What is a Lunch Time Peel?

There are many kinds of peels, ranging from glycoic to TCA to phenol. Glycolic peels are generally very mild and require several treatments. However, glycolic peels have little to no recovery period and you can return right back to your regular activities. TCA peels are moderate in affect, but require about a week for recovery, since your skin will actually peel and you will have areas where it will be obvious for a few days that you have had a treatment. Phenol peels are stronger in their effect, but may take several weeks for recovery. However, they have dramatic results with just one treatment.
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Chemical peels have been around for decades. They have been used for brightening the skin, adding luster, sheen, evening out pigmentary irrregularities and softening the appearance of fine scars and wrinkles. Depending upon the intended depth of penetration, peels are commonly divided into superficial, medium, and deep.

Lunchtime peels fall into the category of superficial peels, and as the name implies can be done in about ten to twenty minutes, i.e. during a lunchbreak. Nowadays, they often make up a part of a variety of rapidly performed, in-office procedures that may be performed together in one sitting, such as Botox injections, the use of fillers and volumizers, and radiowave treatments for skin tightening and eliminating "broken" blood vessels. For this reason, I prefer to categorize superficial peels, as well as these other techniques, under a more encompassing category of "lunchtime beauty fixes."

Typically performed in a series of between four to six or more, spaced at two to four week intervals, superficial peels or lunchtime peels are particularly effective for lightening skin, giving it shine, fading brown spots and smoothing the skin. Even some fine lines and crepeyness may respond. Alpha hydroxyacids, particularly glycolic acid, in varying concentrations, and beta hydroxyacids, namely salicylic acid, are the most common agents used for lunchtime peels. Occasionally, there may be some mild redness or flaking for a couple of days afterward. But, downtime is minimal or negligible for most, which is another advantage, and the vast majority of people return to work immediately following treatment.

A Lunch Time Peel is a peel that can be done in about 30 minutes and then you can return to your regular activities. I have patients come in the middle of the day to do the VI Peel which takes about 20 minutes. You will have some initial redness that will subside within a few minutes. It takes about 48 hours for the peeling of the skin and lasts about two days so you can peel over the weekend and get right back to work.