I think it is interesting that all of the peels are called Chemical peels. They are made from fruit. The sugars from fruit make up the chemicals!
Chemical peels can be light, medium or deep. Differentiating between the peels depends on the ingredients and their percentage that are used. This is a method where a solution, usually and acid, is applied to the skin for a certain period of time. The solution penetrates into the upper most layers of skin creating the skin cells to peel off naturally. When you remove skin cells, the skin makes new cells.
By removing the upper layers of the epidermis you are creating small wounds that the skin repairs. By doing that, you are replacing old cells with new cells. When you slough off the old cells, it can help to remove sun damage, scarring, and fine lines. Of course, as with anything, one peel is not going to magically make everything go away.
I always use the analogy that working on your skin is like exercise for your body. The better you take care of it and the more consistent you are with getting facials and peels, the better results you will have.
There is a caveat to peeling the skin, one in Colorado in particular: most of us are outside all year round! So, that needs to be taken into consideration, if you decide you want to start receiving peel treatments. You do not want to do anything other than a light peel if you are going to be outside after.
Being an outdoor person, I will do light peels on myself and ride my bike a day later. But, I apply sunscreen every two hours.
I think that aggressive peeling can be done in short increments; but, you don’t want to be doing them all of the time.
Light peels can be “glycolic acid peels, AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) chemical peels, beta hydroxy acids, or salicylic acid chemical peels. Glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that occurs naturally in sugar cane, is the most common ingredient of light chemical peels.” -https://www.docshop.com › chemical-peel › type-light.
The www.docshop.com also says AHA chemical peels often contain:
Glycolic acid (extracted from sugar cane)
Lactic acid (extracted from milk)
Malic acid (extracted from pears and apples)
Citric acid (extracted from oranges and lemons)
Tartaric Acid ( extracted from grapes)
“A medium chemical peel removes skin cells from the epidermis and from portions of the upper part of your middle layer of skin (dermis). It's used to treat wrinkles, acne scars and uneven skin tone.” -https://www.mayoclinic.org › about › pac-20393473
Medium chemical peels often contain:
TCA (trichloroacetic acid)
Higher percentage of glycolic acid, retinol and/or salicylic acid
Pumpkin enzyme
Practicing in the scope of my license, I can’t go any deeper than medium.
