WHDH: "Peeling Away the Years"

Air Date: 04/08/2004
Reported by Christa Delcamp
Produced by Michelle Weber

People are always looking for ways to make their skin look younger. More and more women are taking a beauty hint from celebrities. The Night Team's Christa Delcamp shows us how they're "Peeling Away Years".

When it comes to looking good, celebrities are always on the front lines. And a star "quick fix" to looking good has many of us "peeling" away the years.

Dr. Zein Obagi, Obagi Skin Care
"Celebrities are like any other human being are people, who also seek to look better and who like to prevent the aging changes."

Beverly Hills Dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi should know, he developed the Obagi Blue Peel that's used world wide. It's a powerful and potent acid that promises to remove age spots, fine lines and evens out your skin.

Dr. William Adams, Adams-Seckel Center
"I like it because it's low risk to the patient."

Boston plastic surgeon William Adams uses the peel. He says what makes it special is the blue hue.

Dr. William Adams, Adams-Seckel Center
"The blue color is used to make sure that the peel is applied evenly over the face."

Most facial peels work like this -- an acid mixture is slathered on the face. In minutes it heats up, burning off the top layer of skin and then it's wiped off removing skin damage with it.

Recovery time varies usually taking about 10 to 12 days skin to flake off, unveiling a new, fresher complexion.

Carol Adams, Skin Peel Patient
"I resumed normal activity the next day."

Just 10 days ago Dr. Adams' own wife Carol decided strip off the wear and tear of time.

Carol Adams, Skin Peel Patient
"It's not for wimps."

Although painful for a short time, she's happy with the results.

Carol Adams, Skin Peel Patient
"It got rid of the brown spots, which was the thing that was the most concerning to me."

There are different peels for different degrees of skin rejuvenation.

The three types are, a superficial peel like a Glycolic that exfoliates the skin, in a medium peel like the Obagi, the main ingredient is trichloracetic acid. It removes the epidermis taking off skin damage with it. A deep or Phenol Peep penetrates the deep layers of the skin-removing wrinkles and acne, but it's rarely used.

Dr. William Adams, Adams-Seckel Center
"What all these procedures are doing is burning the skin and then allowing it to heal and in that healing process it generates new skin and makes it look better."

Dr. Tom Rohrer, Skincare Physicians of Chestnut Hill
"The medium depth peels... Are the sort of the optimal peel."

Dr. Tom Rohrer of Skincare Physicans of Chestnut Hill says results you get from a skin peel is dependent on the type of acid applied and at what strength.

Dr. Tom Rohrer, Skincare Physicians of Chestnut Hill
"The stronger the acid, the more skin that it will destroy on the surface, the deeper and deeper it goes, the more the effect, but also the more pain there is with the peel and the longer the healing time."

But for some peels, like the Obagi, are preventative skincare.

Loren Von At, Skin Peel Patient
"I look at it as a maintenance routine that I incorporate in my life so I don't have to have a lot of surgery when I get older."

Unlike many other peels, the Obagi system requires patients to use a skincare line for six weeks to prep the skin before the treatment.

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