Chemical Peel for Acne Scars

A chemical peel for acne scars consists of a chemical based solution which is applied on the facial skin covering all the acne scars. Due to the exfoliating effect of the chemical, the skin blisters and starts peeling off. Gradually, over a span of few days after the treatment, the skin comes off. As a result, the blemishes and the scars of the acne disappears or at least becomes less. The chemical peel works particularly well on those kinds of acne and acne scars that are confined to the skin surface only. They may not be very effective on really active and severe forms of acne. Chemical peels should not be used by pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Different Types of Chemical Peel for Acne Scars

Basically, there are three different types of chemical peel that are used for the purpose of acne scar removal. They are alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peels and phenol peels.

Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) Peels:This is also often referred to as glycolic acid peels. When the peel is applied on the face, it activates the process of formation of fresh new cells on the skin. In this way, it helps to remove the scars. This is the most mild form of chemical peel. The recovery time needed after the treatment is much less as compared to any other chemical peels for acne scars. When you are suffering from frequent outbreak of acne, you can undergo the treatment regularly at home also. If you ask me "when to use an at home chemical peel to keep my skin acne free?", I would like to suggest you to repeat it after every six weeks to maintain the effect.

Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) Peels:This has a medium effect on the acne scars. It is good on those acne scars that consists large superficial pores. It exfoliates the dead skin that try to clog the spores and thus prevents further infection. It also kills the bacteria that lies under the surface of the skin and causes eruption of acne from time to time. Thus the main cause of acne is rooted out.

Phenol Peels: This is quite a strong form of chemical peel for removing acne scars. Hence, it may not be suitable for all types of skin. Proper consultation with the doctor is a must before opting for this treatment. The doctors often take into consideration a number of factors before they decide whether a person can undergo this treatment. They are - severity of the acne, oil levels in the skin and the skin pigmentation.

Benefits of Chemical Peel for Acne

Chemical peels have many more benefits than any other acne skin care products. It makes the skin free from all those ugly scars left behind by the acne. After the treatment of chemical peel, you will find that the skin becomes soft and smooth and looks much more healthy than before. These chemical peels helps to bring about improvements in different kinds of age spots like wrinkles on the face, the fine lines around the eyes and mouth area, etc. They can also reduce the wrinkles that appear due to sun exposure. Other skin problems like freckles, dark patches and blackheads will go down to a large extent after the application of the chemical peel for removal of acne scars. It can even cure specific types of acne.

So far, no major side effects of using chemical peel for acne scars have been observed. Some temporary effects like dry skin, reddening of skin and flaking of skin may be experienced after using a mild chemical peel which will subside after few days. In case you are using medium or strong chemical peel for face, swelling and mild pain may occur. Since the effect of the chemicals is strong, it will take almost a week to heal up.