Restores wrinkled, blemished, unevenly pigmented, or sun-damaged facial skin, using a chemical solution to peel away the skin’s top layers. This procedure works best on fair, thin skin with superficial wrinkles.
Length
The procedure takes approximately one hour for regional areas and two hours for the full face.
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Anesthesia
Topical anesthetic or sedation combined with local anesthesia are used. When sedation is given frequently, EKG monitoring is used.
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Inpatient/Outpatient
Usually this is an outpatient procedure. Full-face Phenol Peel may require hospital admission for a short period of time.
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Possible side effects
Both Phenol and TCA can cause temporary throbbing, tingling, swelling, redness and acute sensitivity to sun.
Phenol: may cause permanent lightening of treated skin and permanent loss of the ability to tan.
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Risks
Phenol and TCA: Tiny whiteheads (temporary), infection, scarring, flare-up of skin allergies and cold sores, excessive temporary skin pigmentation.
Phenol: Abnormal color changes (which may be permanent) and heart irregularities (these are extremely rare and occur during the procedure).
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Recovery
Phenol: Formation of new skin takes seven to twenty-one days. The patient may resume normal activities: two to four weeks. Full healing and fading of redness may take three to six months.
TCA: New skin forms within five to ten days. The redness will fade over several weeks.
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Results
Phenol: Permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages.
TCA: Results vary and the effect is temporary.
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SOURCE: Dermatology Society of South Africa
http://www.derma.co.za/
SOURCE: The British Association of Dermatologists
http://www.bad.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx
SOURCE: The British Society for Dermatological Surgery
http://www.bsds.org.uk/
SOURCE: American Academy of Dermatology
http://www.aad.org/
SOURCE: Medical Dermatology Society
http://www.meddermsociety.org/