Battle Acne Scars with Chemical Peels

Acne can be like double trouble for your skin. First, you experience the terrible red blotches during a breakout, and then you are stuck with unsightly scarring for the rest of your life. While you may not be able to do anything about the breakouts, you do not have to live with scarring any longer!

Acne breakouts happen when debris builds up under the skin. The red pimples we see are our body trying to remove the debris any way it can. After the skin inflammation is healed, we are left with a scar. As with any other scar on the body, acne scars are caused when too much collagen was created during the healing process. Luckily, acne scars are considered cosmetic problems and can be treated fairly easily.

Before you can understand how to heal acne scars, it is important to know the different kinds of scarring that can occur. Ice pick scars are the most common and – as the name denotes – are deep, narrow pits in the skin. Rolling scars will create a wave-like appearance on the skin, which is due to their wide and shallow shape. A boxcar scar will be angular with well-defined edges. The scar will usually form on the temples or cheeks and can look like a chicken pox scar. Hypertrophic scars are raised and occur within same area as the original pimple. These scars can reduce in size on their own over time. Keloid scars will grow larger than the original pimple and take on a rubbery texture. These scars are the most likely to itch.

Acne scars are slightly different than other scars we get, because it forms a depressed into the skin. This occurs because the wound is in a lower level of the skin, known as the derma. Since the scarring is below the surface, it can be difficult to remove. For this reason, chemical peels are the best way to get rid of these unique scars.

Chemical peels will remove the top layer of skin and help heal lower levels of skin that will never come into contact with a cream. Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) peels, including glycolic acid, are one of the best ways to get rid of light acne scarring. These peels will reach the affected skin level without requiring an extended recovery time. As an added bonus, AHA peels generally include salicylic acid, which is an effective treatment against future acne breakouts.

TCA chemical peels can also be effective, but are best for deeper acne problems and large pores. This peel will remove dead skin that can retain acne bacteria and release impurities that are being stored up in that skin layer. This release allows the skin to heal and regain a healthy look. TCA chemical peels will also increase the blood flow and circulation to the face, which rejuvenates the skin, stimulates collagen production and encourages elasin growth. All of this adds up to stronger, healthier skin.
Men and women who are embarrassed by old acne scars can breathe easy – a remedy is here. Instead of spending one more day trying to hide these scars, make them go away forever with a chemical peel.

Facts You Need To Know about a Chemical Peels

There are a few things about chemical peels you need to know which might not seem make it seem like a very good alternative to you. But these are things you need to stay aware of before you go in for a chemical peel.

Chemical peels can be used for a varied number of skin problems. The skin is burned by a chemical acid that is applied to your body. Then this layer of surface skin is exfoliates itself of off. When your skin heals, the new collagen will make it look a lot younger. If you use a high quality wrinkle cream would stop you from worrying about pain and give you really good long term results. You will not feel any burning and your skin will look a lot younger too. After you undergo a chemical peel, you will usually have to wait for at least a few days before you will be able to be in about again. But, depending on what types of peel you have had and how quickly your skin heals, it could take shorter or longer. A wrinkle cream would just let you apply it while you admire the results and then you can walk right out of the door. There is no pain, no burning and moreover, no recovery time!

After you do a chemical peel, you face will look as if it has had a really bad sunburn. The side effects for chemical peels are very similar to these terrible sunburns. It isn’t pleasant and it would mean redness, swelling, pain and discomfort, which will take some genuine time to recover. On the other hand, wrinkle creams come with hardly any side effects, soothing your skin with ingredients which provide you long term results.

Chemical peels are basically a temporary solution to your wrinkle problem. The effects will fade away and if only you have had multiple treatments of the chemical peel already, it is then that you’ll be able to see the results. You can instead find antioxidants, which are great anti aging ingredients, in wrinkle creams. As long as you keep continuously using the wrinkle lift creams you will benefit from the long term results in a more natural way.

If you want a chemical peel you must take an appointment with the doctor and check out on how long you will need to recover to make sure you can actually have that time to heal. Using a wrinkle cream you will not have to worry about any down time. You only have to apply the cream and watch the results.

You need to be aware of the benefits of wrinkle creams over chemical peels, but what you must also remember is that wrinkle creams are really long time solutions and you will not get anything like instant result if you are using it as in the case of chemical peels. You must decide for yourself and go ahead and choose the right option for you and enjoy much healthier, younger looking skin within the time you would want in.

How Safe are Glycolic Acid Chemical Peels?

Glycolic acid chemical peels are part of the light peel family. These peels contain the smallest amount of chemical concentration. Nevertheless, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons does hold that all chemical peels carry some risk. However, the skin is exposed to a lower chemical concentration with glycolic acid peels, making the chances of a negative reaction lower.

Patients can do their part to reduce the possible side effects. The use of Retin-A or Accutane before a peel can greatly decrease the chance that a patient will experience negative side effects. Each of these products will work with ingredients in the peel to promote healthy skin and shorten the recovery period. Oddly enough – the more peels a patient has, the fewer the side effects she will experience. While patients should not have repeated peels unnecessarily, the more glycolic peels a patient has, the easier it will be for her skin to recover.

Since glycolic acid chemical peels are only superficial peels, they have an outstanding safety rating. Light peels are much safer and come with fewer possible side effects than deeper peels, such as phenol peels. Phenol chemical peels have the strongest solution and produce the deepest possible peel. They have been known to cause skin discoloration, strip skin of its ability to tan, cause uneven pigmentation and even remove freckles. Recovery from these chemical peels can take months. Phenol chemical peels carry added risk for women with a history of heart disease. In comparison to deep peels, getting a glycolic peel is an easy choice!

There is a debate about the risk factors of a glycolic acid peel for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. The additional hormones present in a pregnant woman’s body can cause dark spots on her skin. Often the spots will disappear after the baby is born, but some can persist. There are currently no links between glycolic acid peels and birth defects, but glycolic acid has never been tested on pregnant women. Some doctors believe a baby can absorb a small amount of the chemical if the mother-to-be has a peel while pregnant, and most advise to stay away from chemical peels and avoid any potential problems.

Glycolic chemical peels for women who are breastfeeding their baby is an even more hotly debated topic. Doctors at Johns Hopkins University advise these women avoid chemical peels until they have finished breastfeeding. Meanwhile, other doctors believe the peels are safe because glycolic acid is made from sugar cane, which is a natural ingredient. Since this topic is still so widely debated, women who are breastfeeding a baby should check with their doctors before having a chemical peel.

All chemical peels come with certain risks and side effects, however glycolic acid peels offer some of the lowest risks of all facial peels. When first considering a chemical peel, patients can feel uneasy. If this is the case, a glycolic chemical peel is the perfect place to start!

Why Should I Have a TCA Peels?

Chemical peels have been used for hundreds of years. In fact, the first peels were performed in the Ancient Egypt! With such an extensive history, many men and women wonder if having a chemical peel is the right choice.

There are several kinds of chemical peels – from a light peel to a deep one – each has unique characteristics and targets specific problems. TCA, or Trichloroacetic acid, peels are more aggressive and can correct serious skin flaws. These chemical peels are considered part of the “medium” peels family and will make the skin look younger and more vibrant almost immediately. A TCA chemical peel can be used on the face, neck, forearm, legs or chest, which is one of the biggest benefits of using a medium chemical peel. Lighter peels can be ineffective on parts of the body other than the face, while deeper peels may cause serious facial damage.

TCA chemical peels offer the client a number of benefits. These peels can repair sun damaged skin, remove facial lines, eliminate crow’s feet around the eyes, reduce the size of lip creases and forehead lines, and remove flaky skin. TCA chemical peels are the perfect solution to correct acne and acne scars, as well as reduce the appearance of blackheads and deep clogs. These chemical peels can even take away freckles and age spots, as well as lighten tattoos.

A TCA chemical peel is the perfect answer for men or women who want to improve their appearance without an invasive surgical procedure. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars and weeks of recovery time on a facelift, a TCA chemical peel can increase a client’s confidence without disrupting his or her life.

Recovery from a TCA chemical peel is pain-free. If the patient continues to feel discomfort directly after the peel is neutralized, he or she can use a combination of saline and ice for immediate relief. Once the discomfort has stopped, the client should apply an ointment or “Vaseline” to kick start the healing process. At this point, the client can wash the face with a gentle soap and warm water. Soon, the skin will take on a leathery appearance and start to crack or flake. For the next four to seven days, the client will notice damaged facial skin fall away from the face. Once the process is complete, flushed and bright skin will appear. Assuming all healing is finished, the client can resume his or her normal facial cleansing routine after about two weeks from the day of the facial peel.

Finding the right TCA chemical peel is essential to having a good experience – and getting the desired results. There are several warning signs to be aware of when purchasing an at-home TCA chemical peel. If you open the bottle and it smells foul, do not use the peel. The chemical peel should not show any discoloration or release vapors when the bottle is first opened. Also watch out for plastic bottles! Bottles containing the chemical peel should only be made of glass.

TCA chemical peels are a great way to regain the youthful glow that can fade as we age. Instead of investing in a face-lift, consider a chemical peel. Clients can save valuable recovery time and money, while still achieving the desired self-confidence boost.

Jessner, Retinoic, Tricholoroacetic TCA Chemical Peels and Phenol Chemical Peels

Jessner’s chemical peel solution was formerly known as the Coombe’s formula and was pioneered by Dr. Max Jessner. The formula combined 14% salicylic acid, lactic acid, and resorcinol in an ethanol base. It is said to break intracellular bridges between keratinocytes. It is extremely difficult to overpeel the skin due to the very mild percentages which are associated with this particular acid combination.

Retinoic acid is derived from retinoids which is a denatured vitamin A. Chemically similar to Retin A, this type of facial peel is performed by a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon. It is much deeper than a Beta Acid peel and removes scars as well as wrinkles along with any pigmentation problems. It is performed along with a Jessner chemical peel in order to open the skin for the retinoic to penetrate much deeper into the skin. The peel solution is put on the on the face and the peeling takes place on the third day. If you want dramatic changes, then it is necessary to put multiple chemical peels over period of time.

Tricholoroacetic chemical peels are used as either an intermediate or deep peeling agent with concentrations which may range from 20%-50%. The depth of penetration increases as the concentration increases, which result in better results, but a lot more of maintenance. Concentrations above 35% come with a high risk of scarring. TCA chemical peels work better for darker skinned patients instead of Phenol. TCA chemical peels easily smooth out fine wrinkles on the surface of the skin, removing superficial blemishes and correcting pigmentation problems for the skin at the same time. But TCA chemical peels require pre-treatment with Retin A or AHA creams and you need to go in for multiple treatments to maintain the results. A must, is the usage of sunscreen lotions for a good few months. The peel can take quite a few days to heal depending on how deep it has been done.

Phenol chemical peels are considered the strongest of all chemical peels and go the deepest among all the peels. Phenol carries another active component in the solution which is croton oil, but the term phenol peel is used as the role of croton oil is not said to be widely known. The effects of phenol chemical peels are very long lasting, and in some cases, you can make out the changes which stay apparent even after two decades of the procedure having been performed. The improvements to the patient’s skin can be quite dramatic and a single sitting usually suffices. Phenol chemical peels correct blotches which may have been caused by sun exposure or aging. It helps smooth out any coarse or deep wrinkles and also removes precancerous growths. Phenol chemical peels however pose a risk for heart patients. It can permanently remove facial freckles and the skin lightening it causes is usually permanent. It takes a very long time for your face to heal after this. And you’ll require a lot of sun protection all your life.

All the peels have their advantages and the problems associated with them. Before you decide to undergo any chemical peel, you need to consider your options and resources.

Before, During and After a Chemical Peel

You need to start working on your face sometime around two weeks before your actual chemical peel. You should apply Retin A or alpha hydroxylacid lotion to the area that will be treated with a chemical peel, which can be done before you go to sleep. You should stop using exfoliating sponges around three to four weeks before your first chemical peel. That applies to hair removal too, and that is something very important. Doctors often prescribe acyclovir or famciclovir tablets to be had two days before the treatment. You must have a completely cleansed face when you come to get your chemical peel done and that means that no cologne, after shave, or cosmetics should be applied. Shaving should be avoided on the day of the peel.

The doctors usually review the possible side effects of a chemical peel with the patient before it is done and a final consent is usually taken. Acetone is applied to clean it and degrease it completely. Jessner’s solution is applied to one area of the place to be treated and that is left on the skin for several minutes. The skin does burn and tingle a little bit. The doctor then applies the main chemical peel, which is trichloroacetic acid in most cases. The burning is quite intense when this is done. Cool compresses are finally applied followed by maybe polysporin to help you feel a bit comfortable. It definitely does help quite a bit.

You need to treat your skin gingerly for quite some time after the chemical peel is done. You need to clean your skin with warm water and proper soap. The skin is very sensitive at this time and so and abrasive substances should be discouraged immediately. You must not peel, pick, and scrape of scratch the skin, as it may result in scarring. You need to be quite regular in applying the ointments and in having the medicines the doctor has prescribed for you. Sun exposure must be avoided completely. This can lead to a brown discoloration of the skin. In the case of TCA peels, scarring and brown discoloration of the skin is quite unlikely unless you go to a tanning salon or lie out in the sun after your treatment. Daily sunscreen usage should continue indefinitely to prevent any photo damage from happening.

You can begin wearing your makeup after a week of having finished your chemical peel treatment as long as you do not have any tenderness or crusting on the area. If there is any persistent redness of the skin, it may lead to brown discoloration, so contact the doctor in case you experience this at any time. A brown discoloration may occur and you may end up having a scar if it isn’t treated soon.

And for at least a month, hair removal should be avoided at all costs as it can cause severe irritation of the skin. Hair removal while using Retin A can cause scabbing on the skin, which isn’t pretty. Accutane should be avoided too. It is better to be safe than sorry. So follow your doctor’s instructions on a chemical peel to the tee.