3 Types of Chemical Peels for Students in Beauty School to Know

Great skin does wonders for a client’s appearance, but it’s also difficult to maintain. Wind, snow, sun and other elements can damage skin over time, and keep people from looking their best. Thankfully, chemical peels help to peel away damaged skin, allowing for healthy layers underneath to take their place.With a chemical peel, layers of damaged skin are peeled away using a chemical solution. Perfect for smoothing out fine lines, reducing the appearance of sun damage, and removing other blemishes, this procedure allows healthy new layers to surface and make a client look radiant. They’re a great skincare tool, and can help get rid of many imperfections.Want to know a little more? Here are three types of chemical peels you might come across throughout your career.

Students at Beauty School Know Superficial Peels Help to Smooth Out and Brighten Skin

“Acid peel” might sound a little intimidating, but superficial peels are really quite gentle! They’re great exfoliation, and help get rid of minor damage like dry skin, age spots, fine lines, and other imperfections.Typically, when medi-spa therapists perform a chemical peel, they begin by carefully washing the client’s face to remove any makeup or dirt. Then, they apply the chemical to the area being targeted. For gentle superficial peels, the targeted area could be the face, neck, hands, or chest.With a superficial peel, glycolic acid (AHA) and beta hydroxy acid (BHA)—or a combination of the two—are typically the go-to solutions professionals use. However, some gentle chemical peels might also include fruit enzymes and other ingredients as well.During a superficial chemical peel, only the outer layer of skin is affected and recovery time is minimal. There may be very slight redness for 1-7 days, during which time clients will want to wear plenty of sunscreen.

Though this process is very safe, it is important that you learn to apply superficial peels carefully, to ensure clients get the best results. With the in-depth training you’ll gain at beauty school, you’ll be all set to offer superficial peels during your career.

Medium Peels Are a Bit Harsher, But Offer Great Results

Though superficial peels are good for minor blemishes, they have limited effectiveness for issues affecting deeper layers of the skin. That’s usually where a “medium peel” will come in. This will remove some deeper layers, and is good for improving more advanced sun damage, wrinkles, and other deeper imperfections.Medium peels typically use trichloroacetic acid, and the recovery period is a little lengthier than with superficial peels—usually taking between 7-14 days. There can be swelling, blisters, crusting, and other temporary side effects following the procedure, and ointments and medication need to be used to prevent infection. Before opting for the procedure, clients will also want to wait for existing wounds or infections to heal up, as the chemicals can be harsh on healing skin.While medium peels can come with a bit more discomfort, the results they offer are also more dramatic than those of a superficial peel. Clients end up with smooth, glowing, and greatly rejuvenated skin, and results will often last longer too!

Students at Beauty School Might Know That Deep Peels Are Very Strong

For very deep wrinkles, acne scarring, and sun damage, both superficial and medium peels performed by graduates of a medical spa diploma program may not always be enough. In those cases, a deep peel may be needed. Because it is a more intense treatment, this kind of peel can only be performed by a doctor.Deep peels usually use an acid called phenol, and are only done on the face. These peels are also not recommended for darker skin types, since they can have a bleaching effect.Recovery time lasts longer, and takes between 14 to 21 days. Swelling, scabbing, itchiness, and even discoloration are side effects that can come from this kind of peel, and medication is needed to help prevent infection afterwards.Deep peels can be a little intimidating, and so are usually only performed on clients with serious skin imperfections. For the vast majority of clients, a superficial or medium peel will be enough to get the brighter, smoother skin they desire.Do you want to take medical spa training in Mississauga?Visit International Beauty Institute to find out if our program is right for you!