Facial peels are an excellent treatment to rejuvenate and refresh your facial appearance. They rely on peeling or exfoliating the surface layer of skin and stimulating the underlying layers of skin to produce collagen. This results in a fresh and rejuvenated appearance to the face with improvements to the skin’s texture and tone and reduction of uneven pigmentation. Depending on your skin type and the results you wish to obtain, Ms Nugent may recommend a treatment course of mild facial peels, a single more extensive peel or a course of medical grade skin care in advance of or instead of a facial peel.
There are a variety of facial peels available, many with excellent results. Ms Nugent uses the ObagiTM range of facial peels as they have a long track record of excellent results that are reliable and predictable and they have a good safety record. They also compliment and work in harmony with the medical grade skin care range from ObagiTM that she uses in her practice. ObagiTM skin care products are suitable for most skin types.
Indications for Procedure:
Limitations of Procedure:
Procedure Details:
Facial peels are performed in the office or clinic without anaesthesia. Before a medium depth peel such as the Obagi Blue PeelTM, Ms Nugent advised that you take some painkillers such as paracetamol or co-codamol. First your skin is carefully cleaned and prepared. The treatment areas are marked. Then peel is then applied with cotton buds to your skin. Each area is treated and “frosting” or white patchs appear on the skin. This indicates that the correct depth has been reached with peel. More than one application of the peel solution may be applied until the treatment is complete. Then the solution is carefully wiped off and a soothing post-peel cream applied. A light to medium burning sensation will be experienced during the peel application.
Superficial Facial Peel (Obagi Blue Peel RadianceTM)
This is a salicylic acid peel and gives its best results when performed as a course of 6 treatments usually spaced 1 to 2 weeks apart. The peeling is very light and can be disguised quite well with makeup. It does not require time off work to recover. Peeling usually lasts from day 3 to day 5 or 6.
Medium Depth Facial Peel (Obagi Blue PeelTM)
This is a trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peel. It is recommended that you prepare your skin in advance for this peel with a 6 to 12 week course of medical grade skin care such as Obagi NuDermTM. This prepares the skin well for the peel and gives a better final result. After this peel, you will have a blue stain to your face temporarily. This can be a surprising effect but will resolve as your skin heals. The peeling is more extensive with a medium depth peel and with this peel, Ms Nugent advises 10 days off work and social activities. This may coincide well with the recovery period following facelift surgery.
Deep Facial Peel
Ms Nugent does not offer deep facial peels as there is an increased risk of scarring with these, a longer recovery time and some additional risks.
Postprocedure Course:
Immediately after the peel, you will experience some redness and irritation of your skin. It is imperative that you protect your skin from the sun after all peels but particularly the medium depth peel. You will be given instructions regarding use of a post peel cream and sunscreen – usually to apply it 3 to 4 times a day, cleaning your face gently before each application. Ms Nugent recommends wearing a wide-brimmed hat to further protect your skin from the sun when outside.
Peeling begins between days 3 and 4 and lasts up to a week depending on the depth of the peel. The extent of peeling also depends on the depth of the peel with deeper peels causing more peeling than superficial peels. Your skin will feel tight and a little irritated during this time. It is important not to pick at the peeling skin as this may cause scarring. After the peeling is finished, you will notice that your skin feels smoother and tighter. It may be a little pink in the beginning but you will also see an improvement in the appearance of your skin. It will have a smoother and more even appearance and you will have a brighter complexion.
Recovery:
The recovery after a superficial peel is complete after about 1 week and no time off work is needed. The recovery period after a medium depth peel is 10 to 14 days and some time off work is recommended after the Obagi Blue PeelTM to allow for the blue colour to disappear and the peeling to settle.
You may apply makeup after a superficial peel after sunscreen is applied. Ms Nugent recommends using a mineral based makeup. It is best to wait until the peeling has resolved before using makeup after the Obagi Blue PeelTM and again a mineral based makeup is recommended.
Complications:
Success of Procedure:
Facial peels are very effective at rejuvenating the skin and appearance of the face. The results can be maintained for longer if your skin is protected from the sun and with the use of medical grade skin care. Both the superficial and medium depth skin peels can be repeated in the future if you wish to do so.