This is not the perfect term for a procedure that reverses sun damage, revitalises the skin, tightens it, closes the pores, reduces pigmentation, reduces fine lines, improves the texture of the skin and turns back the clock in terms of skin ageing. Nevertheless we are stuck with it.

Most peels these days do not cause peeling, redness, open skin, pain and weeping. Historically yes, they did, but not any more.

Even the classic TCA peel can be performed in stages to avoid the peeling phase; moreover some of our peels are so gentle that you may carry them out at home. The glycolic acid 10% mask or 25% for the body are very simple home care treatments.

You should think of peeling as a repair and revitalisation procedure and consider it as one of the first steps towards improving your skin. Peeling reverses sun damage, stimulates new collagen synthesis and reduces pigmented lesions. The type of peeling that you choose depends on your skin condition and your lifestyle.

Peeling is also an excellent treatment for acne, both in its active stage and for the scars and pigmentation that may result. Sometimes peeling needs to be combined with other treatments in order to completely eradicate the acne.

Gentle peeling - glycolic acid, lactic or mandelic acid.

Gentle peeling is a simple procedure and often the first that people choose. It is a simple procedure with no down-time. Gentle peeling is recommended for early signs of sun damage and ageing of the skin – open pores, fine lines, dryness and poor texture. Gentle peeling will improve the texture and luminescence of the skin as well as reducing fine lines, increasing hydration and decreasing open pores.

Glycolic acid is the classical gentle peel, although we now use a lot of mandelic acid (from almonds). This exfoliates the skin at the time of peeling and (apart from being very satisfying) means no further exfoliation. It is recommended for sensitive, oily skins and those with rosacea.

Lactic acid (from milk) is recommended for acne-prone skins and those that are a little thicker or oilier.

Any gentle peeling needs to be repeated every two weeks for a total of six treatments. We prefer to combine gentle peeling with the vitamin facial and then visible red light in our “combination facial” order to achieve far superior results in less time.

Nano Peeling

In this peel the peeling molecule is embedded in a silica nanosome. Nanosomes penetrate the skin and deliver the peeling molecule exactly where they are needed. The silica envelope enhances repair from the peel. Thus the peel takes place below the surface of the skin, the skin peels and starts to heal immediately. This ensures a shorter recovery time, less product requirement and better results.

Unlike other preparations, the nano-peel is a gel formulation. This prevents any accidental spills, particularly into the eyes. This means that the peeling product can be placed very safely close to the eye with no risk of spillage. It also means that several different peels can be used on the same face without spread; different areas demand different degrees of peeling. The most popular peel in this range is the glycol eye peel, specifically designed to peel around the delicate eye area.

TCA single layer

TCA peeling is normally considered a medium depth peel simply because the product penetrates deeper to reach the medium layers of the skin. The deeper the product penetrates then the better the result will be. Deeper lines, acne scarring and some pigmented lesions will be more suitably treated by going deeper in the skin. Peeling is a bit like paint stripping – the more layers that we apply the more layers of skin will be removed (and the better results). However the deeper we go and the more layers we remove then the more peeling there will be. This is why we prefer to go layer at a time (unless you wish to do it all in one go and then we will happily oblige – see below).

A single layer of TCA will lift off a layer of skin cells and only cause a slight dryness the following day. A single layer will penetrate deeper than glycolic acid and therefore will achieve slightly better results that glycolic peeling. Single layer TCA can be repeated every two weeks for a total of three or four treatments.

TCA medium depth peel

By applying three or four layers of the TCA we will go deeper and remove more than one layer of skin. We aim to reach the area from which the skin grows and have some rejuvenating effects on the growing area itself. This is a bit more invasive than the other peels and for the time of application (a few minutes) will feel quite hot and stingy, say 9/10 on the discomfort scale. Afterwards the skin becomes red, then dry and brown and peels off a day five. Whilst you may apply make-up for these days the skin will be really dry.

A medium depth peel is recommended for sun damage, open pores, poor texture and for generally improving the skin in white Caucasian individuals.

Because this peel is stronger than a glycolic peel, it is not suitable for darker more sensitive skin types, or anybody prone to rebound hyperpigmentation.

We always use red light to promote healing and reduce recovery time after a TCA peel. Although the results are seen almost immediately after the peeling phase, the very best results are seen after six months.

Although it makes sense to avoid the damaging rays of the sun after a peel, sun exposure is not prohibited after our peels.

With the advent of the dermaroller we find that we are performing less peels in favour of the dermaroller. This technique also improves skin structure and reduces sun damage, but with noticeably less recovery time.