Peeling your way to better skin
It’s easy to think that all of today’s aesthetic procedures are relatively new, but chemical peels have been around for ages. Cleopatra was one of the first known proponents; she used the lactic acid in sour milk to peel away imperfections on her face.
There are basically three types of peels — light, medium, and deep. Light peels are usually done with various peeling agents that come from natural sources. Glycolic acid, for instance, comes from grapes and sugar cane. Salicylic acid comes from certain plants. Alpha-hydroxy acid comes from fruit. These peels are light and remove upper layers of dead skin cells and oil. There is really no recovery.
Medium peels use trichloroacetic acid. Trichloroacetic acid is a modified synthetic chemical based on common vinegar, also known as acetic acid. Medium peels penetrate the skin more deeply than light peels. They remove the dull, damaged outer layers of skin, and replace them with a new, smooth layer of skin. Medium peels require some recovery time.
Deep peels use phenol acid and are quite aggressive. Due to their extensive recovery time, phenol peels are not done much anymore. They are still effective for removing extensive acne scarring and deeper wrinkling, however. We don’t perform deep peels.
At Dr. Kearney’s we offer various peels, such as the croton oil peel. We also offer medium-strength TCA peels. Patients want our TCA peels to reduce over-pigmentation problems, including melasma, and reveal smoother skin.
The TCA peel procedure
Our 40% TCA peel is done right in our beautiful Executive Drive offices. When the peeling agent is applied, you’ll feel a mild burning or tingling sensation. We use a fan to help alleviate discomfort. The TCA peeling agent is left on the skin for a predetermined amount of time. When this is complete, the chemical solution is washed away, and a soothing ointment is applied.
After your procedure, you’ll feel as if you have a moderate sunburn. Your skin will be pink. Iced compresses help with discomfort, as do occlusive ointments such as Aquaphor. Your skin will progress from pink to a bronze tone as your pigmented areas begin to darken and lift. Your skin will peel in sheets over the next week, similar to how it would from that sunburn. When the pigmentation areas peel away, they are replaced by pink, smooth, even-toned skin.
Want to tell your freckles and age spots to beat it? Call Dr. Kearney at (858) 677-9352 and ask about our TCA peels.
