Chemical peel is a cosmetic procedure which applies chemical solutions to the skin in order to correct its appearance and health. Chemical peel treatment is quite effective, but people with dark skin should be very careful using any chemical peelers on their skin because african-american skin is especially sensitive for a strong chemical solutions.

During the chemical peel procedure the outer layer of skin is removerd with the help of these chemical solutions. The solutions used in the chemical peels usually include phenol, trichloroacetic acid (TCA), alphahydroxy acids (AHAs) and betahydroxy acids (BHA).

African-american skin and chemical peels:

The type of skin peel and solutions used to exfoliate the skin are usually chosen according to the individual characteristics of the skin and the needs and expectations of the person.

There are also different formulations of chemical peels which have different penetration strengths. Alphahydroxy acids (AHAs) are the mildest type of chemical peels, these peels can include such solutions as glycolic , lactic or fruit acids. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peel is a medium-depth peeling procedure. Beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) are the simple organic fruit acids. These acids can be derived from the fruits or synthesized. BHAs are closely related to the AHAs. The most common used BHA is salicylic acid. Phenol peels are the deepest chemical peels and the most powerful one.

Chemical peels can give amazing effects and treat a great number of skin imperfections, but there are some side effects which need to be addressed before the procedure. One of the effects is chemical peels influence on the skin pigmentation. This influence depend on the type of the peel and concentration of acids in the product.

Mild chemical peels generally advocated for any skin color because such products act superficially and doesn’t affect skin pigmentation. People with dark skin can use this type of chemical skin peels, for example mild AHA and BHA peels with low concentration of the acids.

Strong chemical peels like phenol peel have distinct lightening effect and people with dark skin usually are not advised to undergo this procedure. Because phenol peels can result in permanently lighter skin, such treatment is not recommended for patients with very dark skin tones (for example Mediterranean or Black skin). Phenol peel treatment can induce hypo-pigmentation and hyper-pigmentation of the skin and this may lead to “blotchy” pigmentation or visible line of demarcation where phenol treatment was performed.

Trichloroacetic acid peel is a medium-depth peeling treatment. This type of chemical peels is the best suited for people with african-american skin.

The effects of chemical peels are not certain for everybody. You should consult your doctor or dermatologist about the most optimal treatment for your skin.

To evaluate the color change that can be caused by chemical peel, you should do a test spot ia areas other than face.

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Skin peels for African-American skin
Microdermabrasion for dark skin