It can sound a little scary to have a “peel” done to your skin, but the truth is that skin peels are a great way to promote healthy skin that is youthful and radiant. They can also improve a variety of skin issues, from hyperpigmentation and fine lines and wrinkles to even sun damage and acne scarring.
HOW DO PEELS WORK?
Our skin’s cells experience turnover about every 30 days, but this will take longer as we age. Peels encourage that process along, helping renew skin and target skin concerns that would otherwise be left up to the aging process.
When getting a skin peel, chemicals are applied to the skin to help remove the top layers and expose the fresh, youthful skin underneath.
They fall into three different categories, superficial, medium, and deep. Superficial peels can be done at home, while medium and deep would be done in a dermatologist’s office due to the high concentration of the medical grade acids.
Here’s a breakdown of the different types of skin peel and how they impact your skin:
SUPERFICIAL SKIN PEELS
Most peels that can be done at home are superficial, meaning they use only low concentration acids to impact the surface of the skin and remove dead/dry skin cells from the surface of your skin. If that sounds similar to another part of your regular skincare routine, it’s because superficial peels are just a form of exfoliation.
Acids have a lower pH and are used in superficial peels which include alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid, and BHA’s like salicylic acid. These can be beneficial in helping minimize the appearance of acne, blackheads, and whiteheads while leaving skin more hydrated and supple. They may cause some tingling and some redness, but should not cause intense pain or downtime afterward.
Fruit enzymes are another method of superficial skin peels. These are a great way to exfoliate the skin with the natural chemicals that are found in fruits. Enzymes are gentle on the skin and provide a natural method to improve texture and tone, addressing damaged and dry surface skin and removing impurities to leave skin smooth and soft.
IN YOUR FACE SKINCARE offers several products that can give you a fruit enzyme peel at home, like our DEEP ENZYME CLEANSE, PUMPKIN ENZYME MASK, and our BLUEBERRY BOOST MASK.
Our DEEP ENZYME CLEANSE uses pineapple enzymes to gently digest the bonds of dead skin cells, gently ungluing them from your skin for removal.
Our PUMPKIN ENZYME MASK uses a super combination of pumpkin, pineapple, and papaya fruit enzymes to clear your skin and naturally exfoliate.
Lastly, our BLUEBERRY BOOST MASK uses potent blueberry enzymes to boost natural exfoliation along with butterfly pea flower to protect your skin and keep it youthful, firm, and brightened.
MEDIUM PEELS
Medium peels use higher concentrations of chemicals to work on deeper skin layers, removing the surface layers of the epidermis to reach the upper layers of the dermis. This can be effective for acne, whiteheads, blackheads, sun damage, age spots, fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and acne scarring.
Since medium peels use lower pH acids (the lower the pH, the more aggressive the acid is), these should only be done with a dermatologist. Skin may appear pink or red for 48 hours after a peel. These peels also come with a downtime period of 1-2 weeks where skin will dry and peel off.
DEEP PEELS
These are the strongest peels available on the market, removing the epidermis, dermis, and even working down to the mid and lower layers of the skin. These can be used for scar treatment, severe sun damage, deep wrinkles, and even precancerous growths.
Deep peels can be quite painful and may require sedation/local anesthesia - they are definitely not something to be done outside of a doctor's office!
After a deep peel from a dermatologist , you can expect a lot of swelling and a recovery period of 2-3 weeks (sometimes more) where skin will appear red and crusted and will peel off.
POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS OF SKIN PEELS
A chemical peel can cause:
Swelling & Redness: When healing from a chemical peel, it’s very normal to experience some redness that goes away after a few days or a week. If you get a medium/deep peel, the redness may last longer.
Sun Sensitivity: After all peels, the new skin that is surfaced will temporarily be more sensitive to the sun. A mineral-based spf every day and limiting sun exposure is best for 2 weeks after a professional grade dermatologist skin peel.
To help you understand more about peels and how they work, here are some facts about skin peels that you may not know:
PH BALANCE SHOULDN’T BE IGNORED
Most people tend to judge a peel’s strength on the percentage of active ingredients. For example, they may assume that a 20% salicylic acid peel is more intense than a 15% salicylic acid peel. But as I mentioned above, the lower the pH level of an acid, the more aggressive it is. So, when looking into a peel, consider the pH balance along with the percentage of actives in the formula.
PEELS AREN’T JUST FOR ADULTS
Many people also tend to think that peels are only for people with wrinkles. Young teens, especially those with acne or hyperpigmentation, can be safely treated with skin peels.
Superficial peels with salicylic acid that treat the surface of the skin like our leave-on exfoliant CLARIFYING SERUM, can be used daily to treat acne, regardless of age. Not only do they exfoliate and speed up natural cell turnover, but they also help minimize production of oil, unclog pores, and reduce blackheads and whiteheads.
YOUR SKIN DOESN’T HAVE TO PEEL AFTER A SKIN PEEL
Another fact many people don’t know is that you don’t have to physically peel for a peel’s benefits to take effect. Like I said above, a peel is just a form of exfoliation by chemical means. The amount of peeling someone experiences is all dependent on individual factors, like skin type and if they are dealing with any skin conditions.
YOU SHOULDN’T USE RETINOL WITH A SKIN PEEL
Peels and retinols have similar effects on your skin, so it would make sense to combine them, right? Well, it’s actually a good idea to avoid retinol products for several days before and after a peel to decrease sensitivity. Instead, to get the benefits of retinol without introducing complications from a skin peel, use our BAKUCHIOL WONDER SERUM.
Bakuchiol is a plant-based alternative to retinol that offers the same kind of benefits with none of the irritation, helping reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This serum also contains purslane to stimulate collagen and cell repair, which can help with healing after a medium or deep peel.
It’s also important to keep the skin moisturized with a rich product like our CREAM and keep up with a sun protection product like our MINERAL TINT SPF 31.
If you have any questions about peels, how they may affect you, and how our products can help you maintain and protect your skin before and after, CONTACT US here or give us a call at (727) 286-7684, we’d love to talk to you and answer any questions you may have.
XOXO,
Denice
