Answer:
We have a variety of peels that would be considered “light”. Each is administered by our registered nurse. They usually have a day or so of flaky skin and mild redness, but in general you could perform one afternoon and return to work the next day. There are a variety of these peels available for different concerns. The peel that is best suited to you will be chosen during your consultation.

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Answer:
A chemical peel would be safe for you as long as your laser resurfacing was more than a few months ago and you are otherwise in good health and don’t have any other contraindications.  Of course there are many different strengths of chemical peel and also laser treatments available so we would want to match your concerns with the treatment that would provide the best results for your desired improvement and tolerance for recovery.

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Answer:
You didn’t provide whether you were a male or a female which matters to some degree because most men do not want to wear make-up.  Even in the case of a deep chemical peel three weeks is plenty of recovery time if you are willing to use a concealing make-up.  The recovery from a deep peel is 2 weeks.  That means for most patients make-up can safely be introduced at 2 weeks to cover the remaining erythema, redness, of the skin.  Men who are unwilling to wear make-up will look a little “sun-burnt” for a period of a few more weeks depending on the depth of the peel.  Another great option for skin rejuvenation is a fractionated CO2 laser.  This treatment provides great skin tightening as well as improvement for pigment, but because of the fractionated nature also allows for quicker healing time.

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Answer:
It is not really a question of which technique, chemical peel or dermabrasion, is more effective, but rather which one is indicated for a condition.  Both techniques can be equally effective, but usually are performed for different indications.  A chemical peel, and there are many strengths so we are talking here about a surgical peel, is usually performed for diffuse facial aging including pigmentation changes and wrinkles.  Dermabrasion can be added to a peel for areas of scarring, for example acne scarring, or deep perioral wrinkles.  Dermabrasion does carry more risk of loss of pigment or scarring however so you need to balance the treatment with the condition and provide the level of intervention that will give the best results with the least risk.

Posted by Dr. Buckingham

Answer:
Chemical peel is a very general term and so the answer to your question depends on what kind of peel you need/want.  A variety of light chemical peels can be performed as a series of peels at monthly intervals in an office setting by a nurse or aesthetician.  These peels cause very little discomfort and when provided with physician prescribed skin care can provide a great deal of benefit.  Heavier chemical peels, what we refer to as surgeon strength peels, are performed by the physician only and include such peels as Jessner’s/TCA and Phenol peels.  These are performed under a twilight type of IV anesthesia because they would otherwise not be tolerated.  Post peel however there is very little discomfort.  With the Jessner’s/TCA peel there is really no pain only swelling, redness and a feeling of tightness.  The Phenol peel causes a little more discomfort, but is also well tolerated.

Posted by Dr. Buckingham