Chemical peels

Why we love them

Firstly, we need to establish that you are not a snake and your skin will not be ‘peeling’ off. This is progressive, not aggressive skin resurfacing. What a chemical peel actually does is deeply exfoliate your skin leaving it brighter, smoother and more luminous. Your skin is more readily able to absorb products and cell turnover is increased. 

Let’s think about your skin as a brick wall for a moment. The bricks are the cells and the cement is the desmosomes (proteins bonds holding the cells together). Imagine that the top of the wall has the old bricks that have been battered by the elements and you don’t want them anymore. What the peel does is break down the cement to let the (damaged or dead) bricks fall away allowing the fresher bricks to move up the wall. In other words, it helps speed up cell rejuvenation. 

Depending on your skin type and concern there are a variety of different peels that can be used. Peels are amazing for so many different skin concerns such as anti-ageing by helping to build healthy collagen and elastin leading to a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles. The increase in cell turnover is also very effective in reducing the appearance of pigmentation and scar tissue. There are also specific peels that are able to penetrate the skin lipids and are perfect for targeting acne and congestion.

The process

After cleansing your skin, the selected peel is applied and left on for a short time, on average between 4-8 minutes. You should only feel some tingling but your comfort is always closely monitored throughout the procedure. The sensation has been described as feeling like a chorus line of ants doing a tap dance on your face!!  After the peel is removed, the appropriate skin care is applied and most importantly a factor 50 SPF.  Depending on the strength of the peel you make experience some flaking after a few days but we always start your course with a highly superfical peel where it's most likely there will be no flaking at all. This will all be discussed during your initial consultation and your lifestyle will be taken into account when factoring in any (only ever minimal) downtime. 

Can I have one today?

To ensure we maximise the results of your peel and to limit the chances of any adverse reactions,  ideally you are recommended products to pre-prime your skin for at least two weeks before we start your treatments and for continued use afterwards. This gets your skin used to pharmaceutical grade products with active ingredients. That said there are some highly superficial peels which can give an instant glow.

How many do I need?

The immediate effects of a one off chemical peel will leave you with a brighter, smoother, glowing complexion but for longer lasting results a course of treatments is always recommended and also work so well as part of a bespoke treatment programme sometimes including microneedling. Chemical peels can be further enhanced by adding on a session of LED therapy to really get the cell renewal underway.

Why not get in touch to discuss any questions you have or book in for a skin consultation.