Cheryl's Best Question

During our pre-peel chat, Cheryl asked a brilliant question.

"What is the difference between peeling from a sunburn and from a chemical peel?"

When you receive a sunburn the skin is actually damaged. The degree of damage depends on the severity of the burn, of course, and some burns don't peel at all.

(For some great info on sunburns, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunburn)

The peeling is a reaction to the damaged skin sloughing off. In addition to making you more prone to certain types of skin cancer, you may also be prone to hyperpigmentation (the over production of melanin by melanocytes). Most of what you see on the skin today (freckles, etc.) is a result of sun damage twenty or more years ago.

When you receive a deep exfoliation/superficial chemical peel, the ingredients are absorbed into the appropriate layer of skin. The reaction that takes place causes the "glue" that holds the dead skin cells together to "dissolve." It only affects the very top layer of the epidermis (skin) called the stratum corneum or "horny layer".

As the "glue" is dissolved, the skin cells start to slough off. This can create a "peeling" effect, though it is important to note that some people do not peel and some peel a lot. (Allison peeled a lot from her last peel. I peeled very little from my last one.) This depends on the condition of the skin as well as the products applied.

So while peeling from sunburn and from a chemical peel may seem similar, one is from a traumatic injury to the skin while the other is a chemical reaction caused by products.