Chemical Peel

Peels range in strength from the light, lunch-hour alpha hydroxy acid (fruit) peels to the full-face deep phenol peel. Time constraints, budget, and depth of wrinkles are factors in deciding what you need.

HOW DOES A PEEL WORK?
The goal of deep peels is to improve the appearance of facial skin that's wrinkled, blemished, blotchy, or sun-damaged. The best candidate is a fair-skinned individual whose skin isn't overly thick. When doing a chemical peel, Dr. Aguilar uses a chemical solution-trichloroacetic acid or phenol--to peel away the top layer of your skin.

HOW CAN I CHOOSE THE BEST PEEL FOR ME?
Dr. Aguilar can advise you. Remember that only a strong chemical peel solution like phenol can get rid of skin blotches caused by sun exposure, pregnancy, birth-control pills or illness, as well as severe wrinkles and pre-cancerous growths. TCA, on the other hand, can take care of fine surface wrinkles, superficial blemishes, and some pigment problems. Since TCA peels don't have the bleaching effect of phenol peels, they are preferred for people with darker skin.

WHAT KIND OF ANESTHESIA IS USED?
For a one- to two-hour outpatient procedure, sedation and EKG monitoring are usually preferred. Sometimes, a patient having a full-face phenol peel will require an overnight hospital stay.

WHAT ARE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS?
You will probably experience redness, throbbing, swelling, and tingling. With a phenol peel, your skin will look lighter permanently, and you won't be able to tan. You may also have tiny whiteheads temporarily.

WHAT'S INVOLVED IN RECOVERY?
You will apply ointment as the skin heals and forms new skin--7-21 days. In two to four weeks, you will be back to normal activities. It takes three to six months for redness to fade fully. In the case of a TCA peel, new skin forms in 5-10 days, and the redness doesn't last as long as it does with a phenol peel.

PRECAUTIONS AND TREATMENT OF SKIN?
On swollen areas of skin, place cold compresses. For two weeks, sleep with your head on two or three pillows, but don't sleep on your side or stomach. Avoid touching your face at all. Don't rub, scratch, pick, or peel your skin. Don't just lie in bed; getting up and moving are important to healing and recovery. You must not, however, overdo. For three to six months, stay out of direct sunlight. Use an SPF 15 sunscreen under your makeup. You must be careful with sun exposure because it can cause discoloration.

HOW LONG DO THE RESULTS LAST?
With phenol, you'll have permanent results, but that doesn't mean you'll be wrinkle-free forever. As you age, your skin will continue to form lines. Results of a TCA peel are more temporary.