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Skin Peels

There are so many skin peels on offer, it is difficult to choose which one may or may not be right for your individual skin type. Peeling the skin is not a simple process, like peeling an onion and before embarking on this often quite invasive form of skin treatment, it is important to understand the basics of why we ‘peel the skin’ and what we hope to achieve.

Mild peels can be used to brighten skin as a quick fix. Peels such as glycolic, lactic and mandelic peels can give a nice result for those patients just wanting a fresher brighter complexion and a course of these mild peels can give a nice cosmetic result. Microdermabrasion can also be considered in this category, however I would urge caution, as the latest research shows that one or two microdermabrasions can be great for the skin but a longer course of treatment may in fact have negative results, particularly if skin type has not been assessed accurately.

In the main, serious peeling is usually indicated for problematic skins that need a little more care and attention. Skin peels can be excellent for sun damaged skins or those patients suffering from acne or post acne scarring. For patients who want a significant improvement to their skin, a peel is usually considered the very start of a course of skin treatments (for example with sun damage, where peeling prepares the skin for deeper recovery work) or the very end stage after an initial course of treatment has been completed (for example post acne scarring after cystic acne has been resolved).

So, what does a peel actually do?

A good peel will not only remove a build up of dead skin on the surface epidermis (excess keratinisation) but also rebuild the skin from the inside out. Unfortunately there are many peels on the market (and many poor practitioners) who just ‘externally peel’ the skin, without any real understanding of the rebuilding work that needs to be done. A holistic approach should be taken to peeling, with product preparation pre peel and skin rebuilding post peel. This is essential if a safe and satisfactory result is to be reached.

Kate x