Have you ever wished that you could refresh your skin, smooth out the texture, and reduce spots without invasive surgeries or time-consuming procedures? If there are things that you wish you could change about your complexion, you might want to consider looking into a chemical peel.
Chemical peels are used by many people to even out pigmentation, reduce blemishes, and make their skin more healthy and glowing. If you want to learn more about chemical peels, we at Dundee Dermatology would love to give you more information about chemical peel benefits and how these treatments can be used to improve your complexion.
What Is a Chemical Peel?
So what is a chemical peel? A chemical peel is a treatment that removes the top layer (or layers) of your skin using a combination of chemicals. The purpose is to remove old, dead skin, and allow your body to grow brand new skin in its place. During a chemical peel, a controlled, surface-level wound is created, prompting the production of collagen and the creation of new skin cells. We offer two different types of chemical peels.
Light Peels
Light peels target the most superficial part of your skin. This treatment can be good for people with acne, uneven skin tone, or fine lines. During this treatment, the epidermis is removed using the mildest chemicals such as alpha hydroxy acids. Recovery time is shorter and you typically won’t have as much redness or irritation.
Medium Peels
Medium chemical peels are a deeper treatment that removes both the epidermis and dermis layers of your skin. It can be a good choice for those with acne scars, more pronounced fine lines and wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. Stronger chemicals are used and there is usually more redness, flaking, and swelling after the treatment that will resolve in about a week. The results of medium chemical peels are usually more pronounced.
What Can You Expect From the Chemical Peel Process?
In the days leading up to your treatment, you’ll be asked to keep your skin healthy by gently cleaning and moisturizing your skin. You’ll want to stay away from exfoliants and make sure your skin doesn’t get sunburned.
During the treatment, you’ll be able to lie back in a comfortable chair while we get to work. We’ll put an anesthetic on your skin to minimize the stinging sensation that you might have during the treatment. Then we’ll put on a personalized combination of chemicals. It’s left on for 10-20 minutes and then is removed.
After the treatment, you’ll be asked to stay out of direct sunlight and to let your skin rest. Depending on the treatment, you may have some redness, irritation, flaking, and swelling. Your skin will take a few days to a week to heal.
The Top Ten Chemical Peel Benefits
1. Chemical Peels Can Give You Blemish-Free Skin
If you suffer from acne breakouts, a chemical peel can make a big difference to your skin. The process will remove dead skin cells, get rid of excess oil, and remove anything blocking your pores. You may need multiple treatments to help with acne.
2. Treatments Can Make Pores Less Noticeable
If you have large pores, chemical peels can help. While this treatment can’t reduce the size of your pores, it can minimize their appearance so that they can’t be seen as easily.
3. Chemical Peels Can Minimize Fine Lines
While some treatments are more effective on deep facial wrinkles, chemical peels can help with reducing the appearance of fine lines on your face, neck, and hands.
4. Chemical Peels Can Treat Dark Spots
Chemical peels can be great for lightening dark spots. While removing the upper layers of skin, chemical peels will also be removing excess melanin that is present in dark spots. The result will be skin that is more even in color.
5. Treatment Can Exfoliate Your Skin
Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin to reveal more youthful, vibrant skin underneath. While exfoliation can be done at home, nothing beats the professional exfoliation that is performed with a chemical peel.
6. Treatment Can Minimize Scarring
If you have acne scars, the surface of your skin can be bumpy and uneven. This treatment can smooth your skin out by removing the top layer of skin and encouraging new skin growth, especially in any areas that have scarring.
7. Chemical Peels Give You Smooth, Touchable Skin
Regardless of whether your skin has acne scars, blemishes, or large pores, chemical peels can make your skin smooth, silky, and touchable again.
8. Treatments Are Customizable
One of the benefits of chemical peels is that the treatment is highly customizable based on your needs. You can spend time talking to us about the concerns that you have about your skin and what type of treatment might be the best. Different combinations of chemicals can be used. We might use alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid or lactic acid. We can also use beta hydroxy acids if you have especially oily skin.
9. Treatments are Non-Invasive
If you don’t like needles, knives, or surgery, a chemical peel can be a great option for you. It’s non-invasive and comes with minimal irritation and a shorter recovery time.
10. Chemical Peels Can Increase the Effectiveness of Your Skincare Products
If you have found that even your most expensive skin care products aren’t doing a very good job on your skin, our chemical peels can renew your skin and make it much more receptive to the products that you already have.
Chemical Peel Services in Chicago, IL
If you live in Chicago, IL, and have skin that is scarred, blemished, or lacking the vibrancy and youthfulness that you would like, you can consider a chemical peel. At Dundee Dermatology, we would love to help you come up with a customized plan to revitalize your skin and make you feel more confident.
Contact us today for a consultation about chemical peels in Chicago, IL!