When the effects of time add up despite your best efforts along the way, you may be looking for a better way to address lines, wrinkles, photoaging, and overall skin texture. There are surgical options, but can you get face-lift results without going under the knife?
At Rinnova Skin & Body, we often recommend phenol chemical peels to our patients who want dramatic skin revitalization without surgery. The strongest type of chemical peel, phenol-based treatments provide the greatest improvements for many age-related skin conditions.
Categorized by the aggressiveness of the chemicals used, peels comprise three categories:
Phenol peels are the choice for those with acne scars, deep lines, skin discoloration, and skin conditions that don’t respond to light or medium peels.
Your body retains the ability to rebuild skin components but usually only does so in response to an injury. The principle behind all chemical peels is to introduce some level of controlled damage to your skin to induce a healing response that produces fresh, new tissue.
As the deepest chemical peel, phenol penetrates the epidermis, your outer skin layer, and into the middle layer, called the dermis. That’s where two key proteins reside: collagen and elastin.
The most abundant protein in the body, collagen forms a support matrix for skin on the surface. The widespread nature of a chemical peel helps rebuild a smooth new base for your epidermis.
That makes a phenol peel ideal for anyone with pitted acne scars or other scarring. When you’ve recovered from a phenol peel, scars are more shallow or smoothed out entirely.
The same holds true for lines and wrinkles caused by voids in the collagen matrix, while elastin provides renewed tone and tightness to your skin, reducing the appearance and depth of these skin flaws.
As well as for aesthetic results, phenol peels are used medically. Actinic keratosis produces lesions in response to photoaging (sun damage). Without treatment, these lesions can become cancerous. Phenol peels can remove them as part of the regular treatment process.
Because phenol treatments are so aggressive, recovery time is longer. Your skin may be swollen for up to two weeks and could retain redness for as long as 90 days. There are risks associated with phenol peels, though the dramatic skin improvements can last up to 10 years.
Find out if a phenol peel is right for you by consulting with Dr. Todd Becker at Rinnova Skin & Body in Boulder, Colorado. Contact our office by phone or use the Schedule Now link to book your visit today.
