Chemical Peel, Part 1

What Is A Chemical Peel?

A chemical peel is an anti aging treatment used to improve skin using a chemical solution. The solution brings on a controlled injury to the skin that causes the dead skin to peel off. By removing the top layers of skin, collagen production is induced thereby improving sun damaged skin and skin pigmentation problems, reducing wrinkles, and improves skin texture and overall appearance of the skin. The younger looking skin has fewer wrinkles than the old skin.

Some types of chemical peels can be purchased and applied without a medical license; however people are advised to seek professional advice on a specific type of chemical peel beforehand. The strength of the chemical solution will determine the depth of the peel. Deeper peels may have a greater number of complications and require a longer recovery period, but will also result in a greater improvement to the skin.

Chemical peels can be applied to several different parts of the body other than the face. For example, the procedure can be done on the chest and back for acne, or on the neck or decolletage to treat sun damage.

Types Of Chemical Peels

Chemical peels fall into several categories. Each type is suited to treat different skin ailments. Chemical peels also vary in solution strength and are classified as either 'superficial', 'medium' or 'deep', according to the level of skin to be treated.

Supercial chemical peels include;

• Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) peels - these contain glycolic and lactic acid.
• Beta hydroxy acid (BHA) peels - salicylic acid is the main ingredient in these peels.
• Retinoic acid peels - retinoic acid is the ingredient found in Retin-A and Stieva-A (tretinoin) skin care products, but in much less concentrations than the retinoic peels.
• Jessner's Peel - contains a combination of salicylic acid, resorcinol and lactic acid.
• Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peel - typically contains 10 - 20% TCA.
• Deep sea peel - this is a natural organic, herb/plant-based peel.

Medium depth chemical peels include;

• Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peel - typically containing 35% TCA.

Deep chemical peels include;

• Baker-Gordon phenol peel.

Applying A Chemical Peel

It is recommended that the application of a chemical peel be performed by an experienced doctor or nurse.

The skin should be thoroughly cleansed. For facial peels, vaseline can be used to prevent the peel from entering the eyes. Your eyes should be closed during the procedure. As your skin is likely to get hot during the procedure, keep a fan handy to cool the area.

The chemical peel solution is applied to the skin for a set time before neutralizing the solution. However, if there is any unexpected skin reaction before the end of the allotted time, or if the pain is excessive, neutralization can be done early. Sodium bicarbonate is used for the neutralization stage.

At the end of the procedure, the peel is completed by placing sunscreen and a soothing balm on the skin.

Laser Eye Wrinkle Reduction

Here's a bit more on laser wrinkle removal. Specifically, laser skin treatment can be used effectively for lines around eyes and dark circles under the eyes.

Lines Around The Eyes

The "crow's feet" around the eyes are wrinkles caused by muscle contractions during facial expressions such as squinting or frowning, as well as slack, poor quality skin around the eyes. The excessive muscle tone can be smoothed out by Botox. However, if there is too much excess skin, Botox treatment is not the best solution. Laser skin treatment, by way of microscopic accurate incisions of the skin under the eyes, is the better option in this instance to tighten and rejuvenate the skin.

Not only will it provide laser skin tightening, it is likely to act like a mini upper eye lift.

Usually only one laser skin rejuvenation treatment is needed and the recovery period is short. There will be some swelling the next day however this will be gone within a week.

Dark Circles Under The Eyes

Dark circles under the eyes may be racial in origin, and is a common complaint particularly from people with olive or dark skin. Dark circles may also be associated with drug use or insufficient sleep.

The cause of dark circles is due to either pigmentation or amassed bluish blood vessels. Creams and lotions cannot remove dark circles alone. Surgical laser treatment remains the most effective solution. Laser skin treatment is used to remove the pigmentation and blood vessels, followed by the use of anti-pigmentation cream. It is a delicate operation requiring microscopic surgery and a lot of care. However, this laser skin rejuvenation procedure is a proven successful anti aging treatment.

The procedure should take less than 2 hours and some swelling can be expected. Pigmentation may initially get darker and will then flake off. Recovery usually takes 3 to 7 days.

The Importance Of Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential for our body to function correctly. As our skin is an integral part of our body, healthy eating will assist with skin rejuvenation. In fact, an absence of some vitamins and minerals are damaging to the skin and possibly result in skin disease and a premature increase in aging.

The following are various vitamins and minerals important for healthy skin;

Vitamin B-Complex

B-complex normally refers to the group of vitamins that include B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenate), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyancobalamine) and folate.

Vitamins B1 and B2 are important for energy production in the cells. Lack of these vitamins may occur in people who base their diet mainly on processed grains and potatoes.

Vitamin B12 is essential for a range of processes in the cells. A lack of this vitamin is very detrimental to neurons and rapidly dividing cells, including skin cells. B12 is found almost exclusively in meat, poultry, fish, eggs and diary products. It has been shown that no active B12 is found in algae (such as spirulina) or fermented soy products. Therefore, vegetarians are at risk of this vitamin deficiency.

Just like B12, folate is also important to rapidly dividing cells, including skin cells. Green leafy vegetables and beans are the most abundant sources of folate. Liver is the only food from an animal source that is rich in folate. Folate can break down during cooking. So the best way to get enough folate in your diet is to eat liberal amounts of fresh or slightly cooked vegetables.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential to the normal life cycle of skin cells. A lack of vitamin A causes the skin to become dry and prone to wrinkles. No skin treatment will work effectively if a person is vitamin A deficient.

Vitamin A can be found in foods such as eggs, organ meats and diary products. Several plants, like carrots and broccoli, can provide carotenoids that the body can convert into vitamin A.

Vitamin C, Iron & Copper

These three are important for the production of collagen. A lack of these nutrients decreases the skins elasticity and healing ability. Vitamin C can be found in fruit and vegetables, iron is found in whole grains and meat products and copper is found in trace amounts in a diverse assortment of foods.


Just about all vitamins and minerals are required for healthy skin, but some are particulary important. To maximize the benefits of any anti aging treatment, you need to eat plenty of healthy foods to get the necessary vitamins and minerals. But, all in moderation, of course. Too high dosage of some vitamins and minerals may be detrimental to the body.

Resources For Wrinkle Reduction Advice

So you've noticed a few (more) wrinkles appearing on your face and neck. What resources are available for obtaining wrinkle reduction advice or information regarding anti wrinkle products? There are several places where you can find the type of information you need to achieve younger looking skin.

Your local dermatologist is a good source for advice. A dermatologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin conditions and disorders.

There are also many online resources for wrinkle reduction guidance. Online forums can provide you with advice from people who have found solutions to wrinkle problems, who have tried anti wrinkle products or an anti aging treatment. Alternatively, websites can provide you with a wealth of information ranging from laser wrinkle removal to wrinkle cream reviews to treatment for under eye wrinkles, and any other skin and wrinkle problem that you may have. These sites will have recommendations for products and treatments that can get you on your way to having younger looking skin.

You can quiz your friends and colleagues as to what anti wrinkle products they have tried and would recommend. You may quickly discover an excellent product by just asking!

There are a lot of natural products that benefit your skin. So you could scour the bookshelves for homemade skin rejuvenation treatments. Some home-based treatments have been around for decades - these might be a great anti aging treatment for your skin.

When searching for advice, you need to be mindful that everybody's skin is different. Some people's skin is more sensitive than others. Therefore, some treatments and anti wrinkle products will work better for some than for others. You should be aware of the ingredients and products that might react badly with your skin.

Whatever you discover, make sure you take care of your skin every day. Get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, eat healthy food and don't get too much sun. It's the best thing you can do for keeping wrinkles at bay.

Botox - Neurotoxin And Anti Wrinkle Product

Botox is just one of the many cosmetic fillers available. It is popular for the temporary reduction of frown lines on the forehead and between the eyebrows. It is a biological toxin modified to be used to treat lines and wrinkles created by muscles during facial expressions, such as squinting or frowning. Botox is injected beneath the skin and restricts muscle contraction to give the impression of being relaxed.

Botox doesn't go anyway towards correcting sun damage, rough skin, age spots or scars. It's use is approved for a very limited area of the face only, essential the furrow between your eyebrows.

Are There Any Downsides To Using Botox?

Botox is a bacterial neurotoxin called botulinum. It can be deadly poisonous in sufficiently large quantities - and that's why it is heavy diluted before being injected. The use of Botox is forbidden for pregnant or lactating women, or if neurological problems exist.

Botox injections are only temporary. The benefits from this anti aging treatment will disappear between 3 to 6 months. A set of injections will cost about $800.

Regular injections will expose you to risk of skin and nerve damage, and may aggravate some skin problems.

Side effects to Botox are possible, although not everyone will get them. If side effects do occur, they are usually slight and easily treated. Botox patients may experience headaches, facial pain or difficulty swallowing. The patient may have a droopy eyelid if the muscle used to raise the eyelid is affected. Occasionally, but very infrequently, sight disorders can occur.

Given in large quantities, Botox can cause botulism. However, this type of poisoning would arise only if the injection is many hundreds of times stronger than that normally used for the cosmetic procedure.

The Basics Of Skin

Alrighty then! Out with the high school biology books. Well, maybe not quite. But I promised you a rundown of the basics of skin. So here it is. No apologies if I miss out some stuff as I'm not getting into the micro-cellular level of detail. My aim is to be just informative enough for you to grasp the fundamentals but not put you to sleep.

We usually don't think of our skin as an organ, but it is. And it's the largest organ of our body. It makes up about 15% of our body weight.

Our skin is made up of three layers, each playing it's own important part. The layer on the outside is called the epidermis. Underneath this is the dermis. And below this lies the third layer, the subcutaneous fat.

The World Sees Your Epidermis

The epidermis is usually about 0.5 to 1mm thick. At the bottom and lower sections of the epidermis, new skin cells are growing. These cells begin moving toward the top of your epidermis. The skin completely renews itself every 2 to 5 weeks. As the new cells move up to the surface of your skin, the old cells at the top die and flake off. It's estimated that every minute we lose about 35,000 dead cells (give or take a few hundred).

So when you look adoringly at your partner's face, you're really looking at dead skin. (Hmm, I'd better not ponder on this thought too long - I could come up with some very good wise cracks!... So, moving right along...)

While your skin is continually busy making new skin cells to replace the old ones, it is also making melanin. This gives your skin its color. I won't go into too much detail here as I'll be covering this in another post. However, when you go outside into the sun, additional melanin is made to protect you from getting sun burn by ultraviolet rays.

The Dermis Lies Below The Epidermis

The dermis consists of a taut lattice of collagen and elastin fibers. These are important skin proteins. Collagen is responsible for structural support and elastin gives flexibility and resilience to our skin.

It is the thickest of the skin layers and also contains nerve endings, blood vessels, oil glands and sweat glands. The tiny blood vessels keep your skin cells healthy by supplying nutrients and removing waste. The oil glands, or sebaceous glands, produce sebum. This is the skin's natural oil and helps keep the surface of the epidermis protected.

The dermis is in charge of the skin's structural integrity. Wrinkles develop in the dermis. Thus, any anti aging treatment only has a chance of being successful if it can reach down to the dermis.

The Subcutaneous Layer

The third and base layer of the skin is called the subcutaneous layer. It consists mostly of fat and assists your body to stay warm. The subcutaneous layer also helps hold your skin to tissues beneath it.

The loss of subcutaneous tissue, primary due to age, leads to sagging skin and heightened wrinkles.


So there you have it. Now that we know the fundamentals of skin, we can move on towards a better understanding of what to look for in anti wrinkle creams and covering a few tips for achieving and maintaining younger looking skin.

It’s So Versatile!

Skin is so multi-talented! I think that it's just fascinating stuff. It is our natural protective body covering. It keeps our muscles, bones and other organs inside our body while keeping infections out. Skin helps maintain our bodies at just the right temperature and it provides us with our sense of touch.

So when we take care of our skin, we're assisting it to do all the work that it's designed to do. And taking care of our skin NOW will help prevent problems in the future, such as (more!) wrinkles and age spots.

A sound understanding of the various parts that make up our skin and their role can be valuable in understanding the aging process. And once the basics are known, it can help us work out which anti aging treatment and skin rejuvenation products make good sense and which are just a waste of time and money.

In the next post, I'll provide a very quick overview of "The Basics of Skin" so that we can understand the basics behind what causes wrinkles and how to achieve wrinkle reduction - sort of like Skin Biology 101.