Blue Peel

Superficial Chemical Peels

Blue peels are a particular type of medium chemical peel. They employ chemicals (TCA) that are stronger than those used for micro peels. Because of this, they are more effective in improving skin texture, vitality, and freshness. They also impose a brief recovery period (see "recovery").
Blue peel will revitalize lifeless skin, brighten your complexion, eliminate fine wrinkles, fade brown spots and other discolorations, make pores appear smaller, and smooth your skin surface.
A blue peel will NOT (here comes the bad news) affect dynamic wrinkles such as crows feet, scowl lines, and forehead creases. If these are your concerns, see Wrinkle Treatments.

Safety of Blue Peels

Because any peeling agent may potentially cause a burn with subsequent scarring, a physician should supervise the person performing your peel. Some peels have built-in safety valves to prevent the technician from allowing the chemical agent to over penetrate. One safety valve involves blue dye, which is applied along with TCA. The blue color helps the person applying your peel know how deep the chemical has penetrated and is therefore helpful in determining when to stop.

Recovery from Blue Peels

Blue peels will turn your skin blue for the first few days. Then, flaking and peeling begin 4-5 days after your peel and finish within 7-9 days. You may engage in your normal activities (that do not include sun exposure) immediately following your peel. But, if you have an important event planned, you will not want to have a peel within 2-3 weeks of that event.

Achieving Maximal Results Through Blue Peels

To achieve optimal results, you can have your peel repeated as soon as six months. Thereafter, additional mini or micropeels will help maintain your result. As with all peels, adherence to a physician-supervised skin care program will optimize your results and make them more lasting.

Cost of Blue Peels

As with micro peels, a nurse or trained skin care technician may perform a blue peel. Therefore, the price is significantly lower than deeper peels, which are performed by physicians. Each Blue peel will cost about $350-$1000.

Other Types of Medium Peels

A number of different chemicals may be used to achieve a medium peel. These include highly concentrated glycolic acid, resorcinol, salicylic acid, and others. Brand names for some of these peels include Blue Peel, Jessner’s Solution. If you do not see the name of your peeling agent among these, do not be surprised. Multiple reputable brands exist, and new peeling agents are added to the market regularly.

Summary

Medium peels offer an inexpensive and highly effective way to optimize your skin. One disadvantage, however, is discoloration and visible flaking for several days. If your schedule can tolerate this, then you will probably be pleased with your results.