Chemical Peels at the Zen Den in Reading

At the Zen Den we will always prepare for your chemical peel treatment by having a consultation with you however before your skin peel with us, please also follow the instructions below to help prepare:

• Use of AlumierMD home care products prior to your peel are recommended to prepare the skin, allow for better treatment results and reduce the risk of complications. Please contact a skin care professional at the Zen Den in Reading for appropriate recommendations for your skin type and condition.

It is recommended that you take the following into consideration:

• For best results and to reduce the risk of complications, it is recommended that you use AlumierMD home care products for 10 to 14 days prior to treatment.
• If you are lactating, pregnant, or may be pregnant, consult your skin care professional before receiving any treatment.
• Avoid prolonged, unprotected sun exposure and tanning beds for at least two weeks prior to treatment.
• Avoid the use of retinoid products (eg. retinol, Retin A®, Tazorac®) and high levels of AHA and BHA products for approximately 7 days prior to treatment. Consult your doctor before temporarily discontinuing the use of any prescription medications.

AlumierMD skin treatments result in minimal to no downtime but create dramatic and visible results. Treatments may cause slight redness, tightness, peeling, flaking or temporary dryness. Most patients do not find it necessary to apply makeup, as the skin will be smooth, dewy and radiant following your treatmen

Please see below some tips for your reference after receiving an AlumierMD Peel at the Zen Den in Tilehurst, Reading. Due to the nature of these treatments, you should not necessarily expect to “peel”. However, you may have light to moderate flaking in a few localised areas for 3 to 7 days. You may also experience residual redness, which lasts in most patients from 1 to 12 hours.

It is recommended that you do not apply makeup the day of the treatment. It is ideal to allow the skin to stabilise and rest overnight. However, makeup can be applied, if necessary. The night of your treatment, your skin will feel tight and “pulled”. Although you may or may not actually “peel”, it is likely that you will experience a light “exfoliation”. It may take 2 or more treatments to target the deeper layers of skin to loosen and “peel”.

In order to obtain maximum results and avoid complications, please follow the post-peel instructions which will be provided to you following your treatment. 

Only use the products provided to you in your post procedure kit (this is included in the price of the chemical and glow peels) for 5 to 7 days post treatment. Discontinue use of any product that irritates your skin and contact your skin care professional.

Important: Keep your skin hydrated. Hydration is key to proper healing.

DO NOT do the following things post peel:

• Cleanse your skin in the evening of your peel.
• Expose yourself to direct sun and/or excessive heat
• Pick or pull any flaking skin.
• Tan or use a tanning booth for at least 14 days post peel.
• Have electrolysis, waxing, threading or any other form of hair removal for 7 days post treatment.
• Use facial scrubs or mechanical forms of exfoliation for 14 days post peel.
• Use retinoic acid, AHA or BHA for 14 days post peel.
• Have laser hair removal, photofacials, chemical peels or microdermabrasion for 14 days post peel.
• Apply ice or ice water on the treated area.
• Use hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas, and/or excessively hot showers for 2 days post peel.
• Go swimming for 2 days post peel.
• Participate in aerobic exercise for 2 days post peel.

Chemical peels cause intentional damage to the epidermis and/or dermis with the goal of stimulating new tissue to improve skin texture and tone.

Chemical peels have been used dating back to Ancient Egypt. Cleopatra used sour milk to improve the appearance of her skin, according to some sources. Lactic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid) is the active ingredient in sour milk.

Chemical peels improve skin texture and firmness, decreasing fine lines and wrinkles. Peels also even out skin tone, improve acne-prone skin and reduce pore size appearance.

Chemical peels are classified as superficial, medium or deep, depending on the depth of penetration of the ingredients used. Superficial peels exfoliate to various levels of the epidermis. Medium-depth peels treat through the papillary dermis and deep peels to the mid-reticular dermis.

The strength of a chemical peel is determined by the type of ingredients used, their concentrations and the pH of the formulation.

Superficial chemical peels decrease the pH, which loosens the connections between dead skin cells, inducing exfoliation and stimulating new cell growth. This process causes superficial layers of dead skin to peel off, revealing a smoother and more radiant complexion. Chemical peels can also thicken the epidermis, increase dermal volume and stimulate collagen.

Superficial peels rarely cause side effects. However, hyperpigmentation can still occur with darker skin types.

Medium and deep chemical peels cause protein coagulation and cell necrosis (cell death) in the epidermis and dermis. This induces inflammation and the wound-healing cascade, which leads to dermal regeneration including collagen stimulation. Since medium and deep chemical peels treat through to the dermis, re-epithelialization starts from the epidermal lining of hair follicles outwards.

Medium and deep chemical peels require more downtime and carry with them a higher chance of side effects including hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, infection and scars.

Chemical peels are usually performed on the face, but may also be used on the neck, décolleté, back and hands. 

Beautiful skin doesn’t happen overnight. A single chemical peel can provide the immediate effect of bright and radiant skin. However, more significant results in treating textural issues, fine lines and inflamed acne take time. 

Some common peeling ingredients include alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and retinol. Alpha hydroxy acids include glycolic acid (originally from sugar cane), lactic acid (originally from milk), malic acid (originally from apples and pears), tartaric acid (originally from grapes) and mandelic acid (originally from bitter almonds). Salicylic acid (related to aspirin) is the only beta hydroxy acid.

Not all peels are created equal, and one peel type doesn’t suit all. Certain ingredients may be more effective for treating acne, while others may be more successful in treating hyperpigmentation or the signs of aging.

AHA peels work by reducing sulfate and phosphate groups from the surface of corneocytes to decrease corneocyte cohesion leading to exfoliation of epidermal cells. Salicylic acid peels are lipid soluble allowing deeper penetration into the follicle. As well as exfoliating, salicylic acid works as both a keratolytic and comedolytic agent by causing cells of the epidermis and in the follicle to shed, clearing the pores and allowing room for new cell growth. In addition, salicylic acid has anti-inflammatory properties and is able to neutralize bacteria at low percentages. These properties make salicylic acid ideal for acne. 

Like a chemical peel, an enzyme peel is also a treatment used to improve skin texture and appearance. Enzymes are applied to the skin, which loosen the connections between dead skin cells, inducing exfoliation and stimulating new cell growth. This process causes superficial layers of dead skin to peel off, revealing a smoother and more radiant complexion. Enzyme peels both nourish and exfoliate the skin and are usually made with fruit enzymes. The most popular fruit enzymes are papain, found in papayas, and bromelain, found in pineapple. 

Most beneficial ingredients for the skin tend to degrade or denature when placed in the low pH of chemical peel formulas. With that scientific information in mind, AlumierMD peels use only the pure acids; anti-aging, antioxidant and brightening booster ingredients are applied post-peel in our Brightening Accelerator keeping all components effective.

Peels remove the outer dead layers of the stratum corneum, so the booster ingredients are better absorbed when applied post-peel. Our multilayer process can be customized by your skin care professional according to your skin profile and concerns