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| What is it? |
- There are two types of chemical used in this procedure, depending upon the type of skin problems you have
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Alpha hydroxyl acid
(AHA)
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- AHA’s are found in plants and foods such as citrus fruits, apples, grapes, sugar cane and sour milk
- This chemical is used on the skin to remove the superficial dead cells from the skin’s surface
- This treatment is considered fairly light and you will probably require several treatments before you see an improvement
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Tricloracetic acid
(TCA) |
- TCA is most commonly used for medium-depth peeling
- Fine surface wrinkles, superficial blemishes and pigment problems can all be treated with TCA
- The result of a TCA peel is more dramatic than the AHA peel, but you will still need several treatments to get the full benefits
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| What it can’t do |
- Chemical peels cannot lift loose or sagging skin, remove deep scars or correct enlarged pores and broken blood vessels
- See laser skin resurfacing, scar revision, dermal fillers and MACS face lift for addressing these
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| What’s involved? |
- After cleansing the skin to remove any surface oils, the chemical peel will be carefully applied all over your face, or just the affected areas
- Within minutes, you will experience a warm sensation - rather like sunburn on your skin
- This lasts for a few minutes but will be quickly relieved with cold compresses
- At this point you will be able to go home
- By the third or fourth day, your skin will start to feel tight and start shedding
- Within 5 - 7 days you will see smoother, pinker skin begin to emerge
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| Possible side effects |
- Very rarely, you may experience some swelling, especially around the eyes for the first two days, but this will subside quickly
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| Your results |
- The amount of improvement you will see will depend on the initial condition of your skin
- It is estimated that the maximum improvement achievable from this treatment is 50-85% and although it is not possible to achieve 100% improvement, most people consider their results quite dramatic
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