« Paul McKenna shows you how to be happy and confident (part 2) | Main | Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Color free beauty samples »
A phenol chemical peel is ideal to correct blotchiness
April 15, 2008
If you're new to Beauty Match, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Don't miss a beauty beat by joining Beauty Match Insider. Thanks for visiting!
There are three types of chemical peels that are wildly used by cosmetic dermatologists and plastic surgeon in North America: phenol, trichloroacetic acid and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs).
A phenol chemical peel will correct blotches caused by sun exposure, birth-control pills (some people react to them) and aging.
A phenol chemical peel is also effective at smoothing out deep seeded wrinkles and is reportedly effective at removing pre-cancerous growths. It’s also the peel that’s the strongest out of the three popular peels that are most commonly performed and it’s really not going to be a good option for everyone.
Before determining if you’re a candidate for this type of peel, you might want to keep the following in mind:
* Phenol should only be used on the face
* Phenol is NOT recommended for darker-skin beauties (there are gentler peels that your doctor would recommend)
* The procedure for an entire face can take over an hour to complete
* Phenol requires a longer recovery time than other peels and complete healing from the procedure can take several months (this might affect activities that require you to spend a lot of time outside)
* Phenol may permanently remove facial freckles
* Phenol produces dramatic and long-lasting results
You might want to keep in mind that a phenol peel causes new skin to lose its ability to make pigment (aka: a tan). This means that not only will the skin be lighter in colour, you’ll always have to protect it from the sun (which is something you’d do anyways). It also means that permanent skin lightening and lines of demarcation may occur on certain skin types.
If you have a history of heart problems, this is a crucial medical history fact that you’ll need to tell you doctor because phenol chemical peels may put your health at risk.
Post treatment considerations
Most people will have some post-treatment side effects after a chemical peel. The most common ones are flaking, scaling, redness and dryness of the skin. However, in most cases these conditions will disappear as the skin adjusts to treatment. If you opt for one of the stronger types of peels like a phenol chemical peel the side effects might be more serious.
Here are a few things you might want to keep in mind:
* Your doctor may prescribe a mild pain medication to relieve any tingling or throbbing you may feel.
* A phenol peel will produce apparent new skin within seven to ten days. Your face will be very (VERY) red at first, gradually fading to a pinkish colour over a period of 10 to 30 days.
* It may take you up to two weeks after treatment to be able to return to work and resume some of your normal activities. Your skin will also have healed enough for you to wear makeup again. This might be the type of peel you schedule during your vacation time.
* In some cases, a phenol peel may cause some serious post-treatment side effects such as: a swollen face, swollen eyes that may even be shut temporarily, inability to take care of yourself on your own for a few days, having to live off a liquid diet, inability to talk for the first few days that follow the procedure because it might be too painful.
Photo by DownTown Pictures
Posted by Beauty Match on April 15, 2008 | Permalink
Topics: Cosmetic Treatments |
Deli.cious
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Digg This
Post a comment
Note: If you haven't left a comment on the myBeautyMatch.com site before, you may need to be approved by our editorial team before your comment appears. Until then, it won't appear on the site. Thanks for your understanding.
Comments
