Chemical Peels

What is a Chemical Peel?

A chemical peel is a treatment method used to enhance the quality of a patient’s skin, most commonly on the face, neck, chest and hands and is an effective means of treating a wide variety of skin conditions. Chemical peels help to replenish skin cells, hydrate the skin and revitalise and rejuvenate damaged skin, resulting in dramatically improved skin appearance.

Chemical peels can be used in conjunction with other treatments such as skin needling, laser therapies and photodynamic therapy (PDT), to achieve remarkable results.

What Skin Conditions Can It Treat?

Our medical grade chemical peels can be used to effectively treat the following skin conditions:

• Fine Lines (forehead, between eyebrows, around eyes, above lips)
• Wrinkles
• Aging Skin
• Pigmentation (uneven skin tone, dark/light skin patches)
• Acne
• Clogged Skin
• Dry Skin
• Dehydrated Skin

Types of Chemical Peels

We have a range of different treatment solutions available, each designed to remedy specific skin conditions for specific skin types. Each chemical peel falls into one of the three primary categories; superficial, medium and deep.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acid (AHA) Peel

This superficial peel utilises the body’s lactic acid and is delivered at varying degrees of potency. Its main purpose is to delicately discard the top layers of the skin to promote collagen regrowth. Since lactic acid occurs naturally within the human body, the chances of receiving an adverse reaction to this type of peel are remote. AHA peels eliminate the outer layer of skin cells, which are responsible for pigmentation issues, skin tone imbalance and are a contributing factor to unwanted facial fine lines. AHA peels improve the effectiveness of the body’s ability to replenish and regenerate new, healthy skin cells.

Beta-Hydroxy Acid (BHA) Peel

These chemical peels are comprised of salicylic acid and are most commonly performed on patients that have oily skin types or skin which is susceptible to acne, as the BHA peels are able to permeate deeper and more successfully into this skin type. Beta-hydroxy acids typically contain larger particles than their AHA counterparts and often do not work as well on ordinary skin types.

For patients suffering from acne, some post-treatment purification may be required; beta-hydroxy acids gently exfoliate the top layers of skin, which can expose lower-lying congested skins cells, causing them to flare up as pimples. BHA penetrates the skin pores and eliminates trapped oils and dead skin cells, greatly reducing skin irritation in the targeted area to create a much-improved skin complexion.

Modified Jessner’s Peel

This chemical peel comprises several acids; salicylic, lactic, kojic and resorcinol. The potency (depth) of this peel depends on the amount of layers applied upon the patient’s skin. The targeted area becomes a pallid white colour following treatment, for a brief amount of time, which is caused by the presence of the kojic acid, which helps to lighten areas of the skin which are marred by pigmentation.

This particular peel activates the lower lying layers of the skin, triggering the formation of collagen and fibroblasts, which smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. The Modified Jessner’s Peel is an also an effective treatment for acne, hyperpigmentation and UV damaged skin.

Retinoic Acid Peel

Retinoic acid, also known as tretinoin, is found in vegetables and animal products alike and enhances the body’s skin cell renewal cycle, making it function more like youthful skin and can also lessen DNA damage that has resulted from UV exposure.

Retinoic acid triggers collagen growth, suppresses the expansion of bad bacteria, revitalises the immune system and restrains moisture located in the deeper layers of the skin. It also slows the aging process, improves the texture of the skin and helps create a more even and balanced complexion.

Unlike other chemical peels, the retinoic acid peel requires you to leave the peel on for approximately 7-12 hours, before removing it with warm water. The peel itself has a faint, yellowish hue to it and is barely visible on most skin colours.

Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) Peel

A popular chemical peel that has been in use for a long time, the strength of the TCA peel can be altered to deliver a superficial or deeper penetrating treatment. At lower levels, it provides a superficial therapy that smooths the skin, reduces wrinkles and improves pigmentation.

For the medium peel, the higher concentration allows for greater penetration of the skin, resulting in superior skin resurfacing, wrinkle reduction and pigmentation enhancement.

Which Chemical Peel Is Right for You?

There are several factors that determine which chemical peel is best for you:

1. The severity of your skin condition
2. Your skin type (oily, dry, light, dark)
3. The results you would like to achieve
4. The length of recovery time

Patients with darker complexions are more susceptible to adverse post-treatment complications, particularly concerning pigmentation. For this reason, we recommend a sequence of milder, superficial treatments, rather than a single deep peel.

The Treatment Process

All chemical peels performed at Skin Clinic Robina are performed by highly trained nurses and follow a strict procedure:

1. Your skin is meticulously sanitised.
2. The chemical peel is applied to your face.
3. We always request feedback from you throughout the treatment session, to ensure maximum comfort is always maintained.
4. Patients will be given directions as to how long they must leave the peel on the skin and what time to remove it
5. Aftercare will be discussed before you leave your treatment to ensure we achieve the best possible results.

Minimising The Chances of Side Effects Occurring

Choosing the right chemical peel for your particular skin type and condition plays a vital role in limiting the number and severity of any side effects you may experience. Patients with darker complexions are generally more susceptible to pigmentation related issues when undergoing deeper chemical peels.

The risks of developing pigmentation problems can be thwarted somewhat by using a melanin inhibitor such as hydroquinone along with tretinoin, which helps to alleviate hyperpigmentation that can occur after inflammation of the skin. This is especially crucial for patients with darker skin. Additionally, all patients are strongly advised to limit their sun exposure after their treatment, as UV light can increase the likelihood of pigmentation issues occurring.

Contact Skin Clinic Robina

If you are considering to undergo a chemical peel at our Gold Coast clinic, arrange for a consultation with one of our specialists today, who can explain everything you need to know about the procedure and help you choose the right chemical peel for your skin type and skin condition.