What is the Chemical Peel for and how to choose?

What Is Chemical Peel For? 
The aim of skin peeling is to gently remove the skin layers. Skin is a living organ made up of millions of cells. Every day thousands of cells die, fall off and are replaced by new cells. Unfortunately, as we age this becomes a slower process and causes your skin to shed unevenly creating uneven, dull and lifeless complexion.

The function of a skin peel is to create an even controlled shedding of several layers of damaged cells. This exposes a new fresh layer of skin with a more even colour and a smoother texture. In addition, the peel stimulates new cells to grow, thereby tightening the skin, which improves skin texture.

Benefit Of Chemical Peel? 
All peels effectively increase cellular turnover, stimulate collagen and elastic production and address sun damage. Each of the resurfacing treatments have their own unique benefits and can be combined as a course treatment package depending on the individual clients needs and expectations.

Different Kinds of Chemical Peel?

 
Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) 
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are naturally occurring carboxylic acids such as glycolic acid, a natural constituent of sugar cane juice and lactic acid, found in sour milk and tomato juice. This is the mildest of the peel formulas and produces light peels for treatment of fine wrinkles, areas of dryness, uneven pigmentation and acne.* There is no down time caused by this peel, allowing you to carry on with everyday activities.

Salicylic 
Salicylic acid moves easily through the pores, clearing them out while reducing inflammation. This treatment effectively combats acne, leaving a wonderfully smooth and clear complexion. As a skin peel, salicylic acid can reverse the effects of aging, wiping away fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes. The skin will generally be tight and dry after treatment and a mild flaky peel may be experienced, however in most cases you can happily carry out normal daily activities although this peel would not be advisable to do on top of a special occasion or evening out.

Trichloroacetic Acid Peels (TCA) 
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is used as an intermediate to deep peeling agent in concentrations ranging from 20-50%.* Depth of penetration is increased as concentration increases. TCA Peels are recommended for the treatment of acne, signs of photo damage, rough dull complexions, light wrinkles and age spots. During the procedure a warm sensation is felt on the skin, this may last for a few minutes. Over the next few days, heavy peeling can be expected with this peel and you may not wish to leave the house. This peel would be recommended to anyone who wishes to acheive quicker results or wishes to just have a single treatment rather that a course. A consultation with your therapist is always advisable prior to proceeding with this type of resurfacer.

Jessner's Peel 
Jessner's peel solution, formerly known as the Coombe's formula, was pioneered by Dr Max Jessner, a German-American dermatologist.* A typical combination of Jessner’s Peel is 14% Salicylic Acid, 14% Lactic Acid and 14% Resorcinol (DermaQuest Professional). It dissolves the top layer of the stratum corneum, provides a smoother, softer appearance to the skin, and reduces fine lines and wrinkles. Although the skin is less likely to over-peel, heavy peeling is to be expected for 2-3 days and therefore you may choose not to leave the house at this time.


What Will A Skin Peel Facial Procedure Include? 
A typical facial peel treatment will include 4 steps.

1. Cleanse the skin to remove make up or any impurities 
2. Apply skin preparation solutions to strip the acid mantle 
3. Apply peel solution to the skin 
4. Finish with after peel products to allow healthy skin cell regeneration and accelerate the peeling process

What You Will Experience After Chemical Peel Treatment?
After the procedure, clients will generally experience several stages of healing until the skin finishes peeling.
   Day 1: the skin feels warm, like sun-burn and it will feel a bit tight.
   Day 2: tight and very dry
   Day 3: the skin feels extremely dry and dehydrated and may start to flake
   Day 4: skin will start to peel.

It will vary from client to client with regards to how long the skin will peel for. This process can take 2 days to 1 week.

Before and After Having a Chemical Peel Procedure
It is very important to have a skin consultation with your therapist. The therapist will assess your skin and discuss your requirement in detail and then recommend a suitable treatment for you. You will also have to commit to a course of home care products priori to treatment to insure that you achieve the best results by preparing the skin before hand. This is also imperative in aiding the skin healing process after the procedure.

Avoiding ingrown hairs and razor bumps!

How to avoid ingrown hairs and razor burn and still get a close shave.
Dry skin can actually be the root of the problem for both ingrown hairs and razor burn. The reason is that with dry skin, dead skin cells cover the tops of the follicle, which causes the hair to curl back down into the skin and creates an ingrown hair bump. The dry skin and bumps from ingrown hairs can cause your razor to lose contact with the skin, which causes it to skip along the skin creating razor burn.
To prevent this from happening, dampen your skin and apply a micro-dermabrasion exfoliating cleanser with polyethylene beads prior to shaving and gently massage on your skin. This will remove the dry skin for a close shave. Finding an exfoliating cleanser with polyethylene beads is important because the beads don’t have rigid edges that can irritate your skin. After you have gently massaged the exfoliating cleanser on your skin, leave it on while you shave. Yes, it will double as a shaving lotion. After shaving, simply rinse off, pat dry, and apply a soothing lotion with peptide technology. For many people, this will be just the trick they need to get a close shave that prevents ingrown hairs and razor burn.
A word of caution, as with most things this is not a solution that will work for all people. If you have extremely sensitive skin, you may want to test this on a small area of your skin first.

Acne-Prone Skin

Obsessing Over Acne-Prone Skin: Increases the Chances of Acne Scars
If your skin type is prone to acne blemishes, then it’s easy to obsess. The more frequently that you breakout, the more often you’ll find yourself in front of the mirror trying to get rid of blemish after blemish. There are two risks here. The first one is that it’s likely that your blemishes are more visible to you than they are to anybody else. The second risk is that, typically, when a person spends hours in the mirror looking at their blemishes, they also pick at those blemishes. When you pick at or pop an acne blemish, you risk getting acne scars or post-acne marks. While a blemish may be unsightly, an acne scar or post-acne mark is just as bad – and harder to treat.

Remember: Nothing is Worth Doing if It Makes You Feel Badly
No matter what your skin care concern is, or even if you have flawless, healthy skin, nothing is worth doing if it makes you feel badly about yourself. If you’re spending hours looking in the mirror finding every flaw with your skin and your face, then it’s time to start focusing on the positives about yourself. Beauty is more than skin deep, no matter what anybody says!