Chemical Peels: Dreadful or Delightful?

Chemical peels sound so scary, so let’s look a little closer at what they are all about. Chemical peels use acids to induce the exfoliation of the outer layer of skin. The acid could be from fruits (citric acid), milk (lactic acid), sugar (glycolic acid), almonds (mandelic acid), willow bark (salicylic) etc. As the skin peels, a new layer will rise to the surface, which brings lots of benefits such as decongestion of pores, smoother skin texture, lifted pigment, brightening skin tone, and reduction in fine lines.

Chemical peels cause a sort of controlled injury, which sounds awful, but wait a minute. When you work out, you are injuring your muscles. Lifting heavy weights causes tiny muscular tears which call on the body to repair. As you rest, your body goes into a healing cascade and not only repairs, but builds bigger, stronger muscles. We were created to have times of rest and stimulation in balance. Your skin needs the same. Too much rest (think of being on bed rest) causes atrophy and degeneration, but constant stimulation causes stress, injury, and chronic inflammation.  That’s why it’s important to have an in-depth skin analysis to see if a chemical peel is right for you.