Advanced Treatment Specialist

Advanced Treatment Q & A

Before and After VI Precision Plus Series of 3 plus Obagi Products. Client is wearing only lipstick and brow color in after pictures.

Chemical Peels:

What are chemical peels?

As the name suggests, chemical solutions are applied to the facial skin, which cause the skin to peel. This stimulates the regenerating properties of skin and results in a fresher, more youthful look to your skin. Depending on the chemicals used and their relative strength, skin spots, wrinkles, and scars of varying intensities may be corrected. Recovery time is another consideration, with effects ranging from no recovery time at all up to seven to 10 days for the more aggressive peels.

What are the levels of chemical peel?

Superficial peels

Often referred to as lunchtime or micro-peels, superficial peels use gentle exfoliants that reduce rough skin from the surface layer only. A typical chemical used for this type of peel is alpha-hydroxy acid. Rough skin and minor skin discolorations may improve after a superficial peel treatment. These peels are also suitable for use on the neck, chest, and hands.

Medium-strength peels

These peels are more aggressive. Glycolic acid is typically used for medium-strength peels. These peels penetrate the outer skin and into the middle layer. While also smoothing rough skin, medium peels address deeper lines, darker age spots, and other skin discolorations.

Deep peels

Deep peels use chemicals such as trichloroacetic acid and phenol to penetrate well into the middle skin layer. Age spots, freckles, moderate lines and wrinkles, and shallow scars all see improvement from deep peel treatments. This process produces dramatic results, but it may only be safely performed once on a patient. Typically, only mild to moderate peels are needed as they are much more tolerable and produce great results. The new product line and proprietary combination therapies at Nouvelle Medical Aesthetics produce results without an extremely aggressive approach.

What can I expect after each of these treatments?

Typically, chemical peels can sting somewhat, but they’re generally not considered painful by most people. The stinging sensation usually matches the strength of the peel, with superficial peels being the least intense, while deep peels create stronger stinging sensation. However, the newest chemical peel line is usually well tolerated without sacrificing effectiveness.

Recovery time follows a similar pattern. Superficial peels generally heal in under a week, with most people reporting recovery in much less time than that. Makeup can usually be worn the day after a superficial peel.

Medium peels require longer recovery time of a week to 10 days. Skin will initially show much more redness and swelling than a superficial peel, with crusting and peeling usually occurring on day three.

Microdermabrasion: 

What is microdermabrasion?

Microdermabrasion uses an abrasive instrument to lightly “sand” the skin to remove rough spots, exfoliate the surface, and stimulate skin’s regenerative properties. Once healed, the surface of the skin typically exhibits younger-looking results.

Microdermabrasion uses one of two methods. The traditional treatment uses tiny abrasive crystals, streamed across your face, and then vacuumed up along with the dead and loosened skin cells. A newer device and safer technology uses a diamond-tipped wand, which is set to the appropriate amount of suction to produce your results. Nouvelle Medical Aesthetics uses the DiamondTome technology, not devices that may inadvertently embed abrasives into your skin.

What can I expect from microdermabrasion treatment?

The microdermabrasion device produces a light scratching feeling. The suction that removes the ablated skin also pulls gently. There is little downtime or recovery. You will have a beautiful glow and may feel like you have a windburn for a day or two following treatment. Depending on the length and intensity of the treatment, you may feel flushed with some temporary redness to your face. Your Nouvelle Medical Aesthetics care provider may recommend a moisturizer with SPF or other skin care product to prolong and enhance the effects of your procedure.

The skin improvements you may expect will vary, depending on the severity of existing flaws and the number of treatments you undergo. A typical treatment plan may see two treatments in the first month and then maintenance visits after that, about a month or two apart. The length of the effects vary from person to person, but generally are easily maintained with a good skin care routine. You will know when it is time for another treatment.

Is microdermabrasion safe?

Yes. The most common side effects are redness, swelling, and soreness that usually subsides in a matter of hours. Your skin may feel dry and flaky for a few days as it responds to the microdermabrasion treatment. Rarely, there may be light bruising from the suction action, and this clears up in a matter of days.

After the microdermabrasion procedure, your skin will be more sensitive to sunlight. It’s important to follow your caregiver’s instructions for post-treatment care, including regular application of sunscreen and wearing a wide-brimmed hat.