The term “chemical peel” can sound more intense than it actually is, bringing up ghastly scenes like the one in Poltergeist 1982. But do not fear—there’s nothing scary about our chemical peels at About Face Aesthetics. By removing the dead skin cells and debris from the uppermost layer of your skin, our skin peels in Philadelphia reveal a refreshed, glowing complexion you’ll love to see in the mirror.
First Things First: What’s a Chemical Peel?
A chemical peel uses a combination of unique chemical solutions that cause a reaction within the uppermost layer of your skin, also known as the epidermis. This causes your skin to peel away, removing the dead and damaged cells. This process also stimulates your body’s natural healing response, so it increases collagen and elastin production to create healthy, refreshed skin. Here is how the process works:
Step 1: Application
First, the chemical solution is applied to your skin. There are many different skin peels in Philadelphia, so your provider will help you choose the best one during your consultation. They will cleanse your skin, mix up the solution, and then use a tool similar to a paintbrush to apply it to your face. You will be given protective goggles to wear to ensure the product does not get in your eyes.
Step 2: Absorption
After your provider applies the chemical solution to your skin, they let it sit for about 30 minutes, allowing your skin to thoroughly absorb the chemicals to activate the peeling process. Each peel will feel different, but you will feel a slight stinging sensation during this step; however, most peels will be tolerable.
3: Removal
Once your skin has absorbed the solution, your provider will remove the excess product. They will let you know how to care for your skin during the “peeling” phase and, if necessary, can help you schedule your next peel session for lasting results.
4: Peel
Your epidermis will begin to peel away about 3 days after your appointment. Depending on the strength of the treatment, it will continue to peel for about 3 to 5 days, removing the damaged and dead skin cells to reveal fresh, glowing skin. Your provider will have individual instructions on how to care for your skin, but it is important not to manually peel away flaking skin; let it flake away on its own.
What Chemical Peels Treat
Chemical peels can be customized to your specific needs, using unique solutions to target individual concerns while rejuvenating your skin to deliver an even, youthful glow. Or, chemical peels can be used to create all-around skin improvements, targeting multiple concerns at once. Most of the time, chemical peels are used to treat:
Fine lines
Wrinkles
Acne
Mild scarring
Sun spots, age spots, liver spots, freckles
Uneven skin coloring
Precancerous scaly spots called actinic keratosis
Rough skin/scaly patches
Dull complexion
Dark patches (melasma)
The Levels of Peels
There are 3 levels of skin peels in Philadelphia: light, medium, and deep peels.
Light peels: A light chemical peel removes the outermost layer of the epidermis. It is the most comfortable option with the least amount of downtime. It is used to treat fine lines, acne, uneven skin tone, and dullness. You can have a light chemical peel about once every 2 to 4 weeks.
Medium peels: Medium peels work by removing the skin cells from your epidermis and parts of your upper dermis. This can be uncomfortable, though we provide the option of a topical numbing solution to keep you comfortable. You can get a medium peel about once every 3 to 6 months, as it treats moderate wrinkles, acne scars, and uneven skin tone.
Deep peels: Deep chemical peels reach far into the dermis, targeting moderate-to-severe wrinkles, scars, and precancerous growths. They can be very uncomfortable and typically require medication to manage pain, but they also produce some of the most dramatic results. Most clients only need 1 deep peel, but if you need more, you will need to wait 6 months to 1 year between peel sessions.
Side-by-Side View of Peel Levels
We get it: this can be a lot of information at once. Here is a simple table explaining the difference between the different levels of skin peels in Philadelphia:
Peel
Numbing/ Pain Treatment?
Time Between Sessions?
What It Treats
How Many Peel Sessions Needed?
Light
None
2 to 4 weeks
Mild acne, fine lines, uneven skin tone
Many
Medium
Numbing optional
3 to 6 months
Moderate wrinkles, acne scars, uneven skin tone
2 to 4
Deep
Pain medication needed
6 to 12 months
Moderate-to- severe wrinkles, scars, precancerous growths
1 to 2
Our Peel Options
There are many skin peels in Philadelphia, but our team at About Face has curated a unique collection of peels that targets a wide range of issues to create a healthy, rejuvenated complexion.
SkinMedica Illuminize Peel
This light peel delivers radiant, glowing skin with no downtime! This peel is perfect for those who want to revitalize dull, congested skin without having to take time to heal.
BioRePeel
This peel combines trichloroacetic acid, α-hydroxyacids, β-hydroxyacids, poly-hydroxyacids, amino acids, and vitamins to restore your skin’s smooth, even texture and tone. This peel revitalizes, beautifies, and moisturizes your skin!
SkinCeuticals Pigment Balancing Peel
Looking to correct concerns regarding skin tone like hyperpigmentation and sun spots? The SkinCeuticals pigment balancing peel can even correct pigmentation concerns on darker skin tones, creating a smoother and more youthful complexion.
SkinCeuticals MicroPeel
This peel exfoliates, brightens, and hydrates the skin without the need for downtime. And because this peel nourishes your skin, it can effectively shrink pores, reverse fine lines, and minimize blemishes.
Perfect Peel
The perfect peel is a medium-depth peel that treats scarring, melasma, texture, and more. It can suit those of all skin types and tones and requires little downtime. What’s better—it can be customized to fit your skin’s specific needs!
Care Instructions
Your provider will make sure to give you individualized instructions based on your specific needs, but here are the basics of how to care for your skin before and after your skin peel in Philadelphia.
Pre-Care
Let your provider know about your full medical history during your consultation. Certain conditions may prevent you from getting a chemical peel, and your provider will need to know your full medical history to provide effective treatment recommendations. This will also serve as an excellent opportunity to learn what you can expect for treatment and what results you may see.
Avoid exposing your skin to sunlight the week before your appointment. This minimizes the risk of getting a sunburn, which would prevent you from receiving a chemical peel.
Do not use Retin-A, retinol, alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), or bleaching creams on your skin for 2 weeks before your chemical peel. These products irritate your skin, which might cause damage when used with a chemical peel.
Avoid facials, facial hair removal, microdermabrasion, and laser treatments for at least 2 weeks, as these would also irritate your skin and cause lasting damage when used alongside a chemical peel.
Post-Care
Continue avoiding irritating treatments and products for another 4 weeks. This will allow your skin time to heal and regrow your epidermis and avoid damaging your skin.
Keep protecting your skin from direct sunlight by wearing a minimum of SPF 30 sunscreen when going outside.
Use moisturizer often to keep you comfortable during the peeling process.
Do not peel off flaking skin. Allow peeling skin to fall off naturally over time.
Use a gentle facial cleanser twice a day.
Maintain Your Results
At About Face, we offer 3 different skincare brands, all with products that can help prolong the results you achieve from your skin peel in Philadelphia. Taking care of your skin requires more than a few in-house treatments. Like how you would brush your teeth, eat vegetables, or drink water to maintain your health, you also need to maintain the health of your skin with daily skincare.
Once you are finished with your chemical peel, your provider can talk with you about which products would best complement your skin type and enhance the look, feel, and overall health of your skin. With a dedicated daily skincare routine and the right medical-grade products, you can enjoy the results of your treatment even more.
Commonly Paired Treatments
In addition to a skin peel in Philadelphia as well as a supportive at-home skincare routine, you can also pair your peel with other complementary treatments. Here are the most common treatments we pair with a chemical peel and what benefits they can provide for your skin.
DiamondGlow
The DiamondGlow facial is typically performed after getting a light or medium chemical peel. Once the necessary time has passed to allow your skin to heal and your epidermis to regrow, regular DiamondGlow facials maintain your skin’s health and keep your complexion looking brightened and refreshed.
Laser Resurfacing
For those who want to address more moderate-to-severe texture concerns (wrinkles, scarring, etc.), getting laser skin resurfacing after a medium or deep peel can greatly improve your skin’s smoothness. Once you’ve allowed your skin to fully heal after your chemical peel, you can receive laser skin resurfacing to see further improvements in texture.
Custom Facials
Once you’ve received a medium or light peel, getting monthly facials that are customized for your unique concerns can help maintain a healthy and rejuvenated complexion.
RF Microneedling
The chemical peel alone improves your body’s natural production of collagen and elastin, but when paired with RF microneedling, this multiplies the production for even smoother and more even-looking skin. Once your skin has fully healed from your peel, our team can then enhance its appearance with RF microneedling treatments.
BBL
Our skin peels in Philadelphia are great at addressing texture, but if you’re looking to improve your skin tone, then pairing it with a BBL will help you get the best of both worlds. After your peel, BBL can correct hyperpigmentation for an even and brighter skin tone.
Peel Better to Feel Better
It’s time to look in the mirror and fall in love with your skin. Find your best chemical peel with either our virtual consultation tool or by scheduling an in-person consultation with one of our expert providers.
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