Saturday 4 June 2011

Chemical Peels


            There are many different levels of chemical peels out there. Some can only be administered by your doctor or dermatologist where others you can receive by your skin therapist. We offer two different types of peels at Spruce Body Lab where I work. The first is a glycolic and the other is an Advanced AHA (or Alpha Hydroxy Acid).

            Alpha Hydroxy Acids are naturally occurring carboxylic acids. These acids aim to treat fine lines/wrinkles, dryness, pigmentation and acne/acne scaring. AHA’s can be mixed into facial wash or night creams in lesser concentration to improve skin tone and clear congestion. The AHA umbrella consists of 5 usual fruit acids; citric (citrus derived), glycolic (derived from sugar cane), lactic (derived from milk), malic (derived from apples) and tartaric (derived from grapes).

            The priori Advanced AHA peel we offer at Spruce Body Lab is a unique combination of lactic acid, the cell signal AHA natural to the human body, and multiple essential skin antioxidant vitamins – A, C, E and Pro-A in a self-regenerating complex – all vital to proper skin cell renewal rates. Lactic acid is superior to all other AHAs (70-95% more effective than glycolic acid) at increasing hyaluronic acid disposition in the skin, and therefore is the AHA of choice for increasing the skin’s natural moisture content, critical in the treatment of aging skin. Priori’s theory is that with intense aggressive peels, the inflammation and downtime to ‘heal’ your skin actually speeds up the aging process.  That is what makes this peel so desirable, it’s gentle, yet very effective.
            Glycolic peels tend to be slightly more aggressive as it is the smallest AHA molecule, meaning it can penetrate deeper, faster. We offer either a 40% glycolic peel (pH 1.5) or for those who have really tolerant skin, a 60% glycolic peel (pH 1.5). In addition to concentration, pH plays a large part in determining potency. The lower the pH levels, the more aggressive the peel. We can leave this peel on up to 5 minutes depending on how tolerant your skin is. We also used a method called panelling for application. This means treating one panel of your face at a time (forehead, left cheek, right cheek, nose then chin). This helps us to prevent any injury from occurring. If not done correctly or left on to long, you can experience frosting which can lead to your skin weeping which will turn into scabbing. Not trying to scare you or anything. Just make sure you have someone who is educated and knows what they're doing if you ever receive this treatment. 

            I have seen some amazing results from both peels we offer. As your therapist we would discuss your concerns and expectations, then take a look at your skin to determine which peel would best suit your needs. Just like microdermabrasion, if you are treating a certain concern we could do this peel in a series of 6, two weeks apart, for optimal results. Another way to get some fantastic results is to combine doing mircodermabrasion followed by the Advanced AHA peel. It will leave your skin looking and feeling AMAZING!

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