If you feel like your skin has plateaued and your skincare routine isn’t giving you the results you’re looking for, there is an in-office treatment that you can add to your routine to regularly refresh and improve your skin. At the Dermatology Center of Acadiana in Lafayette, LA, we offer chemical peels as a way to improve the overall health of the skin and correct problematic skin conditions.
How Is a Chemical Peel Good for My Skin?
Chemical peels are good for your skin and they benefit the skin in many ways. They are also fully customizable and can treat a variety of skin tones and types.
Depending on what skin issue you want to treat, regular peels can improve your skin, help resolve problematic skin conditions, and help you maintain a clear, even, and smooth complexion.
They Treat the Signs of Aging
Once you begin to notice the signs of aging appear on your face, you may feel as though your skin is doomed, destined for more wrinkles and lines. However, lines can be softened and can even disappear with the correct treatments, and a chemical peel geared toward aging skin can do just that.
Undergoing regular treatments may help soften and even reduce the number of fine lines and wrinkles that have begun to develop on your skin due to aging.
They Improve Acne-Prone Skin
When your skin is acne-prone, it is difficult if not near impossible to find a treatment that doesn’t exacerbate the issue. However, this treatment is fully customizable so that it is not just open to those with acne-prone skin, but it can improve such skin and help prevent future breakouts.
If you have oily skin, enlarged pores, acne blemishes, or even acne scarring, this treatment will help you find the relief and improvement that you’ve been looking for.
They Help Correct Pigment Issues
Pigment issues are difficult to correct at home. They typically require products that contain extra-strength ingredients that aren’t usually available for over-the-counter purchase.
If you have hyperpigmentation, age spots, sun spots, brown spots, or melasma, there is a chemical peel that can be customized accordingly to lighten and eventually, with optimal treatments, erase those spots that have developed due to pregnancy, the sun, genetics, or the aging process.
They Improve Overall Skin Health
If you don’t have a problematic skin condition, but your skin does feel dull and tired and in need of rejuvenation, a chemical peel will exfoliate your skin and reveal a fresh, youthful layer that will leave you with a healthy glow.
Scheduling regular treatments is a way to take your skincare routine to the next level and keep your skin as youthful and vibrant as possible.
They Make Your Skin Glow
Dull skin does not communicate youth, but instead, makes you feel older than you are. Glowing skin, however, is a trend that is here to stay and you don’t need to invest in cosmetic products like highlighters to get it, you can get the real thing with a peel.
Adding peels to your skincare routine will not only make your skin glow but make it healthier and more vibrant than ever.
What Is a Chemical Peel?
There are two different types of exfoliation: chemical and physical. Physical exfoliation is tangible and manual. Products and treatments that qualify as physical exfoliation include exfoliating scrubs with granular pieces, microdermabrasion treatments, and dermaplaning. They all involve pieces or a device that physically removes dead skin cells, and you can usually see that skin visibly once removed manually.
Chemical exfoliation involves the disintegration of the top layer of skin along with the dead skin cells through a chemical process. A peel qualifies as a form of chemical exfoliation. You cannot usually see the dead skin once removed because it removes it chemically, but it does remove it and leaves you with the new, fresh layer of skin beneath. Peels are usually composed of a mix of acids that work together to:
- Chemically exfoliate the old, top layer of skin
- Promote cellular regeneration
- Improve skin health
Our Peels
We offer two different types of peels: VI Peels and salicylic acid peels. The VI Peels are stronger and can target and correct problematic skin conditions. The salicylic acid peels are lighter peels and work better for those with more sensitive skin or who aren’t ready to commit to a higher-strength peel quite yet.
VI Peels
At Dermatology Center of Acadiana, we are proud to offer the effective VI Peel by the Vitality Institute. These peels contain a combination of acids, Vitamin C, and phenol. They are effective peels that improve the skin by exfoliating the top layers, require minimal downtime, and are pain-free. These peels are intended for those who want a stronger treatment for their skin.
What Types of Peels Are There?
- The Vi Peel – the original version of the VI Peel and the lightest and least potent formulation
- The VI Precision Peel – a stronger version of the original peel with a higher concentration of ingredients
- The Vi Precision Plus Peel – the strongest, most advanced peel is designed to treat hyperpigmentation and sunspots
Where Can I Get a VI Peel?
VI Peels are versatile and can be done in many different areas of the body. These areas include the face, under-eye area, the neck, the back, the chest, the arms, and even the legs.
How Soon Does It Take to See Results?
You will notice a noticeable difference in your skin one week post-treatment.
Will I Peel?
Everyone reacts to peels differently, but most patients begin peeling two to three days post-treatment. Peeling typically subsides after six or seven days. If you have ever peeled from a sunburn, your peeling will most likely resemble that same type of peeling.
Salicylic Acid Peels
We offer two different types of salicylic acid peels that come in different strengths: 20% and 30%. Salicylic acid peels are lighter versions of chemical peels, but they are still very effective. They can help treat and improve oily skin, acne-prone skin, clogged pores, fine lines, wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, and sun-damaged skin.
Where Can I Get a Salicylic Acid Peel?
The face is the most common treatment area for salicylic acid chemical peels, but they can be used on other areas of the body to improve the skin. These other areas include the chest, back, and hands.
Will I Peel?
Once you undergo a salicylic acid peel, you can expect some flaking one to three days post-treatment.
How Soon Will I See Results?
After your salicylic acid peel, you can expect to see a noticeable improvement in your skin within one week.
Will I Break Out After My Peel?
If you have acne-prone skin, you may break out immediately following your peel. This is due to the peel’s ability to bring any acne-causing bacteria hiding within the pores to the surface and is a process known as purging. This is only temporary and you will experience improvements in your skin soon after the breakout subsides.
How Many Peels Will I Need?
For best results, we recommend a treatment plan that consists of four to six salicylic acid peels spaced two to four weeks apart. However, different skin types have different needs. During your consultation, an esthetician will discuss your goals and analyze your skin type and help determine the best treatment plan to help you reach those goals.
Caring for Your Skin Post-Treatment
To get the best results, there are some instructions that you need to follow concerning your skin. Doing so will ensure that your skin is protected as it heals and reveals that beautiful, younger, glowing, youthful layer of new skin.
Protect Your Skin
Immediately after your peel, your new, exposed layer of skin will be very vulnerable to the elements, especially the sun. You must use a high-quality sunscreen in the days following your peel and keep your skin out of the sun whenever possible. Avoid all unnecessary sun exposure and wear a hat and sunscreen whenever you happen to be in the sun, even for a very short amount of time.
Don’t Pick at Your Peeling Skin
Although it may be tempting to pick at your peeling skin, you need to use restraint and leave your skin alone. Manually peeling off skin after a peel can result in permanent scarring and skin damage. Peels cause the skin to peel, but there is a natural process that occurs and you need to let that process occur naturally in order to avoid an unwanted outcome.
Moisturize Your Skin
One of the best things that you can do for your skin after your peel is to apply moisturizer. Keeping your skin well hydrated and moisturized will help the peeling process and can help your skin recover quickly.
Am I a Candidate?
If you want to improve your skin, or you struggle with a problematic skin condition, you are most likely a candidate who will benefit from one of our peels. During your initial consultation, an expert esthetician will analyze your skin, listen to your concerns, and help determine which of these peels will give you the best results based on your needs.
Who Should Avoid Peels?
There are certain individuals who should not undergo a peel because doing so will only cause inflammation, skin damage, and other harmful effects. If you fall into any of these categories, know that most of these conditions only temporarily exclude you from undergoing peel treatments. Once you qualify for treatment, your skin will be ready to receive all of the benefits this treatment can bring. Those who are temporary excluded from peels include:
- Individuals who have an active cold sore
- Those who are pregnant or nursing
- Individuals with sunburned skin
- Those who have had a wax in the area of treatment less than one week before a peel appointment
- Individuals who have recently exfoliated with abrasive scrubs or devices
- Those who have been using isotretinoin in the last six months
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today
If you are ready to begin a skin transformation, don’t wait any longer to add one of these peels to your skincare routine. Once you add a monthly peel to your routine, you will notice all of the benefits that peels bring to the skin, like that envy-worthy youthful glow. Contact us today at the Dermatology Center of Acadiana in Lafayette, LA, and schedule your initial consultation to find out which one of these chemical peels will help you reach your skincare goals.