What Is Skin Resurfacing?

Our skin’s surface is the top epidermis layer that everyone sees every day.

It forms a protective barrier and, as a result, is that layer that is bombarded with everything, from makeup and sweat to UV rays and pollution. These impact the top layer’s health which can result in acne, pimples, blotches, patchy tone, congestion, and signs of ageing.  

The good news is that this top layer can be shed to reveal new, and more healthy-looking skin underneath using a process called skin resurfacing.

What is skin resurfacing?

Skin resurfacing is the process that removes this top skin layer so that the new skin cells that form during healing form a tighter, younger-looking surface.

While this is usually performed with a medical-grade laser, there are certain at-home skin products that can resurface the skin, such as a chemical peel, and are far less painful and intimidating.

However, the principle of both ways remains the same – the outer, dull skin surface of damaged skin cells and debris are removed, revealing the more radiant and smoother skin beneath. This also stimulates the natural healing process.

Where a laser uses light, a chemical peel is a powerful exfoliant.

The benefits of skin resurfacing

Ultimately, the goal of skin resurfacing is to gently shed the top skin layer to stimulate healing because it encourages a new top layer to grow – hence, the name.

This renews skin complexion by reducing acne scarring, blackheads, and whiteheads as well as skin pigmentation.

Skin resurfacing works because your skin is always in an ongoing renewal cycle.

Skin cells develop, mature and die over the span of around 30 days, which is referred to as skin cell turnover rate. This natural renewal process keeps your skin fresh, healthy and even – however, the turnover rate slows with age.

As skin cells die, they remain on the surface, forming that outer layer that we can all see. While this layer will shed naturally over time, the dead skin cells can build up, forming a more congested and dull surface. By exfoliating using a chemical peel, you are increasing the rate of exfoliation of those dead skin cells to improve the rate of healthy skin cell turnover.

In other words, you’re encouraging the skin to resurface faster.

What are the benefits of skin resurfacing?

Through the quick shedding of the outer layer of your skin, the skin resurfacing process can help:

• Reduce skin pigmentation patches
• Improve skin tone
• Firm the skin
• Reduce acne scarring, blackheads, and whiteheads
• Smooth wrinkles
• Improve skin texture and clarity
• Reducing pore size

Chemical peels are an effective and safe way of encouraging the healthy resurfacing of your skin.

Try our Skin Doctors Chemical Peel product

Our Skin Doctors Gamma Overnight Glow is an ultra-concentrated time-released chemical peel with added Vitamin A that gives salon treatment results in an at-home cream.

It’s recommended for:

• Skin that requires deep exfoliation and resurfacing
• Uneven, dull skins, scarring, open pores, deep lines, and wrinkles and pigmentation
• All skin types (however take caution with sensitive skin)

Find out more about Skin Doctors Gamma Overnight Glow and its many skin benefits.