Loading ...A chemical peel treatment can help you get back most of the lost charm or attraction that has been affected by aging or for any other reason. This cosmetic treatment is becoming a much widely practiced cosmetic way worldwide. You can even do the peeling at home, totally on your own, which can save you a considerable amount of money and time. All is true, but the risks of a chemical peel treatment do exist and everyone who intends to undergo a peeling treatment, should know what risks are to be faced while doing or undergoing such a treatment. Let’s find more about this important issue.
Different Types of Chemical Peels
To know chemical peels risks, we have to know the different types of peels since not every peel works the same way, and not every peel can be associated with the same types of risks.
We can conveniently group chemical peels in three major categories:
- Light or Superficial Chemical Peels
- Medium Chemical Peels
- Deep Chemical Peel
As the names suggest, each type of peel does its job accordingly, and each has its own limit of strength or concentration that can be applied onto the skin. The effect of a peel on the skin largely depends on the type of peel and its strength used.
Light peels belong to the AHA or alpha hydroxyl acids group where most of the peeling agents are naturally obtained acids.
A medium depth peel mostly contains TCA or trichloroacetic acid and it works deeper than the alpha hydroxyl acid peels, but shallower than a deep chemical peel.
A deep chemical peel is the strongest of all three types of peels, which has phenol as the peeling agent.
Risks of Chemical Peeling
Light peels have certain limits and the risks associated with these types of peels aren’t so serious. Medium depth peel, as the name suggest, works rather deeply, deeper than the light peels, and its risks are naturally more than the light peels. Deep peel is the strongest of all peels with deepest possible effects on the skin and, obviously, risks associated with this peel are mostly of very serious nature.
We can take a general look on the risks associated with chemical peeling treatment, whereas the risks factors increase as the peel’s type and concentration increase. The deeper or the stronger the peel, the more severe will be the risks.
- Scarring
- Infections
- Hyper-pigmentation
- Hypo-pigmentation
- Temporary or permanent change of skin tone (in deep peel only)
- Breakouts of cold sores (in those who has history of herpes, shingles, etc)
- Risks of heart diseases (in deep phenol peel only)
- Burns (deep peel)
- Swelling
- Serious flaking (deep peel)
- Risks with anesthesia (in deep peel)
Most of the risks of chemical peels can effectively be avoided provided the peel is selected correctly to suit the skin and the conditions to treat, the procedure is done properly, and post peeling instructions are followed carefully. Therefore, it is imperative for you to learn a lot about the peeling treatment, and have the procedure done under the eyes of a qualified skin care professional. However, experienced users can undergo light peel treatments at home as well.
Readers may take part in this discourse with their personal experiences and queries. Please post the information here for the benefits of others.
