Achieving and maintaining luminous skin is a lifetime endeavor — it starts in childhood and continues through your golden years. Nutrition, sun exposure, cleansing habits, products, and age all factor into the look and feel of your skin.
Although you can’t stop time, you can prevent premature aging and erase the effects of environmental factors with some help from our team at AK Beautiful You in Anchorage, Alaska. Our medical specialists have the expertise, experience, and knowledge to transform your skin subtly or dramatically through various aesthetic, nonsurgical anti-aging options, including:
In this blog, we’re highlighting the benefits of chemical peels and how they can turn your wrinkled, aging skin into a glowing feature that belies your age.
The science behind chemical peels
The term “chemical peel” sounds scary, but don’t let fear of the unknown keep you from considering this effective and time-honored treatment. Doctors have used peeling agents to uncover newer skin layers since the mid-1800s.
Of course, we’ve refined the process since then, and our AK Beautiful You team uses only safe and proven products. Although chemical peels come in different intensity levels and use different chemicals to achieve results, they all operate on the same principle: Various acids applied to your skin exfoliate your dead skin cells and remove them from the surface.
Once the top layers peel away, your fresh skin cells are wide open, so you can use nourishing skin products to penetrate the deeper layers.
What to expect from different chemical peel types
While all chemical peels exfoliate your skin, each type targets a different depth:
- Superficial or light chemical peels lift off the outermost layer of dead skin
- Medium chemical peels remove the epidermis and the upper portion of the dermis
- Deep chemical peels reach the middle part of the dermis
The results become more dramatic with each level of chemical peel, but the risks increase, too. Deep chemical peels leave you vulnerable to infection until the skin heals, and scarring and permanent skin color changes occur in rare cases.
Light chemical peels take only a few minutes. We apply alpha hydroxy acid derived from fruits onto your skin, then neutralize it and rinse it away. You might feel a tingling sensation but no pain. Your skin may look lighter than usual for about a week, but transitions into brighter, clearer skin.
A medium peel uses trichloroacetic acid, and you’ll likely experience stinging for about 20 minutes during the treatment. We soothe your skin with a cold compress to reduce discomfort, and you might need to use ice packs at home for a few days. As the inflammation subsides, your skin forms crusty brown patches that heal in about two weeks.
Deep chemical peels using phenol deliver the most dramatic results but have the highest risks. We monitor you closely throughout the treatment and may limit your exposure to the phenol to 15 minutes on and off during your treatment session. Expect to see severe swelling and redness and feel intense burning and throbbing. We prescribe pain medication and antivirals to prevent infection. A topical ointment protects your tender skin as it heals over the next few weeks.
Why add chemical peels to your skin care routine?
Deep chemical peels deliver excellent results, but they also traumatize your skin, so we usually consider them a once-in-a-lifetime treatment. You can redo a medium chemical peel twice a year.
But you can add light chemical peels to your regular skin care routine every 2-5 weeks. In fact, it takes a series of 3-6 light skin peels to make a real difference, so scheduling each one every two or three weeks sets you up for a cycle of exfoliation and healing that results in long-term healthy skin and a luminous complexion.
We also offer unique chemical peels that target specific complexion issues. Ask us about our clinical acne peel, micropeel, micropeel plus, and chemical peel with microdermabrasion.
To schedule a chemical peel at AK Beautiful You, request an appointment online, or call our friendly staff at 907-313-6987.