Peel appeal

Milder formulations, better results and less downtime is making it more beneficial to add skin peels to your treatment menu

Facial peels have struggled with their image since raw-faced post-treatment women in the 90s became the poster girls for the procedures. Compounded by the now legendary Sex and the City episode in which Samantha revealed an inflamed, flaky face following an impulse purchase peel, it can be tough convincing a nervous client that a peel needn’t have such unfortunate consequences.

“Chemical peeling began more than 5,000 years ago when Egyptian royalty bathed in sour milk – which is a lactic acid – to brighten their complexion,” explains Tracey Beesley, owner of SkinBrands, which distributes SkinMedica peels in the UK. “During the Crusades, old wine with tartaric acid became a popular skincare remedy, and in the late 1800s, sugar cane-derived acids gained favour in Polynesia and the Caribbean.”

All these historical agents had one thing in common; they contained alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which form the basis of today’s kinder peeling systems. Combined with improved skin prepping and post-care, they offer a low level of downtime, if any at all. They also tend to be more easily tolerated than deeper peeling agents such as trichloroacetic acid (TCA) as they don’t penetrate as far into the skin.

Read the full article on page 43 of the October issue of the Professional Spa and Wellness digital magazine for FREE here, or access the digital magazine by selecting your chosen platform here.