What Are Skin Peels And Which One Is The Best

In the recent years fashion and looks have become a billion dollar industry and as expensive life altering procedures become less expensive and more affordable it looks like this trend will continue for many years to come. Everyone is questing for the fountain of youth and apparently it can be found in the field of plastic surgery. They can make your skin look younger, tighter and more youthful for a price. One of the most popular treatments is the skin peel. They consist of everything from light peels like fruit and sugar derived (glycolic) peels and deeper peels like TCA and phenol. These peels can reveal younger skin and rejuvenate your face. Some of them are quite literally even considered to be the fountain of youth in a bottle (like the TCA peel).

There are basically four different kinds of peels and they range from light and superficial peels like glycolic to deeper peels like the TCA peel and phenol peels. We will not discuss phenol peels as they are dangerous and are rarely ever used. The deepest peel doctors use today is the TCA peel, which is the most effective and safest of all the skin peels. The basic function of a chemical skin peel is to loosen bonds between cells in the top most layers of skin through a mild and controlled chemical burn to cause peeling and to reveal more youthful skin from underneath. This process when done regularly can result in a reduction of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots and other symptoms of aging skin. In the case of the TCA peel it is also been proven to be highly effective in the treatment of acne and resultant acne scarring.

The light or superficial peels are generally glycolic and salicylic acid. There are many off shoots of these like fruit acids, the pumpkin peel, etc. Any of these acids that you see available at your local store have a concentration or strength that is so low that it is basically ineffective. For these light peels to have any visual effect at all the concentrations must be in the range of at least 30 percent. Regardless, even when done in a doctors office they must be redone every 2-3 weeks for any lasting effect. And at $100 to $300 per peel it can become expensive quickly.

The salicylic peel is a little different from the rest of these lighter peels as it is oil soluble and the others are water soluble. This gives salicylic the distinct advantage of being able to migrate deeper into oil blocked pores and to help with pimples and very light acne. This is why it has recently been added to some current acne products like Murad. This is why Murad is more effective than Proactiv. The problem is that just like glycolic it must be used at a higher concentration to have lasting and visual effect. Low concentrations and strengths, like in most over the counter acne products, is ineffective in fighting acne. Concentrations of at least 10 percent are recommended by dermatologists.

Then there is the TCA peel. TCA stands for trichloroacetic acid. It is a synthetic acid that has the ability to do everything that all the lighter peels can and more. It can completely kill acne causing bacteria and rid the facial skin of it for good. It can reduce and minimize scarring, tighten the facial skin and rejuvenate the skin. It can treat more skin problems than any other skin peel. From skin blemishes, pigmentation problems, acne, aging skin, and even precancerous and cancerous skin legions. The TCA peel is offered in almost every dermatologist and plastic surgeons office as it is the most effective treatment outside of actual surgery. Its results also last the longest, up to 6 months or more depending on the strength and depth desired or achieved. It has even ben stated in numerous medical journals that the TCA peel is every bit as effective as Accutane, the strongest acne medicine available, without the bad and very serious side effects. The TCA peel normally runs between $300 and $500 per application at your doctors office, but can now be purchased for under $30 for in home use.

Skin peels can be very effective in treating both aging skin and acne and it is obvious that the TCA peel is the best of these.