How Do Chemical Peels Work? What Can a Chemical Peel Do for You?

A chemical peel strips away the outer, damaged layers of skin leaving you with a healthy, more youthful appearance. An acidic solution is used to do this. The solution may contain glycolic, trichloroacetic, salicylic, lactic or carbolic (phenol) acids. These agents literally peel away the outer surface layers of the skin which contains dead skin cells.

Your epidermis is made up of five different layers. When the solutions is applied to your skin it is actually causing mild trauma (very similar to exfoliating). This causes the outer layers of your skin to peel away. During the healing process new cells are grown leaving your skin looking younger, healthier and rejuvenated.