It’s Laser & Peel Season Y’all

Brianna Sapp, APRN, FNP-C

What is laser and peel season? Only one of our favorite seasons of the year (aside from the holidays, of course). Let us explain.

Throughout our lives, we all accumulate sun damage. Some of us are more genetically predisposed to sun damage and skin cancer due to our skin tones. We can all lessen our risk of sun damage, skin cancer, and early signs of aging by protecting our skin from the sun. Unfortunately, sun exposure throughout our lives is irreversible. Once the damage has been done, we can only carefully monitor our skin and treat concerns as they arise. 

Most importantly, monitor your skin for any new or changing lesions. This could be a sign of skin cancer and should be evaluated and treated by your healthcare professional. I recommend a yearly full-body examination by your dermatologist, with more frequent exams (biannually or quarterly) if you have a personal history of skin cancers. Any suspicious lesions can be biopsied at these visits for definitive diagnosis and treatment, if needed, can be initiated. Sometimes, referrals are needed to clear and repair skin cancers.

What about those of us without skin cancers, who just have accumulated sun damage? This is where the magic of laser and peel season happens. 

Lasers and peels are tools we use to help treat diffuse areas of sun damage, such as solar lentigo (age spots), seborrheic keratoses (barnacles), actinic keratoses, and fine lines and wrinkles. Because there is typically a small amount of downtime and avoidance of sun associated with these treatments, Fall and Winter months are deemed “laser and peel season”. Recovery depends on the type of treatment used and how aggressive the treatment. Your healthcare provider will help guide you to the correct treatment according to your concerns and desired outcome.

Lasers

At Savannah Facial Plastic Surgery, we offer the Lutronic eCO2 laser to resurface your skin. CO2 lasers are powerful. They deliver short, fluctuating light energy or continuous light energy. The energy removes the fine layers of the skin with minimal damage to the surrounding areas. Recovery ranges from 48 hours to one week, depending on the settings used to achieve your desired outcome. This laser is best used on lighter skin types and can treat a variety of common skin concerns:

• Blemishes
• Scars
• Warts
• Birthmarks
• Liver spots
• Skin damaged by sun/age
• Scars from chicken pox/acne
• Enlarged pores
• Wrinkles/fine lines beneath the eyes, around the mouth, and on the forehead

Peels

A chemical peel involves placing a chemical solution directly on the face. Over time, the skin will scab and peel, leaving behind a rejuvenated skin tone, healthier skin cells, and younger-looking skin. The procedure is fairly simple, with little to moderate discomfort. The two most commonly used chemical solutions are Alpha Hydroxyl Acid (AHA) peel and a Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) peel. AHAs are the mildest and most superficial peels. TCA peels come in a variety of intensities based on the patient’s needs. Both chemical solutions peel away to the top layers of damaged skin to reveal undamaged new skin beneath. The recovery phase of a chemical peel treatment depends on the strength of the peel and can range anywhere from two days to two weeks. It is common to experience some throbbing, tingling, swelling, and redness after the peel. It’s important to protect the treated area from sun exposure for several months, use sunscreen, as well as implementing a gentle skincare routine. You may be an ideal candidate for a chemical peel if you have uneven skin color or skin texture issues, such as age spots, unwanted freckles, acne scars, melasma, sun damage, and fine lines.

The cooler months aren’t just for turkey, folks! Take advantage of the season to reveal brighter, more youthful skin! As always, contact me or any of the SFPS team to achieve your skin goals.

About Brianna Sapp

Brianna Sapp, APRN, FNP-C is a nurse practitioner at Savannah Facial Plastic Surgery who specializes in facial aesthetic medicine and reconstruction. She can be contacted at 912-644-0744 or on Instagram at @briannainsavannah.

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