Ask The Experts 
Overview
Chemical Peel
A Quick Guide to Chemical Peels
Chemical peels involve the application of a chemical solution to the surface of the skin to produce the careful removal of its outer layers. The amount of skin removed will depend on the type of chemical used, the strength of the product (superficial, medium or deep) and how long it is left on the skin. By removing the upper layers of the skin which are often dead or damaged, we can improve the texture and radiance of the skin, and leaving it looking and feeling younger, softer and smoother.
At Elite Aesthetics, we offer a range of medical-grade chemical peels, with different strengths (from superficial to deep peels) and different active ingredients to suit different skin types, concerns and tones. Our chemical peel treatments are available to clients across Kent and the South East, including Gravesend, Bromley, Maidstone, Sidcup, Orpington, Dartford, Kings Hill and the surrounding areas.
The Chemical Peels We Offer
ZO 3 Step Peel
The Zein Obagi (ZO) 3 Step Peel is a medium-depth peel suitable for all skin tones and types.
The first step is an in-clinic peel solution, which uses salicylic acid, trichloroacetic acid and lactic acid to encourage skin turnover and rejuvenate the skin. As a medium depth peel, the 3 Step Peel penetrates the epidermis down to the basal layer, where new skin cells are constantly being made. The peel solution also includes glycerin and saponins to soothe and hydrate the skin, and prevent irritation. The top layers of the skin will peel off over the next 3-5 days, leaving the bright new skin underneath.
After the peel, the Retinol Creme is applied, which contains a combination of 6% retinol and a variety of high-quality ingredients to maximise collagen renewal and skin regeneration after the peel.
The third step is an at-home skincare treatment that relieves any skin irritation and redness after the treatment. It also hydrates the skin and improves it’s barrier function to prevent impurities or bacteria from penetrating while the skin peels.
ZO Controlled Depth Peel
The Controlled Depth Peel is an intensive deep peel with a 7-10 day recovery time. A trichloroacetic acid (TCA) based peel, the Controlled Depth Peel is an in-office only procedure and should only be carried out by medical professionals.
The TCA is mixed with ZO’s signature blue dye to allow practitioners to accurately assess the penetration of the TCA peel. This way, we can stop the penetration at a level that is deeply effective and still safe for the patient.
The controlled depth peel is the most effective skin peel we offer for severe skin laxity, scarring, melasma and skin congestion, but it is not suitable for everyone, as it is a very strong, deeply penetrating treatment. Dr. Shirin Lakhani, our practice leader, carries out all of our ZO Controlled Depth Peel treatments, and is highly experienced in aesthetic and dermatological medicine.
The Perfect Peel
The Perfect Peel uses a revolutionary combination of five different active ingredients to create effective results in a comfortable treatment with around a week of recovery time. The Perfect Peel contains:
- Glutathione – a deeply effective antioxidant which helps renew and refresh skin cells deep in the epidermis, to improve the overall health of the skin and reduce the impact of sun damage, pollution and other impurities.
- Kojic acid – is used to increase collagen and elastin production in the skin, creating brightened and tightened skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) – a well researched and proven skin peeling ingredient that exfoliates the top layers of skin effectively.
- Retinoic acid – Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and evens out pigmentation issues in the skin.
- Salicylic acid – exfoliates the top layers of the skin and helps to avoid skin inflammation.
The Perfect Peel also contains phenol, and a combination of various vitamins and minerals including vitamin C to help create glowing, soft and healthy-looking results.
Enerpeels
Enerpeel is an advanced chemical skin peel which uses new technologies to allow the active ingredients to absorb into the skin before being released. This means that the peel can be carried out in lower, less abrasive concentrations as it is more highly targeted to the deeper layers of the skin. Patients don’t suffer from any inflammation, redness or aggressive peeling with Enerpeels.
We offer Mandelic Acid and Salicylic Acid Enerpeels, depending on your skin concerns, conditions, tone and type.
ZO Stimulation Peel
The ZO Stimulation Peel is a superficial depth peel that gives glowing results with no downtime! Sometimes known as the ‘Lunchtime Peel’, the Stimulation Peel can be carried out in less than 45 minutes, and has no side effects or active skin peeling afterwards.
It uses a combination of salicylic, lactic and citric acid to clear away dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, leaving the new, bright , glowing skin underneath.
Before & After
See the amazing results Chemical Peels can have for our clients.
Before 
After What Can Chemical Peels Treat?
Chemical peels can be used on most areas of the body, but are commonly used on the face or the backs of the hands to improve the appearance of:
- Rough skin texture.
- Fine lines and wrinkles.
- Age spots.
- Sun damage.
- Blemishes.
- Acne.
- Acne scars.
- Actinic keratosis (precancerous skin growths).
What Are The Benefits Of Chemical Peels?
Chemical peels can provide a variety of benefits for many skin types and tones. As a highly customisable treatment, we can tailor your chemical peel treatment to your skin type and concerns specifically, creating effective and beautiful benefits for a wide variety of patients.
Chemical peels are used to treat wrinkles, discolored skin and scars — usually on the face. They can be done alone or combined with other cosmetic procedures. And they can be done at different depths, from light to deep. Deeper chemical peels offer more-dramatic results but also take longer to recover from. Peels can be combined with microneedling to tackle deeper scars.
A chemical peel uses a chemical solution to exfoliate and peel off areas of damaged skin. To remove freckles, a moderate skin peel containing glycolic acid or trichloroacetic acid penetrates the skin’s middle layers. Once damaged skin is removed, new skin is generated.
The ZO Stimulator Peel is a wonderful introduction to peels for anyone that has not had a peel before.
It is a superficial peel which causes no downtime no peeling or flaking. A combination of citric, glycolic and lactic acids help to improve skin texture and tone by providing both accelerated exfoliation of the epidermal layer and a unique brightening complex works to prevent the formation of pigmentation.
If you have been considering a peel but feel a little nervous, then the Stimulator Peel is for you. This ‘celebrity’ loved treatment is a favourite before big events and is often known as the ‘lunchtime red carpet peel’ because no downtime is required afterwards, simply a glowing rejuvenated complexion.
It uses a combination of three exfoliating ingredients- glycolic, lactic and citric acid to slough away dead skin cells and any superficial blemishes to reveal fresh, clearer skin underneath. It also stimulates cell turnover for continued improvement to the skin.
A highly effective treatment for the many signs of skin ageing, the ZO Stimulator Peel is ideal for treating sun damage, fine lines, uneven texture, large pores, dull skin, and even acne. Suitable for any skin type or colour. This peel can help with the following:
- Help with the appearance of hyperpigmentation
- Soften and rejuvenate sun damaged skin
- Citric Acid gives the skin a healthy glow
- Improve the appearance of age spots or freckles
- Removes dead skin cells from the superficial epidermal layers
- Restore skin integrity and radiance
What Happens During the ZO Stimulator Peel?
Your skin will be cleansed using the appropriate cleanser from the ZO range to remove any make up or oil. This is followed by ZO Exfoliating Polish and Polish Activator and ZO Peel Prep Solution to prepare the skin for the Peel.
The Stimulator Peel is then applied and left on for two to four minutes before it is neutralised with pads soaked in Peel Neutraliser, which restores the Ph balance of the skin after the acids in the peel. If you are having a Brightening or Hydrating Medical Peel, the appropriate products are then applied. The final step is the application of ZO Daily Power Defence moisturising serum and ZO Ommerse Renewel Cream to hydrate and protect your skin.
The active Peel solution causes the superficial layer of the skin to peel off and may cause slight initial reddening. The treatment exposes a new layer of healthy undamaged skin, resulting in a smoother texture and a more even skin tone.
Clears pores to help reduce blackheads and whiteheads
- Glycolic Acid stimulates cell turnover
- Lactic acid to slough away dead skin cells
The peel can be combined with other treatments to enhance the results.
What are the Benefits of the ZO Stimulator Peel?
- No Downtime
- Help with the appearance of hyperpigmentation
- Soften and rejuvenate sun damaged skin
- Citric Acid gives the skin a healthy glow
- Improve the appearance of age spots or freckles
- Removes dead skin cells from the superficial epidermal layers
- Restore skin integrity and radiance
How Long Does the Treatment Take?
Between 45 and 60 minutes.
Is the ZO Stimulator Peel Painful?
We have a fan blowing cold air to make you extra comfortable during your treatment. Unlike some stronger chemical peels during which you may feel discomfort, the Stimulator Peel is not painful and does not involve any downtime. You may experience a mild warming sensation briefly whilst the peel is applied. There may be slight initial reddening of the skin, followed by limited peeling a day or two later. For special events the Peel is ideal to have 3 days before.
How many ZO Stimulator Peels Do I Need?
We recommend having a peel once a month to maintain your skin.
Mandelic Facial Peel Benefits
- Exfoliates dead skin cells from the surface leaving the skin softer, smoother, and brighter.
- Encourages skin cell turnover and boosts collagen production
- Regarded as the best peel for treating blemishes and hyperpigmention
- The best peel for African, African American, and Asian skin types.
- Considered to be less irritating than glycolic acid and therefore a better choice for sensitive skin types.
- Mild solutions are reported to be effective on rosacea affected skin.
- Mandelic Acid is the only Alpha-hydroxy acid that can work within the pores to relieve congestion and so can help reduce acne outbreaks and may reduce enlarged pores.
The Jessner peel is done by brushing an acidic liquid onto the skin to remove the top layers and encourage new, younger looking skin to grow.
Benefts of the Jessner Peel
- reduce dark patches and age spots
- even out skin tone
- reduce the appearance of scars
- smooth fine lines and wrinkles
- treat melasma (skin discoloration) and hyperpigmentation
How does the Jessner Peel work?
The Jessner peel is typically a medium peel, which means it removes skin cells from the top layer of your skin, the epidermis, and the upper portion of the middle layer, the dermis. However, it can also be used as a superficial peel, which has a faster healing time but needs to be performed more often to get the results of a deeper peel.
What is the Jessner Peel?
Regardless of the depth, the peel is made up of a mix of lactic acid, salicylic acid, and resorcinol in a 95 percent ethanol solution.
The Salicylic Acid peel is one of the most effective peel treatments available for moderate acne with excellent results including:
- Deeply cleanses the skin and folicles of dirt, debris and oil
- Reduces breakouts and clogged pores
- Effectively reduces inflammation
What Does the Salicylic Acid Peel Treat?
- Salicylic Acid is able to penetrate and decongest follicles
- Actively reducing redness and inflammation
- Preventing future breakouts
- Targeting bacteria
Benefits of Salicylic Acid Peel
- Controls inflamed pustules
- Tackles redness associated with blemishes
- Acts as an effective anti-inflammatory
- Increases the skin’s ability to retain moisture, especially when combined with other treatments.
- Deeply exfoliating, penetrates right down into the follicle
This makes a lactic acid peel a better choice for sensitive skin. Lactic acid may also be an option if you’ve tried another peels in the past and found the product too strong.
Benefits of a Lactic Acid Peel
Lactic acid is used to create a mild chemical peel that can help even out your skin tone. It can help address:
- age spots
- melasma
- rough texture
- fine lines
How often can you do a lactic acid peel?
1-2 treatments for 6-8 weeks will usually give you optimal results. Again, these results will depend on your skin, the strength of the peel, the frequency of the peel, and how well you take care of your skin post-peel. Because lactic acid peels are mild, they can be safely used 1-2 times per week.
Is lactic acid peel good for acne?
Chemical peels containing lactic acid are beneficial for aiding in the control of pimples and acne, decreasing the appearance of pores and smoothing out rough skin.
Which is better glycolic or lactic acid peel?
Lactic acid is excellent at hydrating and brightening to the skin. It has a very large molecular structure and thus it tends to be less irritating. Glycolic acid peels, on the other hand, has the smallest molecular structure, penetrating quickly and deeper – thus can be more irritating for some people.
Glycolic acid is a type of alpha-hydroxy acid (or AHA) that’s derived from sugar cane.
It joins other acids you might recognize, such as lactic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid.
How Does a Glycolic Acid Peel Work?
It helps shed dead skin cells and reveal the newer, brighter layers underneath by acting on the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of skin)
How long does it take for glycolic acid to work?
How long does glycolic acid take to work? Just like every other skin care treatment, consistency is key when using glycolic acid products. The effects start showing in 2-3 weeks, and a complete skin transformation takes about 6-8 months.
- Makes Skin Pores Small. Glycolic peels are very effective at shrinking the pores of your skin. …
- Good for Acne. Glycolic peels can prove to be an excellent treatment for acne and acne scars. …
- Reduces the Effects of Sun Damage. …
- Anti Aging. …
- Increases Collagen Production.
Pyruvic Acid Peel – EnerPeel® PA is the next most active acid to a TCA, but with a much greater safety profile. As a keto acid, it has a sebum slowing effect like the beta hydroxyl acid Salicylic Acid, but it penetrates much deeper than an EnerPeel® SA.
It can be also used in conjunction with EnerPeel® JR for a deeper peel especially when sun damage combined with lines and wrinkles is the target.
Benefits of Pyruvic Acid Peels:
- Decrease the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and other premature signs of aging. Pyruvic Acid visibly:
- reduces acne blemishes while minimizing pore size
- lessening the appearance of dark spots
- improving skin tone, texture and smoothness.
5-ACID BLENDED PEEL WITH GLUTATHIONE, VITAMINS AND MINERALS
The Perfect Peel Before and After
Please contact the clinic to request before and after images.
Who makes the perfect peel?
The Perfect Peel Company makes the Perfect Peel.
How much does the perfect peel cost?
At Elite Aesthetics, the Perfect Peel Costs £350.
What are the Benefits of the Perfect Peel?
- Improve the overall tone and texture of your skin
- Lighten and brighten your skin
- Remove or reduce sun damage and age spots
- Reduce pore size and soften fine lines and wrinkles
- Reduce or eliminate Hyperpigmentation and acne scars
- Improve acne skin conditions and Melasma
- Stimulate the production of collagen resulting in firmer skin
- Slow down the aging process and prevent wrinkles
The ZO 3-Step Peel is a medium-strength peel that combines 10% TCA (trichloroacetic acid), salicylic acid, lactic acid and high-dose retinol (6%). It is indicated for patients of any skin type and colour, who require a more potent skin peel (medium strength), but with minimal downtime (3-5 days).
How Much Does the ZO 3 Step Peel Costs?
The peel is conducted by our doctor and costs £350.
TCA peels are cosmetic treatments that use trichloroacetic acid (TCA) to improve your skin’s appearance. The peels come in a variety of strengths or concentrations of acid. A TCA peel works by removing dead skin cells and stimulating new skin cell growth.
Obagi Blue Skin Peel is a leading deep rejuvenation treatment which helps eliminate blemishes, acne scars, wrinkles, uneven pigmentation and sun damage whilst increasing overall texture and tightness. … These dead cells are replaced by healthier ones, allowing the skin’s own clarity and tightness to resurface.
Acne can be a difficult condition to treat. The right peel can tackle acne and soften the scars that come with it. Salicylic acid peels and Jessner’s peels (equal parts salicylic acid, lactic acid, and resorcinol, an antiseptic exfoliant) dive deep into skin to unclog pores while also skimming the surface to lossen blackheads and fade post-pimple pigmentation marks.
Chemical Peels can certainly help with acne scars by removing the top layers of skin and thus regenerating the damaged skin. The peels can use strong chemicals so we always recommend using a professional aesthetics clinic like Elite Aesthetics.
Chemical peel. A chemical peel uses acids at stronger concentrations to treat the desired area of skin. They reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation by removing the epidermis. Deeper versions may also penetrate the middle layer of your skin (dermis) to produce more dramatic results.
Glycolic acid peel is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure commonly used for the treatment of acne, photoaging and pigmentary disorders …
While a phenol-based chemical peel can penetrate the dermis, it cannot penetrate enough layers of your skin to burn away stretch mark scars. A chemical peel may provide minimal improvement in the appearance of your stretch marks, but it will not reduce their visibility enough for the scars to be unnoticeable.
Generally, speaking, two of the best chemical peels for stretch marks are a TCA skin peel or a Glycolic skin peel. Either of these peels will work to fade and diminish stretch marks. However, it’s important to note that stretch marks (and scarring in general) represent a permanent textural change to the skin.
Those who suffer from Rosacea usually have flushing or redness in the face near the cheeks, chin, or forehead, due to a higher number of blood vessels and dilated capillaries near the surface of the skin. Other symptoms can include acne-like bumps, skin thickening and inflammation. Some subtypes may also include an enlarged nose, or watery eyes accompanied by stinging, itching and broken blood vessels.
Because there are so many different types of Rosacea (including erythematotelangiectatic rosacea, papulopustular rosacea, phymatous rosacea and ocular rosacea), each case is different and it is important to speak to a skin care professional to determine a personalized and proper course of treatment.
If you are not sure whether you have this skin condition, watch out for these Rosacea warning signs as recommended by the National Rosacea Society:
- Redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead
- Small visible blood vessels on the face
- Bumps or pimples on the face
- Watery or irritated eyes
Although women experience a higher rate of Rosacea than men, men tend to display more severe symptoms, which can be worsened by everyday tasks such as facial shaving.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make your Rosacea less unpredictable.
First, it’s important to identify what causes your Rosacea to flare up. Common triggers include:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Spicy foods
- Acidic foods (coffee, tea, alcohol)
Some environmental conditions such as heat from saunas, hot baths, humidity and sun can also provoke a flare-up. It is also important to pay attention to how your skin reacts to cosmetic products to make sure they’re gentle enough for your skin. It is important to treat and control Rosacea right away, as it can worsen overtime. Other ways to help manage Rosacea include hydrating the skin and protecting against UVB rays with broad spectrum sunscreen.
For mild to moderate Rosacea sufferers, a chemical peel followed by proper ongoing care can greatly improve the skin’s appearance. Peels can reduce the appearance of redness and acne like bumps by exfoliating the top layer of the skin, which is then replaced by new, healthier skin cells.
A chemical peel is solution applied to the face to remove dead skin cells and stimulate the growth of new cells. The aim is to improve the appearance of the skin – for example, by reducing age spots and evening out skin tone.
In the UK, chemical peels cost about £80 to £150 for mild peels. Deeper peels may cost more than £500.
- The Perfect Peel: £350
- Enerpeels: £120
- ZO Stimulation Peel x 1: £100
- ZO Stimulation Peel x 4: £300
- ZO 3 Step Peel: £350
- ZO Controlled Depth Peel: £ 1000
£60 to £100 for mild peels
At Elite Aesthetics we use a range of superficial to medium depth peels, allowing us to balance efficacy with your lifestyle, to avoid the lengthy recovery periods of the deeper, more aggressive treatments, whilst providing a highly effective peeling system.
We precede all of our chemical peel treatments with a full consultation, where we will help establish the type of chemical peel that will have the most effect for you. This will be based on your lifestyle, skin concerns, goals and other factors that we will discuss with you during the consultation period.
Dr. Shirin carries out our deeper strength chemical peel treatments, such as the ZO 3 Step Peel, the ZO Controlled Depth Peel and The Perfect Peel, while our Senior Aesthetician Charlotte Thomas carries out our superficial depth and skin resurfacing peels, including Enerpeels and the ZO Stimulation Peel.
If you are considering having a course of peels you will also need to follow a home care regimen with specifically recommended products to allow you to see optimal results. This is especially important for patients with deeper skin tones, as it will help to avoid hyperpigmentation and sun damage after the treatment, as well as for the patients having deeper or more intensive chemical peels, to prevent any damage to the skin.
Elite Aesthetics is an award-winning, purpose-built clinic situated in Greenhithe, Kent, and offering our services across the South East, including Bexley, Bexleyheath, Greenhithe, Tunbridge Wells, West Malling, and Kings Cross. We are deeply committed to ethical aesthetic practice and the comfort and safety of our patients.
We are a close knit team of highly regarded industry professionals and work tirelessly to create beautiful treatment results in a safe and relaxed environment for our clients.
At Elite Aesthetics, we are led by our founder and medical director Dr. Shirin Lakhani, who carries out our deeper chemical peel treatments. Dr. Shirin has over 20 years of medical experience, and is deeply passionate about medically led aesthetics practice.
Our Senior Aesthetician, Charlotte Thomas carries out our superficial peels and lower depth peels. Charlotte has several years of experience in the aesthetics industry and has trained among some of the most highly regarded clinics in the country on London’s Harley Street and Mayfair.
Elite Aesthetics is also accredited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), England’s largest independent regulatory body for medical practitioners and healthcare providers, to show that they are “safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led”. We are also registered with Save Face, an independent assessor of non-surgical aesthetics clinics, which is recognised by the Department of Health, NHS England and the Professional Standards Authority. Dr. Shirin and the team at Elite Aesthetics are passionate about safe, ethical aesthetic practice, and this is a part of everything we do.
To find out more about Elite Aesthetics, our experienced team, our chemical peel treatments or any of the other services we offer, contact us on 01332 561 759 today, or email us at info@elite-aesthetics.co.uk.
- Accreditations
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We have extensive knowledge and experience in the medical and aesthetics industries, but we know that above all, the results matter! All of our treatments are vigorously tested in-house before we offer them to our clients to ensure they are safe, effective and will give you, our wonderful clients, the results you want. Your happiness, well-being and satisfaction are at the very core of everything we do here at Elite Aesthetics, and as a result we will never over-treat or carry out a procedure that Dr. Shirin, deems inappropriate or unsafe. Ethical treatment guides our practice, and we aim to become an industry leader in this respect. This means you can always feel confident that you are in safe hands when you choose Elite Aesthetics.
Our practice is led by our founder, Dr. Shirin Lakhani, who is an advocate for greater regulation in the aesthetics industry. Dr. Shirin and Elite Aesthetics believe greater regulation is vital to the development of aesthetics industry as a whole, and as such, our clinic’s philosophy is based on providing doctor-led care to the highest, medically approved standards. We adhere to stringent ethical and medical principles ensuring all the procedures we offer are safe and effective. Dr. Shirin is also fully registered with the GMC (reference number 4634863), and Elite Aesthetics is CQC (Care Quality Commission) Registered, an endorsement recognised by the UK Government, The Department of Health and NHS England.
Elite Aesthetics has been awarded Thread Lift Certification by MINT Threads.
