For years, peels were reserved for the face. But as spa-goers continue to shift toward preserving their youthful appearance through non-surgical procedures from head-to-toe, body peel are gaining popularity at spas around the country.
“Peels for the body have been used in Europe for centuries, but there is definitely an increase in interest in the U.S. While deeper peels were popular in the past, most patients today simply do not have the downtime available to sit at home while their skin sheds for four to five days. Lighter peels are in demand nowadays,” says Elizabeth Adam, owner of Elizabeth Adam Salon and Day Spa in Chicago.
Here are five easy body peel with little to no downtime that brighten, tighten, rejuvenate, and nourish the skin…
Tightening & Resurfacing Body Treatment with Chemical Peel
The Tightening & Resurfacing Body Treatment with Chemical Peel (75 minutes, $295) at Spa La Quinta at La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California addresses rough, dull skin and targets sagging skin on the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, knees, and upper arms with a combination of manual and chemical exfoliation.
The chemical peel is made of both glycolic and lactic acids to exfoliate surface cells to soften and smooth the skin texture, revitalize the skin, and improve appearance of uneven skin tone or hyperpigmentation. It also improves visible signs of fine lines and wrinkles.
“The treatment begins with a full body polish and cleanse with the Vichy shower. Then the chemical peel is applied to the neck, chest, and hands with a fan brush. Once the peel is applied, then the body re-texturizing treatment is massaged into the legs and abdomen,” says director of spa and fitness Jennifer Reich.
While there is no downtime for the treatment, it does tingle and feel hot on the skin. “But a neutralizer is applied to the skin once the peel is removed. We recommend this as a series of four to six treatments, at least one week apart,” adds Reich.
O2 Body Perfection Peel
The O2 Body Perfection Peel (50 minutes, $139) at âme Spa & Wellness Collective at Turnberry Isle in Miami, Florida is geared toward the sun lover. It helps to heal sun-damaged skin, restore elasticity, and provide a deep, intense hydration.
The treatment begins with a relaxing inhalation and body alignment, followed by an exfoliation for all skin types using a hydra-peel whose main ingredient is gluconolactone. The service also features a body mask made of quinoa and artichoke extracts, spirulina algae, and other ingredients, and a massage using a mix of oils, including amaranth and chia.
As for the service’s star ingredient, gluconolactone, spa operations manager Marisa Gonzalez, explains: “It’s a 25 percent polyhydroxy acid (PHA) that effectively exfoliates and, at the same time, captures and retains water molecules in the skin due to its multiple hydroxyl groups. The gluconolactone molecule is larger than the traditional alpha hydroxy acids (AHA). This allows it to penetrate the skin more slowly without causing unwanted reactions, such as burning, irritation, or itching. It’s ideal for all skin types, even sensitive skin,” she says.
“These regenerating acids can improve texture of the skin, revealing a more youthful appearance.”
Healthy Aging Body Peel
Gwen Santos, owner of Pretty Woman Day Spa in Buffton, South Carolina, believes in the power of the peel so much that she has six of them on her treatment menu. They include their most popular, Healthy Aging Body Peel (60 minutes, $150 and up) for the entire body, along with peels specifically for the décolleté, hands, arms and hands combined, lower leg, and feet.
“Body peels have become increasingly popular here in the south,” she says. “These regenerating acids can improve texture of the skin, revealing a more youthful appearance. We encourage our clients to begin with a hand peel as an add-on with their facial.”
The Healthy Aging Body Peel targets the chest, arms, and hands using ingredients free of dyes, artificial coloring, and artificial fragrance in their formulations to bring less toxicity to the skin. The main ingredients are 25 percent AHA solution, pumpkin peel, and melanin suppressant solution. “Not only does the peel exfoliate and polish the skin, but it also helps to smooth and soften dry skin, improve lipid barrier function, lighten solar pigmentation, and suppress melanin production,” says Santos.
The peel is best suited for clients who have cumulative sun damage, lipid impairment, and aging skin. “I find that it is most requested by women who are 50 + or individuals who are having concerns with premature aging,” she adds.
Depigmentation Peel
The Depigmentation Peel (45 minutes, $850) at Maintenance, a medical spa in Beverly Hills, California, is aimed toward that client who has neglected the full-body sunscreen over the summer.
“Peels to treat pigmentation concerns in areas such as the back, shouldersshoulders, chest, and hands are gaining more interest. No one wants the ‘body doesn’t match the face’ look commonly seen with photo-aging, where an individual has protected their facial skin from sun exposure, but neglected to take the same care of their body,” notes co-founder Chelsea Hagopian.
The peel is a two-step process starting in the office. “It contains retinol and hydroquinone as active ingredients for skin brightening. The mechanism by which hydroquinone lightens the skin is by preventing the production of pigment. Retinol increases cell turnover of the skin, improves penetration of hydroquinone (i.e., helps the hydroquinone to be more effective), and decreases the actual transfer of pigment to the skin from the pigment producing cells (i.e., melanosomal transfer from melanocytes to kerintocytes),” says Hagopian, who notes that most clients need two treatments spaced four weeks apart.
The client applies step two at home. “It contains the following key brightening ingredients: phytic acid, which causes injury to the skin, and, thus, exfoliates melanin present on outer skin layers; kojic acid, azelaic acid, arbutus and licorice root, all which work to block melanin production through slightly different mechanisms,” she adds.
Brightening Acid Body Peel
The Brightening Acid Body Peel (50 minutes, $95) at Elizabeth Adam Salon and Day Spa in Chicago is formulated with five powerful acids and helps to eliminate skin imperfections, dryness, cold weather skin crepiness, age spots, post acne scars, and marks from ingrown hairs.
“We use a combination of acids and anti-inflammatory ingredients. It’s formulated with 20 percent lactic acid, great for brightening and lightening while increasing moisture; 10 percent glycolic acid, a mild skin peel that stimulates collagen synthesis used to reduce signs of aging; five percent mandelic acid, derived from bitter almonds that refines the tone and texture of the skin, evens up the skin tone, repairs sun damaged skin; and two percent citric acid, which increases dermal thickness and fights free radical damage,” says Adam.
The fifth acid is salicylic acid (one percent) derived from willow bark. “It’s highly keratolytic and comedilytic and it dissolves dry, dead skin cells not only on the skin surface, but it’s also able to get down into the pore, dissolve the oil, and break apart the debris inside that commonly leads to acne,” she continues.
The second step of the peel is a neutralizing solution and a wash to remove the chemical agent. “The skin neutralizer formula is a soothing gel mask with natural tyrosinase inhibitors of bearberry, licorice, and mulberry extracts along with phytic acid to reduce melanin production and help brighten the skin and even-out skin tones. The treatment is concluded with an application of a moisturizer with SPF 50,” she adds.
