The lasers carefully remove a single layer of skin at a time while minimizing the transfer of heat to surrounding tissue, which can lead to scarring. As a result, defects in the skin can be safely and effectively removed allowing fresh new skin to grow. Chemical peels are less expensive than laser resurfacing . Sedation is not required for the procedure, and patients leave our office within 30 minutes of the procedure. The recovery time of the skin occurs over 7-10 days with a chemical peel versus several months for UltraPulse CO2 laser resurfacing .
Patients rapidly return to their daily routine.
Chemical peels, however, can not produce the same results as full face CO2 laser resurfacing. If you are interested in learning more about chemical peels or laser resurfacing, please contact our office for a consultation with our cosmetic coordinator. More recently, very light chemical peels using alpha hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid, have been used for treatment of mild pigmentation changes and acne involving facial skin. These so-called lunchtime peels have very rapid recovery and are often repeated at monthly intervals until the desired result is achieved. Patients can have a peel during lunch break and return to work that same afternoon.