Hannah Norazharuddin

We all have some type of exfoliator on our bathroom counter be it classic scrubs like the St. Ives Apricot Scrub or Skin Food Black Sugar Scrub which are my favourites or the game changing automatic facial cleansing brush made popular by the brand Clarisonic (not labeled as an exfoliator, but it can be used as one). Whatever our preference may be, we acknowledge the importance of including exfoliation in our skincare routine. Another exfoliating method that has made its way onto our bathroom counters and into our hearts is the chemical peel.

A chemical peel (or enzyme peel) uses chemical solution to remove outer layer of skin. It fundamentally causes skin to blister and eventually peel off revealing a fresh layer of newly regenerated skin. Chemical peels have claim to be able to reduce fine lines, improve appearance of mild scars, treat certain types of acne, reduce age spots freckles and melasma and improve the look and texture of skin. There a few different types of chemical peels which differ in the type and amount of chemical used for the peel and these different types of peels penetrates separate levels of skin layer thus they also differ in procedure. The typical types of acids used in chemical peels are alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) and beta hydroxy acids (BHA).

Initially only done at the physician’s office, skincare brands have come up with their own version of at-home chemical peels. These at-home peels are not the same ones as the ones used at your local dermatologist. They are, of course, much milder and does not require a medical license to perform. Although lacking in ‘peeling’ intensity and professional handling, it does not deter from performing little magic at home.

The term ‘chemical’ might scare some people off but fret not, chemical peels are not harsh on the skin, instead it is better suit people with sensitive skin as the skin is not damaged by abrasives from physical exfoliators. Most chemical peels uses plant derived acids or enzymes as their active ingredients. When applied, you will feel somewhat of a tingling sensation on the applied skin areas, don’t worry it means that the peel works.

After trying out chemical peels, I am a convert. I do still use my trustee scrubs once in while when I need to feel the satisfaction of physical scrubbing on my face which you do not get with chemical peels as there are no scrubbing bits (its all in my head really). I use my chemical peels every two weeks or whenever I feel that my skin is looking a bit sad and needed a little perk-me-up. Below are two of my favourites.

Mirenesse Power Lift organic Super Line Peel, RM 217

Every time I use this overnight peel, I will wake up to the smoothest and brightest skin. It is marketed to reduce fine lines but I cannot vouch for that as I cannot see any improvements for my fine lines but what it does instead is it smoothens out rough patches on my face, reduce discoloration from new scars tremendously and boy do I glow!

This product tingles for about 3 minutes right after application.

Etude House Magic Bubble Brush Peeling Foam, RM 69

I use this foam in the bath as often as two times a week. Unlike the previous one, this does not tingle my skin which made me doubt its peeling efficiency, but nevertheless my skin feels smoother and looks brighter right after usage so something must be working. Plus it smells heavenly and the rubber brush is feels good on the skin.

Would I recommend chemical/enzyme peel? Absolutely! To learn more about at-home-chemical peels read here and for more suggestions on the best peels to try, read here.