What is peeling?
Peeling is a cosmetic technique that consists of physically or chemically exfoliating the skin. This procedure creates new layers of skin by replacing damaged tissue.
It is especially indicated to eliminate skin imperfections caused by acne, blemishes and wrinkles.
The main objective is to achieve a younger skin, with less wrinkles and more luminosity. It can be performed on all skin types and ages. It serves to renew the skin and help it look brighter.
Types of peeling
Depending on the procedure used on the skin, we can distinguish three types of peeling:
- Mechanical peeling: may also be called dermabrasion. This treatment consists of performing a superficial exfoliation by means of mechanical equipment consisting of two heads that rotate over the skin. The movement of these heads regenerates the cells of the dermis and increases collagen production.
- Physical peel: in this procedure a light laser is used to eliminate imperfections in areas close to the lips and eyes.
- Chemical peeling: In this case, corrosive chemicals are used that cause the epidermis layer to be removed and replaced by a new one. The procedure is controlled and leaves no marks. The products used are retinoic acid, glycolic acid, mandelic acid and trichloroacetic acid.
In addition, we can also classify them according to the depth of treatment:
- Superficial: superficial peeling focuses on the epidermis and the stratum corneum. The objective is to eliminate small wrinkles, to act on expression lines and to attenuate scars that are not very pronounced. Dead cells are removed without exfoliation. This type of peeling can be performed at home, always under the supervision of a professional.
- Medium: in this case, the target is expression wrinkles and sun spots. The treatment causes the appearance of scabs that fall off after 5-10 days.
- Deep: This is a more aggressive peeling, which causes redness in the treated area for about 4 days. But also greater effectiveness. It is used for wrinkles, scars and blemishes.
Treatments may be repeated but there must be a rest period, which varies depending on the type of peel applied. For example, deep peeling should not be repeated before eight weeks.
How the peeling is performed
Peeling must be supervised by a professional, as not all skins tolerate the same treatments. Without knowledge, you could injure your skin.
In addition, there are a series of cares that must be taken before and after the treatment, to avoid complications such as hyperpigmentation, hypertrophic scars or infections caused by any of the chemical substances used.
On the other hand, sun exposure should be avoided for about 15 days before and after peeling.
After this time it is necessary to use high sun protection for 3 months, as well as to apply protective cosmetics to promote skin hydration. Experts recommend performing this treatment in the months when sun exposure is lower.
Before treatment, the skin should be prepared for best effectiveness. This can be achieved by deep cleaning.
Commitment to quality
This text on peeling has been written by professional editors and reviewed by Sisneo’s medical-aesthetic team. In addition, we have relied on experts in medicine, engineering and aesthetics as a source of information, as well as specific studies to maintain the quality of what we publish.
At Sisneo Bioscience we are committed to publish truthful and contrasted information. And to update or correct it as soon as new knowledge becomes available.
Among others, we have used the following references:
- Al-Talib H, Al-Khateeb A, Hameed A, Murugaiah C. «Efficacy and safety of superficial chemical peeling in treatment of active acne vulgaris» en An Bras Dermatol. 2017 Mar-Apr;92(2):212-216. doi: 10.1590/abd1806-4841.20175273. PMID: 28538881; PMCID: PMC5429107.
