Age may only be a number in terms of how you feel. But when it comes to your skin, the years typically take a toll. Whether that’s in the form of brown spots, wrinkles, or an overall weathered look, a chemical peel can be a great solution. Peels improve the appearance of aging skin by removing the of old skin, allowing a new, smoother skin to replace it.
Here at Dermatology Center of Northwest Houston, we offer a variety of different chemical peels to our clients in Cypress, Tomball, and surrounding areas, that range from lighter, quick fixes to treatments that offer a complete skin overhaul. To help you choose the right chemical peel for your skin, we’ve pulled together a few facts about skin and what each type of peel is able to accomplish.
The skin you’re in
Before we outline our different chemical peels, it might be useful for you to understand the makeup of your skin so you can see how each peel works.
Your skin is made up of three layers:
- Your epidermis, which is the outer layer
- Your dermis, which contains your connective tissue, your glands, and your follicles
- Your subcutis, which contains fat and connective tissue
When we perform a chemical peel, we’re only targeting your epidermis or dermis, depending upon how deep you want to go.
Chemical peels 101
At this point, and before we get into the different depth options, let’s quickly review what a chemical peel can do and what it can’t do.
The primary purpose of a chemical peel is to remove old skin, allowing newer, fresher skin to take the stage. Chemical peels are great for tackling the following problems:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Tired-looking skin
- Discolorations, such as age spots
- Acne
- Conditions that cause dry, flaky skin
Since our chemical peels work from the outside in, they’re designed for surface issues and shouldn’t be used for sagging skin and deep lines, which usually need to be tackled from the inside out.
If, however, you’re looking for brighter, more evenly toned skin, read on to see which chemical peel is right for you.
Scratching the surface: the light chemical peel
If you want to clear away the outermost layer of your skin, we can use a light chemical peel that only goes as far as your epidermis. This type of peel is great if you want to tackle surface issues, such as dry skin, fine lines, ages spots, or acne.
During your session, we apply a combination of alphahydroxy and beta hydroxy acids to your skin and over the next few days following your treatment, your outer layer of skin flakes off, revealing fresh skin growth underneath.
Going deeper: the medium chemical peel
If you want to go a little deeper to the middle layer of your skin, a medium chemical peel may be just the ticket. During this procedure, we use stronger acids that work through your epidermis and get to the top of your dermis layer.
A medium peel works extremely well for more pronounced wrinkles, as well as uneven skin tone and acne scarring.
Since the peel goes deeper, you’ll have to wait a little longer before you’re able to debut your new skin. After your treatment, the layers we targeted usually peel off over the course of a week.
If you want to explore these options a little further with us, or have questions, please give us a call. Also, you may request an appointment through our website. We look forward to seeing you.