Nuance Facial Plastics is proud to offer the Obagi Blue Peel for skin rejuvenation.  It is a great medical grade procedure that improves sun damaged skin, pigment changes (such as “sun spots” or “age spots”), and fine lines and wrinkles.  Based on a classic “work horse” TCA chemical peel, treatments can be of varying depths so that the result and downtime can be tailored to each patient.

 

 

One of the downfalls of the classic TCA chemical peel is that it works quickly (too quickly, even), making the depth of the peel difficult to control.  The Obagi Blue Base slows the TCA peel down, and provides a blue background so that its depth can be better controlled.  Furthermore, the blue base makes a more even distribution of the TCA possible, giving a more even peel.

 

 

Optimal treatment with the Obagi Blue Peel involves pre-treatment with a retinol or tretinoin (Retin-A) based product (our preference is Renova by Obagi), as well as Vitamin C based serums (such as the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic or the Obagi Vitamin C Serum) and pigment control (SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense or 4% hydroquinone pads).  This combination of products primes the skin for the peel, and makes it more evenly absorbed.

 

We ideally treat the skin with these products for at least one month prior to the Obagi Blue Peel, and resume use shortly after healing.  This combination of skin care, chemical peel, and skin care (again) is like a one-two punch to fight aging and sun damaged skin, and provides much better results.

 

Other treatments we prefer to do prior to the Blue Peel are the neuromodulators (Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin). Having less motion in treated areas as you are healing, gives a more smooth result.  This is especially true for the crow’s feet, frown lines, and forehead furrows.

 

 

Patients arrive at the office with a friend or relative that can drive them home from their treatment, as we do use oral medications to help keep them comfortable for the duration of the treatment.  The skin is cleansed, and the Obagi Blue Peel is applied in multiple layers while monitoring the depth of penetration.  Once the desired level of treatment is reached, the procedure is stopped and the skin is lightly cleansed again.  At the end of the procedure, the skin is still colored blue (from the blue base of the peel), which remains until the peel has completed.

 

 

The post-procedure period is marked by peeling, followed by healing.  Peeling for a medium depth Obagi Blue Peel usually lasts for 3-4 days, and the healing, the replacement of the old skin with healthy new skin, takes 4-6 days.  There is a skin care regimen that is followed 3-4 times daily during this time period, with facial cleansers and healing balms to provide an environment conducive to skin regrowth.  Oral pain killers (narcotics) are usually not prescribed, as the recovery is not typically painful.

 

Though the skin surface usually heals within 10 days depending on the depth of the peel performed, the results continue to evolve for several months, as there is a lot of collagen regeneration and remodeling that takes place under the skin.  The topical medications used to pre-treat the skin are usually re-started either two days after the peel (Vitamin C based serums and pigment control products), or one week after the skin heals (tretinoin based products like Renova).

 

For patients that love their results and want another peel, we usually wait 6 months between treatments with the Obagi Blue Peel.  However, other treatments, such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Photofacials to address rosacea and age spots, or microneedling to stimulate even more collagen production, can be done in between treatments.