Chemical Peels Throughout Time

Chemical Skin peels are used these days to improve the skin’s overall appearance, by removing the initial surface of the skin, allowing rejuvenated smoother skin to grow in its place. But were they using them in the old days?

In Ancient times, Cleopatra was known for bathing in sour milk. This practice was common in that time. Why sour milk? Sour milk contains lactic acid, one of the ingredients used in chemical peels today. The Egyptians were also known for bathing in old wine to achieve the same effect. The old wine contains a tartaric acid. This fruit acid is used in skin peels now a days.

From the 15th Century on, pale skin became a fad, which in turn made skin whitening creams and chemical peels very popular. They began using these creams and peels after the Greeks introduced the effective ingredient lead oxide in these products.

In the 1950’s dermatologists began administering medium depth, and deep peels which weren’t available until this time. When they administered these peels they used ingredients such as trichloroacetic acid, resorcinol, salicylic acid and phenol. These ingredients are still used today in chemical peels.

Chemical peels have been around forever and there is only one reason why: They work. Try one today and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, even pigmentation, and rejuvenate the appearance of your skin!

Chemical Peeling vs. Other Treatments

Chemical peeling is a popular way to rejuvenate the skin. It can improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, remove blemishes like sun spots and melasma, and treat acne and other skin conditions. The procedure is fast, with few side effects and a short recovery time.

Other dermatological treatments, like microdermabrasion and laser skin resurfacing, offer results and benefits similar to those of chemical peeling. Let's take a look at how chemical peelings compares to some of these other treatments.

Chemical Peels and How They Work

Chemical peels use a layer of gentle chemicals to melt away dead cells from the surface of the skin, leaving skin smoother, lighter, and younger in appearance. Chemical peels of varying strengths are used to treat fine lines and wrinkles, acne and acne scarring, melasma, age spots, sun spots and precancerous growths.

Chemical peels come in three different strengths, mild, medium-depth and deep. Each one penetrates a little further into the skin to more effectively treat blemishes, scars and irregularities in skin tone.

Chemical Peels vs. Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion is another way to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. Rather than using chemicals to melt away dead cells from the skin's surface, dermabrasion uses surgical tools to scrape them away. Like chemical peels, dermabrasion can be used to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, scars, age spots, sun spots, melasma and precancerous growths.

Dermabrasion, however, is generally considered a more serious procedure than chemical peeling, because it uses tools to surgically scrape surface skin from your face. Depending on the severity of your condition, you may need either local or general anesthetic to under dermabrasion. The procedure itself can last for up to an hour and a half, whereas most mild and medium-depth chemical peels take only about half an hour to administer.

Dermabrasion generally causes more significant side effects than chemical peeling. Your face may be quite inflamed and swollen for as long as a week. It may burn, ache or tingle. You may need to stay at home for at least two weeks and you may need to avoid the sun entirely for at least four weeks. Full recovery could take as long as one year. In comparison, mild and medium-depth chemical peels cause only moderate pain and inflammation for about 24 hours post-procedure, and full recovery usually takes about two weeks.

Chemical Peels vs. Laser Skin Resurfacing

Laser skin resurfacing is a relatively new skin refinishing technique that promises to smooth skin and even out skin tone with fewer side effects. Laser resurfacing is used to treat fine lines and wrinkles, remove acne scars and firm skin. Laser skin resurfacing has minimal side effects including bruising, redness and swelling. Comparatively, they may be slightly more severe than the side effects of chemical peeling. Recovery time for laser resurfacing is longer; one to two weeks, depending on the type of laser used.

Laser resurfacing for your whole face can take as long as two hours, much longer than a mild or medium-depth chemical peel, which usually takes about 30 minutes and almost never takes longer than an hour. You may also need to wear a facial bandage for as many as three days, and use ointment to prevent the formation of a scab. With most chemical peels, bandages and ointments aren't necessary as scabs don't form.