Beauty Secrets – Are you part of the Glow Gang?

A look at the popular advanced Chemical Peel Treatments

Blog written by: Dr Ifeoma Abajue, Beauty Therapy Institute, Lagos, Nigeria.

I recently read “The Idea is to die young as late as possible” and I think this perfectly captures what most women want. To be forever young is a deep seated desire fueled by the glossy images we see all around us, of celebrities that never seem to age and like wine are actually getting better with age. What do they have that we don’t? We constantly muse. One thing is for sure, they are dedicated to their routines and they have qualified personnel handling their beauty treatments. So what stops us from attaining the forever young status as mere mortals? I dare say good old ignorance plays a part. Not knowing what to do, when to do it and how to do it is definitely an underlying factor. There are so many options out there that it seems to be a herculean task just getting to it.

One treatment that never goes out of fashion though is the chemical peel. One of the oldest cosmetic procedure in the world, it has gone through so much refinement that you can even have this procedure done as a lunch time treatment with minimal downtime. The most important factor you must consider in choosing to have a chemical peel done is the person doing your peel, the process before the peel and the process after. Buying a peel off the internet and applying it on yourself will not help your forever young cause. This is because it’s more than just the actual peel process, but involves getting a visible yet safe result and then maintaining it afterward.

Having a holistic view of how to handle anti-aging procedures as a beauty therapist is a skill that must be honed to perfection. Chemical peels are a fundamental anti-aging treatment. Simply put, a chemical peel removes the outermost layers of the skin to reveal smooth younger skin. That is exactly what our clients’ want, but undergoing the right training and obtaining the appropriate training and skills is what sets you apart.

For the client, falling into the wrong hands can make such a seemingly straightforward procedure become a nightmare. It is imperative to have a properly trained and certified therapist or medical personnel handle your chemical peel.

There are various reasons one may want to have a peel done. Hyperpigmentation from various reasons (Post acne, melisma, sun exposure, age spots etc.) is just one, although it is the most popular. Other reasons to consider a peel include: acne and its scarring outcome, fine lines and wrinkles, irregular texture, or simply to tone and stimulate the skin and complexion giving rise to ‘the glow’.

There are different levels of peels, depending on the effect you want to achieve ranging from the very superficial, superficial, moderate and deep peels and the personnel that handles the peeling procedure proportionately ranges from your beauty therapist, Medical aesthetician, Medical doctor and dermatologist.

Popular peels include the lactic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, designer peels, combination peels, and heavy duty ones to be handled by doctors only including the higher percentage peels, Jessners, TriChloroAcetic (TCA), phenol, etc.

To the uninitiated, the idea of a chemical peel sounds drastic, and when defined it sounds extreme but for some of the peels, it all happens at a micro level and you will hardly notice the process. The basic concept is to cause irritation and burning to the skin thereby stimulating a healing process which comes with added benefits like clearer smoother skin. If it is any consolation, undue and continued exposure to the sun has a more damaging effect than a peel would.

As mentioned earlier, and worth repeating as it is so important, the process before the peel which involves prepping the skin and the process after which will ensure that a high SPF sunscreen is your best friend, combined with take home products, will ensure that you don’t just have a beautiful result, but that it is maintained. Only trained personnel can ensure this process is followed. There are also other beauty treatments that can be combined with a chemical peels to achieve and maintain magnificent results, microneedling for one, but it is up to the therapist or doctor to analyse the skin and decide what is best treatment, especially if there are specific issues that need to be addressed.

To contact Dr Ifeoma, e-mail: Ifeoma@beautytherapyinstitute.co.za or call: +234 802 941 9768 (Lagos

For further information on Beauty Therapy Institute, please contact us on admin@beautytherapyinstitute.co.za or call +27 (0)78 562 8935