Prime Time to Peel

Your Guide to Corrective Exfoliation

With the warmer weather and longer days, spring truly is the season to be seen. However, for those concerned with aging or damaged skin, modern skin care has a solution. With so many reasons to put your best face forward, there’s never been a better time to consider a peel.

What is a Peel?
According to CosMedix co-founder Bettylou McIntosh, “peels” include “a wide range of exfoliating procedures that produce a post-procedure peeling effect on the skin.” While their contents and intensity may vary, the ultimate goal of any peel is the removal of the skin’s outer layer of primarily dead cells and the stimulation of collagen and elastin to tighten and firm the healthy layer beneath. When performed properly, this procedure can effectively diminish the appearance of wrinkles, age spots, blemishes and more with little to no trauma to healthy skin cells.

The key to a successful treatment lies in the peel’s contents, says McIntosh. Using natural, chirally correct ingredients—ingredients filtered in their most elemental form to contain only the purest, skin-safe molecules—CosMedix peels work with the skin to prompt the renewal process. “With CosMedix peels, there really is no true peeling, but a mild sloughing of the skin.” This process—known as metabolic peeling—achieves dramatic results without the irritation and consequent recovery time of a true chemical peel.

Is a Peel Right for Me?
Practically any adult can benefit from a peel. Whether you’re looking to correct a specific skin concern, defy your age or simply refresh your complexion, a CosMedix peel can be customized to fit your needs. Before you schedule an appointment, your skin care provider will assess your skin to see which peel is right for you. By identifying certain key traits—such as skin density and natural hydration—your physician or aesthetician can better determine the appropriate peel type, depth and duration for your skin.

“Peels can vary in intensity, from very superficial like Pomegranate Peel, to deep epidermal exfoliation like that of Purity Peel or a traditional Jessner’s peel, to a mid-depth dermal peel like Timeless Peel or a traditional TCA peel,” explains McIntosh. Your specific skin concern, along with your skin care provider’s assessment, will help establish the most effective solution for you.

What Are the Possible Side Effects?
While the side effects of traditional peels can range from minor discomfort and inflammation to post-peel pigmentation and increased skin sensitivity, “CosMedix peels minimize such reactions through advanced ingredient technology,” says McIntosh. “It’s all in the formula.”

In addition to using chirally correct, natural ingredients, CosMedix peels contain exclusive, state-of-the-art compounds, including AGP Complex, which are designed to affect change with minimum trauma. In the case of AGP Complex, retinol—the industry’s most popular peeling ingredient—is combined with arabino-galactan protein (AGP) conjugates from red wine. By adding AGP to retinol, CosMedix is able to sidestep the ingredient’s signature irritation while delivering its full rejuvenating benefits.

Do I Need to Prep Before a Peel?
Depending on the type of peel and your skin care provider’s recommendations based on your skin assessment, pre-peel prep may or may not be required. CosMedix has developed two lines of peels based on the depth of penetration. Ranging from superficial to deep epidermal depth, Today’s Peels are designed to refresh and exfoliate the skin without prior preparation. While your physician or aesthetician may suggest additional steps based on individual needs, these gentle yet effective peels can often be applied at your convenience to help correct blemishing, skin discoloration, hypersensitivity and mild photodamage. Medium-depth dermal peels, like Tomorrow’s Peels, however, require a ten-day, at-home, pre-treatment regimen. Designed to correct the damage done yesterday, Tomorrow’s Peels are ideal for minimizing the visible signs of aging.

What Can I Expect After My Peel?
Post-peel recovery has typically been one of the treatment’s biggest drawbacks. Before such breakthroughs as chiral correction and metabolic peeling, a particularly unforgiving peel might mean spending weeks in a vulnerable, post-operative state. However, thanks to advancements in peel technology, you can now enjoy your rejuvenated skin sooner.

“Traditional peel recovery can take as long as one to two weeks,” explains McIntosh. “CosMedix peels range from virtually no downtime, in the case of Today’s Peels, to five to seven days for Tomorrow’s Peels.”

CosMedix further diminishes an otherwise grueling recovery process with a collection of after-care products designed to minimize post-peel side effects and reinforce the treatment’s results. In addition to providing professional UV protection—a must for any peel—these products help calm the skin, combat inflammation and neutralize skin-damaging free radicals to ensure your renewed complexion endures.

Your Seven Day Post-Peel Forecast

What to Expect After a Tomorrow’s Peel:

Day 1: Skin may appear pink and feel tight. You may also experience mild swelling.

Day 2: Tightness and swelling start to subside. You may notice slight flaking around the nose and mouth as dead skin starts to slough away.

Day 3: You should experience less tightening and more flaking as dead skin continues to slough off, particularly while cleansing.

Day 4: Continue cleansing to hasten the removal of dead skin.

Day 5: Most heavy peeling should be over. Your skin care professional may recommend a mild exfoliating mask like CosMedix’s Pure Enzymes to remove any remaining dead skin.

Day 6: By now, you should notice a clearer, smoother looking complexion with little to no flaking.

Day 7: Enjoy your renewed complexion.