Removing damaged skin without surgery

Chemical peels can be used to treat blotchy skin, facial blemishes, or fine wrinkles. They penetrate the deepest layers of your facial skin, smoothing its texture by removing the flawed outer layers. We offer a few different types of chemical peels:

Vi Peel

The Vi Peel is designed to reverse the signs of aging and sun damage on the skin.  Vi Peel contains a synergistic blend of alpha hydroxy that are gentle enough yet powerful for all skin types.  With this peel, sensitive individuals may experience a slight stinging sensation, which is controlled by use of a fan during application.  Minimal downtime.

The Vi Peel is designed to treat hyper pigmentation and acne on the skin.  Healing time is minimal with new rejuvenated skin appearing in about a week.  Travel sized take home products come with having the peel done.

Trichloroacetic Acid Peel (TCA)

This peel is used to treat superficial blemishes, fine surface wrinkles, and pigment problems. It removes thin surface layers of aged and damaged skin, restoring tighter, smoother and younger-looking skin, regardless of age, color or skin type.
A TCA peel can achieve results similar to those of a deeper chemical peel or laser treatment, but healing occurs in 7-10 days rather than weeks or months. The treatment can be performed on facial and non-facial areas, including your neck, chest, hands, back, arms and legs.

The TCA peel will be recommended and applied by one of Plastic Surgery Associates physicians.

Phenol Peel

Phenol is the strongest chemical peel solution, providing the deepest level of treatment. It is used mainly on the face to treat pre-cancerous growths, blotchy or sun-damaged skin, and coarse facial wrinkles. Whether phenol is the right treatment for you depends a great deal on your skin pigmentation. Because it sometimes lightens the treated areas, we usually do not recommend a phenol peel if you are dark-skinned.

What does a phenol peel involve?

After a thorough cleansing, the solution is applied. You may feel a stinging sensation, but that quickly fades. At the end of the peel, the doctor may apply petroleum jelly or waterproof adhesive tape to the treated area. A full-faced phenol peel usually takes one to two hours, while a smaller application may take only 10 to 15 minutes. One treatment is usually all that is required.

What should I expect after a phenol peel?

You will need someone to drive you home, and your face may become swollen, even to the point that your eyes swell shut. You also may be put on a liquid diet for a few days. If tape was used to cover your face, it will be removed after a couple days. Your new skin starts to form in 7 to 10 days, and often a protective crust forms over it. When it’s removed, the skin underneath is bright pink, but that fades in the following weeks and months. You should be able to return to work and wear makeup after about two weeks.

More serious skin conditions such as deeper wrinkles and creases, birthmarks, brown age spots, and serious acne scars require laser treatments instead. For more minor facial flaws, Plastic Surgery Associates also offers skin rejuvenation treatments.