Chemical Acid Peels and Cancer

Chemical Acid Peels and Cancer

Many people who use chemical acid peels rid themselves of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. It is now thought that peels can also help with cancer prevention. The peels can prevent sun spots which are precancerous lesions from growing on the skin.

A TCA chemical peel which is trichloroacetic acid is the recommended type of peel to use to prevent sun spots from forming on the face. This type of treatment removes the top layer of the skin and new, health skin replaces it. Getting an acid peel can reduce the chance of skin cancer.

Facial acne can affect up to 85 percent of the age group 12 to 24 and having a chemical acid peel that uses either alpha or beta-hydroxy acid is very effective in treating mild to moderate facial acne. Having a chemical peel that contains beta-hydroxy acid will result in fewer side effects and will last longer than peels that contain alpha-hydroxy acid.

There are different types of acid used for peels and each treat different skin problems. Lactic acid is the mildest form of acid and is the type of peel recommended for persons with sensitive skins or those who have never had a peel before. These types of peels do not promote the irritation, redness and discomfort that other peels do and recovery time from a lactic acid peel is quicker. People who have rosacea can have a lactic acid peel since it is so gently and dermatologists suggest this is the only peel a rosacea sufferer should have.

TCA peels work well on mild acne scars of the face and it has been proven to get rid of acne. It can also treat scar due to melanoma removal. These peels are considered medium peels and can produce more side effects such as redness and mild swelling. The recovery time is a bit longer than with lactic acid peel.

Phenol acid peels are the strongest and can treat deep wrinkles, non-cancerous growths; severe sun damaged skin and deep acne scars. These types of peel are performed by a dermatologist on the face only due to the risk of scarring if used on other body areas. These peels produce more side effects and the recovery time if much longer than with other peels. A person with a history of heart problems is advised to avoid phenol acid peels.

Not everyone can have a chemical acid peel and before one is performed a consultation with a dermatologist will be done and at this time a thorough medical evaluation will be conducted. The patient will be asked about their medical history and if a person has a history of heart disease or kidney problems a physician will suggest that a deep peel not be requested. A person must be free of any infections and cold sores before a peel can be done. If a person takes acne medication it must be stopped at least six months before a peel. Birth control pill and other hormones can affect the pigment of a person’s skin after a treatment.

A person who is thinking of getting a chemical peel should research the physician and the facility that is going to do the procedure. A few questions to ask are: How many peels and what kind has been performed at the facility and by the doctor? Has any patients ever had a bad experience here? Can former patients be contacted to ask their opinions? Has any malpractice insurance ever been revoked? If I am not satisfied with the results can I have another treatment at no cost or be refunded my money?

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