How can a chemical peel help with skin discoloration?

Many of us have dark spots or splotches on our face and body, making you look and feel older.  These discolorations are also known as age spots or hyper-pigmentation.

Hyper-pigmentation is characterized by a darkening of an area of skin, most commonly occurring because of damage caused by harmful UVA and UVB rays. This color change is caused by the overproduction of a pigment in the skin known as melanin.  The small, dark spots are found generally on the hands and face, but any area exposed to those rays can be affected.

Another common form of hyper-pigmentation, which covers a larger area of skin, is classified as melasma. While similar to age spots, melasma is the result of hormonal changes. Some pregnant women overproduce melanin and develop a condition called “pregnancy mask” on their faces and abdomen. Similarly, women who take birth control pills may also develop hyper-pigmentation since their bodies react hormonally as if they were pregnant.

It’s good to be aware that any darkened patch of skin can get even darker when that area of the skin is exposed to the sun. The melanin in our bodies absorbs ultraviolet rays from the sun as a method to protect the skin from overexposure. This is what we commonly refer to as tanning. Contrary to popular belief, tanning will not even out skin tone, but in fact, worsen and darken age spots.

How to fight this discoloration:

An amazing treatment to lighten and even diminish hyper-pigmentation is a chemical peel. Chemical peels have the ability to make you look younger by reducing the appearance of skin imperfections such as sunspots, melasma, freckling and acne scars. The best part is that chemical peels work by taking advantage of a natural biological process that is constantly at work in our bodies called skin cell turnover. Often, when we develop imperfections such as sunspots or scars, they only affect the top few layers of skin. Chemical peels shed those top layers of skin, subsequently shedding  those imperfections so that newer, healthier skin cells can surface. Depending on the extent of the damage, one treatment might not completely eliminate imperfections, but can definitely make them much less obvious.

What areas can I treat with a chemical peel?

Chemical peels are generally used all over the face but can also be used to spot treat any other problem areas of your skin, such as your hands and chest. Keep in mind that usually more than one peel is necessary to get your desired results, however, with proper and consistent use, chemical peels will facilitate in keeping your skin looking healthy and beautiful.

In our Broomfield, CO office, we offer only medical-grade chemical peels from Skin Medica and Obagi (and soon Vi), which offer your most effective treatment, as well as containing the most stable, active ingredients. That means your peel will deliver great, effective, and safe results every time. Schedule an appointment today, and be sure to ask Dr. Janowski, or our aesthetician Laurel Glenn, about how a peel can help reveal and maintain your clearest and most beautiful skin!

Watch a step-by-step peel video diary here:

*Results may vary from patient to patient