Achieving fresher and younger looking skin should be easier today because of the new minimally invasive and even non-invasive procedures and treatments that are widely available in the market. But with so many choices available, how do you know which one is right for you?

Enzyme Peel

A quick solution for dull, dry and uneven skin is the enzyme peel. An enzyme peel is a mild facial peel that is offered in salons and spas more than in doctors' offices. It is made up essentially of enzymes that are found in fruits and vegetables like papaya, pineapple, pumpkin, barley and mushrooms.

Enzymes are complex proteins that cause chemical change in other substances. In the particular case of the enzymes found in enzyme peels, the chemical changes result in the breaking down and dissolving of dead skin cells and impurities on the epidermis. What makes enzyme peels different from other peels is that although they are effective, they do not act on the live tissue of the skin, making them safe for patients with sensitive skin.

Chemical Peel

Chemical peels on the other hand are stronger than enzyme peels. Chemical peel procedures burn entire the entire outer layer or epidermis of your skin or it can remove some portions of the skin's middle layer or the dermis, depending on whether you undergo a medium depth or a superficial chemical peel. The goal of chemical peel treatments is similar to that of enzyme peel's; and that is to remove the wrinkled, scarred, hyperpigmented or uneven skin and encourage the growth of a new layer in its place.

But unlike enzyme peels which are very mild, chemical peels are not. Even superficial chemical peels will make your skin sting, while the medium depth to deep peels will require the use of oral sedatives and even anesthesia to help you tolerate the pain.

 

[6] "Chemical Peel: About." Mayo Clinic. Web. 31 May 2011. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/chemical-peel/about.html>.