Chemical Peel or Acid Resurfacing of the Face: Which is Low Risk for Your Skin Type?

Skin Aging is due to many factors including skin type, genetics, lifestyle, exposure to the sun, smoking and others. Facial Chemical Peels and Acid Resurfacing are two weapons in combating the effects of these damaging elements.

Because skin aging depends somewhat on skin type, it is important to know which skin type you are to be able to ascertain the importance of that particular risk factor. Skin types are according to the Department of Clinical Social Medicine from Heidelberg:

1. White skin, freckles, blond or red hair, blue or green eyes
2. White skin, blond hair, blue or green eyes
3. White skin, usually dark hair, and brown eyes
4. Brown skin black or brown eyes

*The lighter the skin, the higher risk for cancerous growth

A Chemical Peel is a chemical process that removes the outer layers of skin creating a smoother more youthful look. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there are three different kinds of chemical facial peels:

1. Alphahydroxy acids, the mildest of the peel formulas used to treat fine wrinkling, acne and more. It can be used multiple times to get desired results
2. Trichloroacetic acid is used for average peeling and more than one TCA peel may be needed to achieve the desired result
3. Phenol is strongest of the chemical solutions and produces a deep peel. It is used mainly to treat patients with coarse facial wrinkles, damaged skin caused by sun exposure, or pre-cancerous growths. *Phenol sometimes lightens the treated areas. Your skin pigmentation may be a determining factor as to whether or not this is an appropriate treatment for you

Facial Resurfacing and Acid Peels and Cancer Risk

How does facial resurfacing and acid peels affect levels of cancer risk? According to Skin & Aging, Volume 14, Issue 10_2006 - October 2006) “In addition to considering skin type, it’s also very important to review medical history, medications, and history of scarring and prior cosmetic procedures.” Facial skin resurfacing with lasers, an acid skin peel or a topical cream may reduce the number of precancerous skin lesions and lower the risk of developing skin cancer, (Archives of Dermatology, August) According to Archives of Dermatology, 2007; 143:974. (http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/143/8/974) “…the number of actinic keratoses had decreased significantly in all three treatment groups: 83 percent in the fluorouracil group, 89 percent in the acid group and 92 percent in the laser group… patients in the acid group, in particular, had a 40-fold lower rate of nonmelanoma skin cancer than those in the control group. Patients in that group also reported fewer complaints, less discomfort and a faster healing time than those in the other two treatment groups.

All chemical peels involve some level of risk and a dermatological specialist should be used to administer the peels. Along with choosing a resort retreat to rest during your chemical peel recovery, seriously consider the risk levels of these procedures before you undertake acid resurfacing or chemical peel.