I. What is fruit acid?
Fruit acids are extracted from a variety of fruits and are composed of a group of carbonic acid containing alpha hydroxyl, including grape acid, malic acid, citrus acid and lactic acid, etc. Most of them are extracted from fruits, so they are commonly called fruit acids. Among them, the glycolic acid extracted from sugar cane is most widely used.
What is fruit acid peeling?
Fruit acid peel is one of the “superficial chemical peels” and is currently the most commonly used peeling procedure.
Its indications are as follows.
(1) Acne, pimples
(2) Superficial acne scars
(3) Dark spots and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
(4) Fine wrinkles at the corners of the eyes and mouth
(5) Fine wrinkles on the neck, chest, arms, and aging skin.
Generally, as long as there is no viral infection such as herpes or warts on the affected area, no wounds, recent surgery or acute eczema, all people can receive the treatment of fruit acid peeling.
Third, the process of fruit acid peeling is as follows.
After washing the affected area with a special cleanser, the doctor will apply a high concentration of glycolic acid (20% to 70%) in the order of forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. After a few minutes, a neutralizing solution will be sprayed to terminate the effect of glycolic acid, followed by ice packs to reduce pain and redness, and then a nutritional cream can be applied. During the treatment process, the patient will feel some stinging pain, and slight redness and pain for two days after the treatment.
Even if the skin does not peel off after treatment, it is still effective. Generally speaking, it takes about eight to ten peels to achieve the best results. Each peeling interval is two to four weeks, and the concentration and time of using fruit acids will gradually increase.
Fourth, side effects.
Because it is a very superficial peel, there are very few side effects, such as scars, infections, erythema and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, all of which rarely occur.
V. Precautions before treatment.
1. Use the following products every day for two weeks before making a peel, not only to increase the adaptability of the skin, but also to make the peeling effect better; use low concentration (15%) of fruit acids and ointment prescribed by the doctor before going to bed, and use fruit acids and sunscreen lotion in the morning (KINGYOUNG’s SPF16 or EUCERIN’s SPF25 is recommended; NEOSTRATA’s SPF60 enhanced sunscreen lotion is recommended for those with dark spots). SPF60 enhanced sunscreen lotion) and sunscreen lotion once more at noon.
2.For one week before treatment, do not use facial scrubs, dye or perm your hair, use wax or shave with a blade, or sunburn the affected area.
3, the day of treatment is prohibited to shave with razor.
Six, after treatment precautions.
1.After the treatment, if you feel normal and only feel slightly tight or sensitive, you can use two to four times a day with nutritional cream for one or two days. After the skin feels normal, you can resume the maintenance method before the peeling.
2. If there is obvious inflammation (redness, pain) after treatment, in addition to applying the nutritional cream two to four times a day, use the anti-inflammatory cream prescribed by the doctor to apply to the inflammation twice a day until the inflammation is eliminated. If there is a scab, apply antibiotic cream prescribed by the doctor three times a day until the scab falls off, never pick the scab to avoid scar formation. If there is any redness, swelling or pus near the scab, please return to the clinic immediately for follow-up. After a few days, after the skin has completely recovered, you can continue to use the maintenance products you used before the peel.
3. The new skin after peeling is particularly sensitive to UV rays, so sun protection is very important. You must use sunscreen lotion every day, once in the morning and once at noon, and if you sweat a lot, you must replenish the sunscreen lotion more often, as well as less sun exposure, and wear a hat or umbrella when you go out.
4. After the peel, you must suspend the use of fruit acids and the creams used before the peel. Generally speaking, it takes about one to seven days.
A peel may seem simple, but there is a lot to be said for it. Qualified cosmetic surgeons are able to determine the right concentration of fruit acids or the right depth of lasers to use, while less skilled or even unlicensed cosmetic surgeons do not have this guarantee. In addition, the fruit acid peeling products that are readily available on the market are actually very dangerous when applied by oneself without the guidance of a physician, and there have been people who have burned their skin by peeling themselves and had to seek help from a physician and finally spent more money and plastic surgery to restore their original appearance.