When you go to your Covington dermatologist for treatments that let you regain the youth and vibrancy of your skin, one of the options that will be open to you is a chemical peel. Essentially, a chemical solution is used to remove the uppermost layers of skin, with varying strengths used by the clinician.
The ultimate aim here is to treat wrinkles, scars and unevenly pigmented skin, making these issues less noticeable. Typically on the face, chemical peels are able to be combined with other treatments or used on their own, with different depth (light to deep) options available.
The question is, does this particular skin-resurfacing option come with any side effects? That’s what we’ll be discussing here. First though, let’s take a look at the different types of chemical peel that you may be offered by your Covington dermatologist.
Light Chemical Peels
This is the weakest and most superficial type of chemical peel that is most often used to treat acne, dryness, fine wrinkles and uneven skin tone. This type can be enjoyed every 2-5 weeks, depending on the person and their skin.
Medium Chemical Peels
The next step up in strength is the medium peel that’s able to remove skin from both the upper (epidermis) and deeper layers (dermis). This is ideal for more severe lines, discoloration and wrinkles and will require a little more recovery time than option one.
Deep Chemical Peels
This is the strongest chemical peel around and it’s usually prescribed for the deepest scars, wrinkles and sometimes even precancerous growths. This is the option with the longest recovery time, with redness possible for several weeks.
So, to Those Chemical Peel Side Effects…
There’s no getting around the fact that any type of chemical peel treatment offered by your Covington dermatologist has the potential to cause side effects. The most common is scabbing, swelling and redness, particularly after medium/deep peels.
Other possible side effects include:
- Scarring on the lower face – something that steroids and antibiotics can relieve.
- Skin color changes – hypopigmentation (lightening) or hyperpigmentation (darkening) are both possible.
- Infection – fungal, viral or bacterial infections can happen.
- Liver/Kidney/Heart damage – when having a deep chemical peel, phenol (carbolic acid) is sometimes used, which can harm these vital organs. It’s why these more concentrated treatments are often done one section at a time.
Chemical Peels Are Effective, But Not For Everyone
The truth is that while chemical peels are incredibly popular and highly effective, they’re not for everyone and it’s important to know what’s involved. The good news is that when you get to a professional Covington dermatologist for your treatment, all these things will be covered.
Anything that has any kind of bearing on the treatment will be covered, with things like medication, family history, skin type, overall health and more being taken into consideration. There are many people out there who regularly get the benefit of treatments like these, so you’ve just got to be sensible and listen to what the experts are telling you.
The chances are, if it’s deemed not to be a safe option for you, there will be something else, like dermaplaning that can be tried instead. We hope that you’ve found this article helpful and that it allows you to get the best possible age-defying results.