Monday, October 10, 2011

How Chemical Peels Make the Skin Look Better


How Chemical Peels Make the Skin Look Better


Ever wonder how chemical peels really work to improve the texture, tone, fine lines, acne, acne scars, and overall look of your skin? It's not simply the exfoliation of skin that makes your skin look better.  Using an at home chemical peel evokes a complex repair process that builds more collagen.  The process includes inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. At-home chemical peels work long after the peeling finishes to improve your skin.

SKIN’S HEALING PROCESS DURING AN AT-HOME CHEMICAL PEEL: 

1. INFLAMMATION


All of us experience the inflammation stage during the healing process of a chemical peel, even if you can't see it. I usually swell immediately after a chemical peel and the following day, which gives a nice, plump effect.


To minimize swelling, eliminate as much sugar and salt from your diet for several days before your chemical peel and during the healing process.


The purpose of inflammation is to prevent infection, even during a light or medium chemical peel. When the skin swells, leukocytes begin to clean away dead cells and destroy bacteria. Later white blood cells called macrophages replace them. Macrophages continue cleaning the wound, although there may not appear to be a wound with a light or medium at-home chemical peel.

Macrophages also secrete growth factors and proteins that facilitate the development of new cells to rebuild tissue. This stage begins as soon as the skin is wounded, and it can last several days, depending on your chemical peel strength and depth. You may even feel warmth from the histamine response and subsequent pain. If you need to, you can take an OTC painkiller or fever reducer.

2. PROLIFERATION


This stage of the healing process after a chemical peel lasts from two days to several weeks, depending upon the chemical peel depth and the chemical peel strength. During this time, the wound begins to heal by building tissue, including skin and blood vessels.


And this is the step that’s most important for aging skin: cells called fibroblasts move to the wound caused by the chemical peel and begin to produce new connective tissue called collagen. The collagen fibers develop into a matrix that creates the foundation for further healing. As we age, our bodies naturally create less collagen, but doing light chemical peels on a regular basis keeps our bodies’ collagen machines working!


Now the leathery stage begins after your at home chemical peel: as the matrix forms and the collagen begins to strengthen, the edges of the wound start to contract toward one another. When the leathery texture begins, although it’s no fun to see, take stock that your body is creating collagen, which will build up your skin and fill in those lines.

3. REMODELING


Even though your skin looks good after the peeling finishes, it’s only going to get better!  The process of remodeling starts after several weeks and can last for years after a chemical peel. Old collagen is broken down and then replaced with new collagen.


This process is also why we want to give our skin a break during the summer months to rest, and to avoid being exposed to more UV damage during the healing process.


Below is the actual first step in the healing process--if the skin is cut, torn, or bleeds for any reason. I didn't include it in the at-home chemical peel process because we should not be performing peels that are strong enough to start this response within our bodies.

HEMOSTASIS


This stage should not be necessary in any at-home chemical peel, but it’s interesting to know how it would work if you had a deep chemical peel at your doctor’s office.  Some deep chemical peels can cause bleeding, and this would be an important step in the healing process.  Hemostasis means to stand still or stop bleeding. Blood vessels constrict and blood platelets form a clot. A scab forms as the clotted blood dries

1 comment:

  1. There are several factors that determines the treatment through Chemical Peels.

    ReplyDelete