If you’ve avoided chemical peels because you fear discomfort and days spent staring at your lobster-red skin in the mirror, you should know that these potent exfoliating treatments come in a wider variety of strengths and concentrations than ever.
One of our favorites is the Miami Peel, which refreshes a dulling complexion while targeting freckles, dark acne scars – even notoriously stubborn melasma. And because it’s gentle, you don’t have to put your life – or tonight’s plans – on hold after you leave the office.
This “entry-level peel” combines the moisturizing and exfoliating power of lactic acid with pore-clearing salicylic acid, and kojic acid, a brightening antioxidant. We can alter the strength of the solution based on complexion type. The procedure is quick and nearly painless: After swabbing your face or chest with the formula, we allow it to penetrate for 15 minutes before neutralizing it.
Like a good gym workout, one Miami Peel will give you a short-term boost – but a series is necessary for dramatic results. Our patients typically book treatments every two to four weeks. We send most of them home with a hydroquinone-based bleaching cream (applied at bedtime) to enhance the peel’s brightening effects. Because a post-peel complexion is especially vulnerable to ultraviolet rays, daily sunscreen is a crucial for preventing future brown spots, wrinkles, and of course, skin cancer.
In an age when new skin treatments are constantly rolling into dermatologists’ offices, chemical peels have remained a patient favorite for their ability to lift away years of past damage in minutes.
In our office, you can’t get any more powerful than the VI Peel. The strongest of the superficial peels, it penetrates into the uppermost layers of the skin without the pain and blistering that accompany medium- and deep peels. The VI Peel’s blend of trichloracetic and salicylic acids gradually smooth away age spots, freckles and melasma, while stimulating collagen production – softening and firming texture over time. The solution also contains phenol, which numbs the treated area a bit, for minimal discomfort.
The VI peel is gentle enough to treat nearly any skin type and can be applied anywhere you have unwanted hyperpigmentation, including the chest, arms, and even hands. Often, we prescribe the peel to enhance the effects of lasers or injectables. After one 10-minute treatment, you can head back to the office – but expect some mild to significant flaking that night and for the next few days. After that, the skin will look more radiant and refreshed.
Real, long-term improvement, of course, comes after a series of at least 2 to 3 treatments, spaced four to eight weeks apart. Included in the $350-per-session price is a kit of home products you can use between appointments to boost the effects of each peel.