Superficial Facial Peel

A superficial facial peel causes the top layer of your skin to peel off. It does not penetrate deep into your skin or dermis, but rather affects only the epidermal or outer layer of facial skin. The solution used for light chemical peels is usually comprised of alphahydroxy acids (AHAs), such as glycolic, lactic, salicylic, or fruit acids. Superficial peels are often referred to as lunchtime peels because they don’t take up a lot of your time and you can return to your normal activities right after.

Medium Facial Peel

A medium facial peel affects the epidermis and the upper layer of the dermis. It causes skin on these layers of your body to peel off. It penetrates your skin deeper than a superficial peel and requires some time off work for healing. For medium facial peels, many doctors use trichloroacetic acid (TCA). This chemical works well for treating fine surface wrinkles, superficial blemishes, and pigmentation problems. Similar to the light chemical peel, medium chemical peels require less downtime than a deeper peel. TCA peels are the preferred choice for patients with darker skin.

Deep Facial Peels

Phenol, a chemical agent, can be used for a deep facial peel. This type of peel results in the peeling off of your epidermis and penetrates the two layers of your dermis.

Deep facial peels require a longer recovery time, involve more pain and have a greater risk of complications. They cannot be used on darker skin types due to the risk of hypopigmentation or bleaching. Deep facial peels are used to treat deep facial wrinkles, severe sun damage, severe skin discoloration and deep acne scars.