About Chemical Peels And Skin Peels

Chemical peels and skin peels have come into their own in the past few decades as dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons have learned the science behind the processes that make these skin treatments effective. However, the art and practice of applying varying substances to the skin – particularly the face and neck – has long been practiced by those seeking to beautify their skin.

The earliest recorded use of substances that would later come to be known as chemical peels or skin peel CT traces back to Egypt and the pharaohs, which is really not surprising considering that race’s use of embalming chemicals and mummification processes. Clearly, the Egyptians had some understanding of how the skin could be affected by formulas and substances, as is witnessed by the mummies of kings and queens that reside in museums today – thousands of years old and yet their skin still remains visible and preserved for viewing. Cleopatra, one of the most famous rulers of the Nile Valley tradition along with King Tutankhamun (King Tut), reportedly would bathe in sour goat’s milk on a regular basis to beautify her skin. It is unknown if the queen or her royal scientists understood the chemical process at work in the sour goat’s milk (lactic acid) that was causing the beautifying process to work – the lactic acid would cause her top layer of skin to shed and would thus stimulate the underlying layers of skin (including collagen) to regenerate faster to replace the top layer.

At the turn of the 20^th century, dermatologist George Miller Mackee began using phenol – also known as carbolic acid – as an exfoliant to treat scars. The phenol would remove the surface layers of skin, which included the scar tissue, and would stimulate layers of skin beneath the surface to grow to replace the missing layers of skin. In this way, the scar tissue was removed or reduced in severity drastically, and the age of chemical peels began in earnest. Since then, various chemicals and formulas have been experimented with that produce lesser or greater degrees of skin peeling and have greater or lesser side effects such as redness, irritation and pain.

The dermatologist or cosmetic surgery specialist’s job is to utilize the proper chemical substance to remove superficial layers of skin, while ensuring that the regeneration of skin from the chemical peel takes place without scarring or unwanted pigmentation effects. Controlling the amount of irritation or unnecessary pain during the process is also an important aspect of the chemical peel process, and to that end there are quite a number of chemicals and additional techniques like photorejuvenation that can be used in conjunction with the chemical peel to ensure safe and satisfactory results.

Chemical peels have multiple uses, some of which are highlighted below:

·         Removal of fine lines and wrinkles

·         Enlarged pore reduction

·         Reducing mild scarring

·         Reducing hyper-pigmentation (age spots and skin discolorations)

·         Decreasing the appearance of freckles, acne and acne scarring

As is always the case, the use of chemical peels CT should be performed by a trained medical professional. Using chemicals that cause your skin to peel away should not be attempted by laymen, as unexpected or unwanted results can occur. Over-the-counter varieties of chemical peels are available but are not as effective as true, medicinal chemical peels.