There are generally three types of chemical peels, based on depth. And what dictates that depth is the acid that is the active ingredient. Deep peels use carbolic acid, medium peels use trichlorocetic acid, and light peels use glycolic acid (or other fruit-based acids). Dr. Kronberg only offers glycolic peels in her practice. Here’s why.
Deeper peels = more risk and recovery
Phenol and trichorocetic acid peels penetrate more deeply than light peels. This may sound like a good thing, so that you can peel away deeper wrinkles and skin damage, but they both come with a downside that we’re not willing to take at Dr. Kronberg’s practice.
Medium peels use tricholoacetic acid as the main peeling agent. They penetrate deep enough to cause a second-degree burn on the skin. You read that right, a second-degree burn.
Deep peels use phenol (which is also called carbolic acid) and penetrate even more deeply. They also cause second-degree burns, but border on even more severe burns.
After a medium peel, patients need 5 to 7 days to heal to the point where they can use makeup to cover the redness caused by the peel. The skin will turn reddish-brown, crust over, and will then peel off. A few days off work will be required for a medium peel recovery.
After a deep peel, skin regrowth takes 10 to 14 days. The skin remains extremely red for three weeks, up to two months for some people. Recovery is painful with patients having to be careful to not allow infection of their peeled skin. The skin will fully crust. Deep peels can only be done once in a person’s life.
With both medium and deep peels, there are risks of permanent scarring and pigmentation problems.
Superficial peels to the rescue
All of that sounds scary, right? That’s why we only use light/superficial peels at Dr. Kronberg’s. Glycolic acid is derived from sugar cane and is not harsh or damaging. These peels eliminate poor skin tone, mottled pigmentation, fine lines, scars, acne, and blackheads. They also help control oily skin.
Unlike deeper peels, superficial peels are painless and don’t have any recovery. Your skin may become slightly pink, and you may have some minor flaking for a couple of days afterward, but that’s it.
To Dr. Kronberg, a glycolic peel works to exfoliate the microscopic layer of the skin’s surface. This is just what natural exfoliation does, our superficial peels simply speed up the process.
Call us at 713-771-8941 to make your appointment for your glycolic peel today.
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