Chemical peels are a great way to rejuvenate your skin and keep it healthy. If you’ve considered getting one, there are lots of options and ways to go about it. What’s right for you depends on your goals and your lifestyle. After all, everyone’s skin is different.
But where do you start? Will you need to get more than one treatment to get the results you’re after? It depends on a lot of factors and what kind of peel you get.
What Are My Options?
Chemical peels come in a variety of types. To give you a better idea of what each kind of peel is like, we’ve made a comprehensive list of what our experts can provide. Let’s take a look.
Light Peels
Designed to remove the outer layer of skin, light peels are less invasive than their deeper counterparts. If you’re looking to reverse skin damage due to acne, uneven skin tones, fine wrinkles, and dryness, a light peel may be right for you.
Light peels can be repeated more frequently (anywhere from 2-5 week intervals) and require less downtime. Discomfort from light peels is minimal. There is no downtime and your skin will look more even-toned in less than a week.
Medium Peels
In addition to the top layer of skin, medium peels also remove part of the middle layer of the skin. They are usually used to treat wrinkles, acne scars, and uneven skin tone that lighter peels can’t get to. Downtime and aftercare consist of over-the-counter painkillers and ice packs. Most of the healing is done in a few weeks with deeper healing occurring over the next few months.
Because they’re a little deeper, patients should wait 3-9 months between treatments. Your skin care specialist should be able to give you a better time frame depending on your individual skin.
Deep Chemical Peels
Deep chemical peels are ideal for more severe issues, such as deep scarification, deep wrinkles, and precancerous growths. They are effective in doing so by targeting the lower layers of skin in addition to the middle and upper layers. Healing takes a little longer with downtime usually taking two weeks. Aftercare should continue for the next several months. As deep chemical peels can have a higher risk of side effects associated with them, it’s important to seek out a board-certified dermatologist with expertise in the delivery of deep chemical peels.
What’s Right for Me?
Because peels are so customizable, it’s really up to you. What is right for you depends largely on your goals and how much time you have recovery. For instance, if you’ve got a busy lifestyle with little room in your schedule for downtime, you may want to opt for several less-invasive peels. More invasive peels will require more downtime but will deliver more dramatic results.
There are a lot of options, but we’re happy to help you decide on the best and most effective plan for you. Talk to our specialists at Capital Laser & Skin Care to learn more.
Capital laser and skin care is the best dermatology practice I’ve ever been to. I’ve seen both Dr. Peters and Dr. Tanzi, who are both extremely intelligent, caring, highly skilled, practical – and gorgeous! The staff is excellent – very caring, skilled, excellent training, professional, and easy to talk to. I highly recommend Capital Laser to anyone seeking to take fabulous care of their skin. You will be in the best hands here.
Take the Next Step
Interested in learning more about Chemical Peels? We would love to speak with you. Please fill out the form on this page to request a consultation or call our Chevy Chase, MD office today at (301) 798-9699 to schedule your private consultation at our laser and cosmetic dermatology center, located just blocks away from Washington, D.C.
*Individual results may vary.
