Chemical Peel:

Laxity of the facial skin that occurs with age, including deep facial lines, crevices and drooping can only be reversed through face lift or face “stretching”.

However, facelift is not so effective for fine lines and wrinkles, in which case the treatments of choice are commonly the “Chemical Peel”, dermabrasion or laser surgery.

In all three of these treatments, the goal is the removal or ablation of the superficial layer of skin so that the fine, small wrinkles of the face are diminished or eliminated thus restoring the skin’s smoothness.

Additionally these procedures may serve to correct superficial scars, depressions, or cutaneous irregularity (such as resulting from chicken pox or acne), spots or hyperkeratosis. In some instances, the procedures of chemical dermabrasion and peeling can be combined.

In the case of chemical peeling, a chemical solution (most commonly Phenol or trichloroacetic acid [TCA]) is applied to those areas of the face that are to be treated. The solution can be applied to the entire face, or simply to specific areas such as the regions surrounding the mouth and/or cheeks.

The entire procedure is performed within 1-2 hours, and normally is performed without anesthesia, although sedation and EKG monitoring may be utilized in certain situations. Although chemical peels are usually performed on an outpatient basis, a full-facial Phenol peel may require 1-2 days of hospitalization.

The type of dressing that is applied to the skin following such procedures depends on the nature of the procedure and the surgeon’s personal preference.

Following any of these procedures, the face will appear “raw”…very red indeed. Either type of chemical solution could cause transitory and temporary throbbing, tingling, swelling, redness, and acute sensitivity to sun.

In the case of a Phenol peel there is the chance of long lasting (perhaps permanent) lightening of the skin in the area treated, with the possibility of permanent inability of the skin to tan.

Additional complications that may ensue include the development of whiteheads (temporary), infection, scarring, flare-up of skin allergies, blistering, or development of cold sores. Phenol chemical peels may result in abnormal permanent change of skin color and rarely causes heart rhythm irregularities.

Generally, a protective scab forms that will be shed as the layers of skin regenerate beneath it.

Once this scab has fallen off (generally new skin forms within 7-21 days with Phenol, 5-10 days with TCA), the new layer of epidermis, very pink in color, will have replaced the superior layer of the skin…the layer that formerly showed fine lines and wrinkles.

The pink color will dissipate gradually with the course of time and it is possible to disguise this somewhat with foundation makeup after about 2 or 3 weeks post-procedure.

In the 5-7 days immediately following the procedure there will almost certainly be swelling of varying degrees.

The surgeon will certainly recommend that the patient avoid any kind of sun exposure until the skin recovers it’s epidermal layer, and thus normal resistance to weather conditions. Premature sun exposure can produce areas of cutaneous discoloration that could require additional peeling in the future.

During the postoperative period, it is advisable to use a sunscreen lotion with a very high SPF.

Patients can generally return to normal activities within 2-4 weeks, and can expect complete healing and dissipation of facial redness within 3-6 months.

As in other procedures, the result will depend to a large extent on the quality of the skin prior to surgery.

The result of chemical peel and dermabrasion is normally very satisfactory, although the postoperative period can be difficult due to the high degree of facial discoloration.

In many cases, the procedure will need to be repeated every several years. Chemical peeling and dermabrasion may not be a “permanent fix”.

Dermabrasion obtains a similar effect as chemical peel, but instead of using a chemical solution to “dissolve” the superficial skin layers, the skin is “buffed” with a sandpaper-like device attached to a rotary wheel.

Facial dermabrasion may take anywhere from just several minutes to 1 hour, although more than one treatment may be required.

Performed under local anesthesia, numbing spray or in rare cases, general anesthesia and usually on an outpatient basis.

Patients can expect to experience post-procedure tingling, burning, itching, slight swelling and transitory redness. There most likely will be lightening of treated skin, acute sensitivity to sun, as well as loss of ability to tan.

Possible complications are the same as those of a chemical peel.

Getting back to work should take about 2 weeks, not resuming strenuous activities for 4-6 weeks. The redness should fade completely in about 3 months postoperatively. Return of pigmentation/sun exposure in 6 to 12 months. The results are often permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages.

In the case of laser dermabrasion, a CO2 laser is used to “vaporize” or burn away the outer layers of the facial skin. All indications of laser facial resurfacing are similar to those of dermabrasion.

CITATION: The preceding was an exerpt from
"How to Get High-Quality Plastic Surgery...CHEAP!"
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