A professional chemical peel is one of the best ways to remove that top layer of skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and provide you with a younger, radiant look. But what about the at-home chemical peels available? Can they stack up, or are they even worth using at home? Here’s what you need to know about an at home chemical peel vs professional chemical peel.
At-Home Chemical Peel
An at-home chemical peel is great in that it will help boost your ability to exfoliate. Some of your daily facial scrubs may already have several acids found on the product labels. These acids are good for loosening up dead skin and making it easier to scrub away. However, regular facial scrubs only go so far. An at-home chemical peel will have higher levels of specific acids and ingredients that will help loosen and remove dead skin.
These are applied very similarly to a face mask. Whether it is a strict liquid form or it has more of a gel-like appearance, the product is applied to your face. It will need to remain for several minutes (make sure to follow the instructions on the product and don’t let it remain on for longer, as this may end up leaving you with a chemical burn or other unwanted blemishes).
An at-home chemical peel is very much a surface-level peel. While a great way to improve your exfoliating practices, it isn’t going to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles instantly.
Professional Chemical Peel
Chemical peels provided by professionals in a clinical setting are far more powerful than anything you can purchase for yourself at home. For example, many at-home chemical peels can contain up to 10% glycolic acid. But in a clinical setting, this professional chemical peel can hit upwards of 70%. It simply isn’t safe to have just anyone buying professional-grade skin peel chemicals.
While an at-home chemical peel is generally used for enhanced exfoliation, there are several kinds of professional chemical peels. In general, these can be broken down into superficial, medium, and deep chemical peel categories. When discussing a chemical peel with a professional, they will go over these varying chemical peels and the intensity of the peel.
You might just want a superficial chemical peel that is designed more specifically for exfoliating purposes, much like the at-home kind. If you have never had a skin peel before, starting with this kind of service may be recommended. Most skin types can accept a superficial chemical peel without any reaction (darker pigmented skin can, on occasion, have reactions to medium and deep skin peels).
A medium chemical peel will elevate the intensity of the peel and remove more than just the very top portion of the skin. Where it might take several superficial skin peel treatments to achieve the desired result, a medium chemical peel will reduce the number of required treatments. To assist in this, most medium peels use an acid known as TCA (or trichloroacetic acid) to remove more than just the very top layer. With this kind of peel, redness will remain for up to a week or so, and some skin peeling as new, fresh skin may occur during this time.
However, there is no more stark difference between an at-home chemical peel and a professional peel than with a deep chemical peel provided by clinical professionals. As the name suggests, it works the deepest and can directly attack sun-damaged areas, wrinkles, scarring (including acne scars), and other damaged areas. With this kind of chemical peel, though, it can take several weeks for your skin to fully recover (in some cases, it may take a few months).
Can You Use Both?
Absolutely. There’s nothing wrong with using an at home chemical peel vs professional in between your professional visits. Now, if you just had a deep chemical peel done, it is very important to listen to your skincare professionals about treating and caring for your face. You may be told not to use any harsh products on your skin for weeks (if not longer). However, once the recovery period has passed, adding a home chemical peel into your weekly routine is possible.
Most home chemical peels are used, at most, once every several days (if not once a week). It’s a fine way to improve your ability to exfoliate, but, in truth, there’s no replacing a professional chemical peel.
And even if you go with the superficial, top layer chemical peel, it can be combined with other skincare treatments. Because your skin is fresh and free of all the dead layers of skin and dirt, there’s no better time to bring in another skincare service than at that moment.
Because there are so many at-home chemical peels available, you will want to purchase a product that not only works but will not harm your skin type. Instead of taking a trial and error approach, you can talk with the staff at The Skin Center By CPS and go over what may be the best at-home options for you to utilize.
Schedule Your Next Chemical Peel Today
Between at home chemical peel vs professional, at-home chemical peel are an excellent addition to your skincare routine. While it is extremely important to follow the instructions on the product, these will help bolster your ability to rid dead skin from your face and open up your pores. However, at home, chemical peels are no replacement for a professional peel. These peels are only available under clinical supervision and will deliver superior results. So, if you’re ready to schedule your next professional chemical peel, or you’d like to learn about what other skincare services will work for your skin type, there’s never been a better time to contact the team at The Skin Center By CPS than right now.
