Peelings or peels
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
The peel is a chemical process to destroy the superficial layers of the
skin (exfoliation) so as to erase some skin blemishes, especially
signs of aging (superficial or medium wrinkles, scars, keratoses and
liver spots). There are three types of smoothing in aesthetic medicine:
mechanical smoothing or dermabrasion; chemical smoothing or peeling
and thermal smoothing or laserbrasion.
Depending on the aim we use several types of peels:
-fruit acid peels: the fruit acid peel
improves skin tone and causes a simple scrub (this affects only the
superficial horny layer of the epidermis). These must be repeated, they
are light and have no decisive action on skin aging.
- light and superficial peels: so-called
weak acid peels (using lactic and salicylic acid). Their action is
moderate. Light and superficial peels are mild and cause exfoliation of
the skin (they will destroy the skin up to the granular layer of the
epidermis). The skin will peel. The purpose of a light or superficial
peel is to produce a cooling effect on the skin tone. This kind of
peeling will more or less smooth certain imperfections in the skin’s
surface such as wrinkles and have a minor effect on skin aging. A light
or superficial peel requires no anaesthesia. The aftermath of the
procedure is simple and tips are given on classic sun protection.
Both types of peels can be applied without restriction zone. Complications are rare.
-medium or deep peels, controlled
chemical burn, real abrasion that can destroy the epidermis and the
superficial dermis. This is a procedure that needs to be carried out e
by a qualified plastic surgeon who will choose the type of peel, its
concentration and the duration of the application according to the
defects to be corrected, the area treated, the skin type and the aim
sought. The phenomenon of restoration will be achieved through the
natural healing of the undamaged parts of the base membrane of the
dermis and pilosebaceous annexes. The healing time is delicate; the
skin is fragile and requires constant care. The different types of
medium or deep peels are as follows:
resorcinol paste (Unna) peels
phenol peels ( the cardiac , liver and kidney toxicity of phenol means
it needs to be used by qualified surgeons) and croton oil peels (the
concentration of the croton oil is adapted to achieve a light,
medium or deep peel)
trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peels with adjustment of the concentration to achieve a light , medium or deep peel
With a medium or deep peel a skin "tightening" effect is obtained ,
which is more or less significant once healing has taken place.
Medium or deep peeling is a procedure performed alone or in
combination with eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), facelifts, but also
with surgical techniques such as medical treatment of wrinkles by the
injection of Botulinum toxin or fillers.
A medium or deep peel is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon, and
it is, like any surgical procedure, performed after preoperative
assessment and consultation with an anaesthesiologist. Medium or deep
peels may be performed under premedication, local anaesthesia, loco
regional anaesthesia or neuroleptanalgesia. Hospitalization following a
medium or deep peel is as an outpatient or last for 24 hours. It takes
a period of 2 to 6 months for the flexibility in the tissues to be
recovered. Do not forget that the medium or deep peel, performed in
many cases for purely aesthetic reasons, is a form of surgery that is
delicate, requiring a lot of rigour, with all the risks associated
with any medical procedure (anaesthesia and surgery) even when carried
out under the most favourable conditions, that is to say by a
qualified plastic surgeon. Without overstating the risk, a proportion
of risks exist. Turning to a qualified plastic surgeon can prevent
complications or help to treat them effectively.