5 Benefits of a Chemical Peel

If you’re struggling with fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, or acne scars, you may not feel that you’re putting your best face forward. There are several minimally invasive facial treatments out there that address one or maybe two issues, but if you’re looking for a more inclusive treatment, chemical peels might be right for you.

At Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi in Flowood, Mississippi, Dr. Michael Nichols, and our staff believe chemical peels are one of the most effective ways to treat signs of aging and other facial blemishes. We primarily use ZO® Signature Peels in our office, as we believe the system can tackle the widest range of skin concerns. And we offer different peel levels to meet your unique needs.

The 411 on chemical peels

Before a chemical peel procedure, we first help you choose the level of chemical peel that is best suited for your skin and the issues you would like to address. Light chemical peels treat the outer layers of the skin, while stronger chemical peels penetrate deeper into the skin’s surface.   During the procedure, we apply a chemical solution composed of one or more acids to your skin. The outer skin layer is chemically loosened and flakes off, taking any imperfections with it. Since the process effectively creates a wound in the skin tissue, your body produces a healing response. It starts to churn out more collagen, one of the proteins that give your skin strength and suppleness but whose production diminishes with age. Between the flaking and the collagen, what you get is a layer of new, healthy, and blemish-free skin.

We should note that chemical peels aren’t helpful for deep lines, sagging skin, or lost volume. These require other cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers, laser resurfacing, or a face or brow lift.

5 benefits of a chemical peel

Chemical peels have several benefits, but here are the top five.

1. Reduce wrinkles

Reducing fine lines and wrinkles, the most visible signs of aging, is the most common reason patients get chemical peels. The peel can be applied to the neck or hands as well as the face. 

For a superficial chemical peel that removes the outer skin layer, we apply a solution containing glycolic acid or salicylic acid to your skin, causing it to slough. Eventually, the outermost, wrinkled layer peels away and is replenished with smoother, more youthful skin.

2. Remove dark spots 

In addition to wrinkles, a medium chemical peel, which reaches into the superficial layer of the skin’s middle dermis layer, can also help reduce or remove freckles, age spots, and dark patches to even out your skin’s pigmentation. The result is a cleaner, more even skin tone.

3. Remove acne scars

Both a superficial and a medium chemical peel can help remove acne scars. The peel exfoliates the skin by removing dead skin cells on the surface. The removal of the outer layer serves as a “wound,” and your skin starts producing collagen to heal. The new collagen helps fill in and smooth your acne scars. A good peel even unclogs pores to help prevent future breakouts from occurring.

4. Remove sun damage

Exposure to the sun’s UV rays accelerates the appearance of aged skin and creates dark spots designed to protect the skin — sunspots. Pigmentation issues such as melasma in pregnant women can also be triggered by the sun. Since most of the pigmentation resides in the outer skin layers, a light peel should be able to erase those blemishes.

5. Remove pre-cancerous bumps

For the most part, chemical peels are cosmetic procedures but make the peel deep enough, and it can also help prevent cancer. Some people develop bumps on their skin known as actinic keratoses. They appear as dry, crusty, and scaly skin protrusions that, left untreated, carry about a 5-10% risk of turning into squamous cell carcinoma — a form of skin cancer. A deep chemical peel, which uses a phenol solution, reaches the mid-to-lower dermis, just deep enough to reach the keratoses’ source. 

If you’d like to learn more about chemical peels and what they can do for you, give Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi a call at 601-282-9290 to schedule a consultation today.