Our skin has to deal with numerous pollutants and contaminants every day. Also, harmful sun rays and an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to premature aging and pigmentation on the skin.

Many women are tired of dullness and are looking for ways to rejuvenate and improve their skin. This is where advanced beauty treatments like laser resurfacing, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels come into the picture.

If you like to keep yourself updated with the beauty treatment methods, you must have come across the term chemical peels. A facial peel, also known as a chemical peel can help deal with skin concerns like fine lines, light wrinkles, skin pigmentation, and scars.

It gets rid of damaged skin cells and provides you with healthier skin.

Let us discuss facial peels, their types, risks, and cost in more detail.

Facial peel

A facial peel is a cosmetic treatment in which a layer of chemicals is applied to the face to eliminate dull and damaged skin cells. The chemicals help the skin to exfoliate and peel off. The new dermis layer underneath is healthy, smooth, and has lesser wrinkles and scars.

There are three types of facial peels, and each differs in its efficacy, risk, recovery, and cost. Let us discuss lithe in detail.

1. Light peel- A light peel works on the surface layer or the outermost layer of your skin. It involves using a chemical solution like salicylic acid on the face. You may experience a stinging sensation during the treatment. A light peel can treat fine wrinkles, dry patches, pigmentation, and acne.

2. Medium peel- A medium peel removes the outer layer and the upper part of the middle layer of your skin. The chemical for a medium peel may contain glycolic acid or trichloroacetic acid. You may experience a stinging or burning sensation during the session. The medium peel helps in removing fine to moderate surface wrinkles, blemishes, moderate pigmentation, age spots, acne scars, etc.

3. Deep peel- Deep chemical peels are the most effective facial peel. A chemical called phenol acid is used. It works deep within the skin up to the lower middle layer of the dermis. The treatment is suitable for patients with coarse wrinkles, sun-damaged skin, deep acne scars, blotches, and precancerous growths.

Cost of Chemical peels

The cost of a chemical peel depends on the area as well as your aesthetician. Also, the cost differs for deep, medium, and light peels. On average, a facial peel can cost you anywhere between $600-$900. Also, you may need to incur additional expenses for the hospital charges, surgical facility, and cost of anesthesia.

A light peel does not require a hospital stay and may cost as low as $150. However, you may need to undergo three to four sessions to achieve the desired results. A deep peel may require in-patient stays and costs up to $3000.

Risks of chemical peel

The risk of a chemical peel includes temporary or permanent whitening or darkening of the skin. Also, the risk may be higher for patients with dark skin tone.

Patients may also experience fever blister outbreaks on their faces. If you are prone to cold sores, you must disclose them to your doctor. In such a case, your doctor may prescribe an anti-viral medication.

You may also experience scarring of your face post-treatment.

The risks of chemical peel necessitate having a conversation with your dermatologist before facial peels.

Recovery time for chemical peels

The recovery time depends on the type of chemical peel.

• With a light peel, you may experience redness, scaling, and peeling of the skin for three to seven days. The process does not have any downtime, and you can start using makeup the next day after the treatment.

• The recovery period for a medium peel can take a week or two. It is advisable to wait for at least a week to start using your makeup again.

• The deep peel can have a healing time of two to three weeks. You should wait for at least two weeks to start applying makeup.

For all three facial peels, it is essential to follow your aestheticians’ instructions and use sunscreen regularly to protect your new and healed skin.