To peel or not to peel?

When i mention to a client about doing a peel in their facial today, they get a little scared. Most peoples only reference is Samantha from Sex and the City on TV. I have never seen the episode, but apparently she ends up looking like she has been in the sun for a week. All red and burnt. The 1st thing i assure clients is you will be very underwhelmed. We always start off very gently with peels, then we go stronger in future visits and that is when you see great results.  All you feel when the gel is applied is a light tingle (sometimes not even that) it stays on for about 5 mins and is then washed off. The reasons we might recommend a peel could be to give a deeper exfoliation, to kill bacteria or to help with scarring. Here is a lowdown on why we would choose one over another…… Anti-oxidant peels- These can have an AHA base to them, but are normally not very strong, the main purpose is to give your skin glow, radiance and a freshness. Great for a night out of before a wedding. AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acid) is a natural exfoliating ingredient that is found in fruit and milk. This is the lightest form of a chemical peel. Peels dissolve inter-cellular glue within the skin, encouraging dead cells to shed and fresh skin to come to the surface, revealing fresher more vibrant skin. They re-texture, smooth and brighten the skin. Rough or dry patches can be resurfaced, uneven pigmentation spots can be reduced and the look of fine lines and wrinkles can be improved as cell turnover is increased and damaged skin cells are shed. There is no downtime and no redness afterwards. BHA peels have the ability to enter into the pore as they are smaller molecules. BHA are oil loving peels so seek out oil-helping to control oil, they can also kill the bacteria that causes acne. Because they can enter into the pore they address the issue right at the spot. The downside is they can be more irritating and drying (a side effect can be some peeling) therefore we  need to ensure the skin is healthy before commencing. Vitamin A -great for ageing and pigmentation/scarring. Fantastic as an powerful anti-ageing treatment. Good for preventative, but also to help turn back some signs of ageing. This also works on lightening age spots, pigmentation and acne scarring. For these peels you MUST be on vitamin A homecare and also done in a series. A once off will not show results. You need to be careful of some types of peels. At Shine we only offer low to mid strength peels, we always ensure you skin is healthy enough to ensure no or minimal downtime; peels can get very powerful and have a lot of downtime associated with them. They cause quite a lot of trauma to the skin. These are for people with quite a serious problem and are prepared for the downtime associated with them (peeling, redness, sensitivity) Before starting strong peels you skin should be prepped with lighter peels first, sometimes lighter peels are all that is needed. it is best to get a recommendation off someone if you are going to do a strong peel.