing, electrolysis, or depilatory creams for a week before your treatment. You'll also need to stop using anti-aging or anti-acne medications and plan your peel treatment with enough time to fully heal before any important social events.

You can undergo a light peel every four weeks to keep your skin exfoliated and strikingly fresh. Medium peels can be performed every three or four months, depending on your skin type. Deep phenol peels should only be performed once.

After a peel of any strength, you’ll need to ensure that your facial skin is protected with sunscreen. Since these peels remove some of your epidermises and potentially some of your second layer of skin, you won’t have quite as much protection from the sun’s UV rays as you did before. You’ll need to protect your skin with 30+ SPF sunscreen whenever you go outdoors.

For deep peels, we will advise you about the healing ointments, creams, and moisturizers that will most effectively help your skin heal and recover. This is not necessary for medium and light peels, but a regular application of high-quality moisturizer will keep your skin from feeling overly dry.

Once your skin has been rejuvenated with a chemical peel, you’ll be ready to keep it looking fresh and healthy with a customized skin care regimen. Our team at The Skin Elite will guide you to the ideal series of skincare products so you can keep your skin looking its best for as long as possible

For the first 24 to 48 hours after your chemical peel, you’ll want to avoid strenuous exercise or activity that causes you to sweat heavily, as sweat can clog your pores and lead to skin irritation.

This is not the case with light peels, especially if you undergo light peels regularly, but it is necessary for medium peels.

After a deep peel, which is an extensive facial rejuvenation treatment, you will not be ready for exercise for several days. You’ll need to avoid strenuous exercise as our skincare expert directs so that you can enjoy your ideal results and a speedy recovery process.

Chemical peels come with some risks, but most are associated with the deep chemical peel.

Redness: This will be a part of most chemical peels as new skin cells are revealed. Depending on the depth of the peel, redness can endure for a few weeks to months.

Scarring: This is an exceedingly rare side effect of a deep peel. Our skincare experts are medically trained, which keeps this procedure exceptionally safe.

Changes in pigmentation: A chemical peel can cause treated skin to become darker than average (hyperpigmentation) or lighter than normal (hypopigmentation). Hyperpigmentation is more common with lighter peels and hypopigmentation with deep peels. These pigmentation risks are more common in people with darker skin tones.

Infection: If you have the herpes virus, a chemical peel can cause a flare-up and cold sores. Deeper peels also come with the possibility of a breakout, but this is quite rare.

While many day spas may offer chemical peels, it is always advised that these treatments are performed by a board-certified professional. At The Skin Elite, our staff members are certified, trained, and experienced, so you can rest assured and look forward to life-changing results.