Skip to main content

Xanthelasma & Facial peels

Surgical and non-surgical treatments to rejuvenate or improve your natural appearance.

Please give us a call to discuss your options or to book an initial consultation with Dr Greenbaum.

Contact Us

There are various procedures available to rejuvenate your skin or to treat melasma (a tan or dark skin discoloration, particularly common in women, especially if pregnant or taking any hormone contraceptive/replacement medication). These may be in the form of chemical peels or Laser therapy.

Before considering these, it is important to understand how your skin works so you can make an informed choice.Before considering these, it is important to understand how your skin works so you can make an informed choice.

It is important to understand several facts:

  • Your skin consists of two layers: the outer epidermis and the inner dermis and below the skin lies subcutaneous fat and soft tissues.
  • As cells move from the deeper epidermis outwards, they die and slough off. Epidermal cells contain keratin (preventing moisture both from entering and escaping). Other cells in the skin make a pigment called melanin which is your only natural protection against sun damage.
  • The dermis is a thicker and contains structural and elastic proteins as well as glands; hair follicles; nerve endings and blood vessels.
  • The subcutaneous layer or hypodermis which is mostly fat act as a cushion to protect and insulate you thermally.
  • Many factors combine to age your skin:
    • Cumulative sun exposure is a major determinant of how your skin ages ‘damaging both the epidermis and dermis.
    • Smoking damages and ages the skin prematurely by damaging the small blood vessels in the dermis and damaging the collagen protein and elastic fibres there.
    • Your genetic makeup is a major determinant of how you appear to age with some of us luckier than others!
    • Poor nutrition will prematurely age your skin as will excessive alcohol consumption.
    • Drugs and medications that you take will also impact your skin.

Frequently asked questions

Which procedures do you offer?

We specialise in treatment for Xanthelasma, skin re-surfacing and facial peels using Trichloroacetic acid.

What does skin re-surfacing involve?

Broadly speaking this is radical exfoliation and involves removing the outer layers of the epidermis and in so doing, stimulating re-growth and re-modelling in both the dermis and the epidermis.

In modern cosmetic practice, this can be achieved either with a laser or chemical treatments applied to the skin: in both cases your skin is being burned in a controlled way to remove the outer layers, whilst leaving enough in the deeper epidermal layers to re-populate. 

Are there any adverse effects?

In trained hands, this is generally a safe treatment, but even in the best hands complications occur, and at those times, a distinct advantage of being treated by an accredited Consultant Plastic Surgeon, is that you are being treated by someone who has been trained for many years to manage people with thermal and chemical burns to the skin.

What does treatment with Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) involve?

This is a weak acid which when used in different concentrations can be used to rejuvenate facial wrinkles (cheeks, eyes, lips) and to flatten and de-accentuate, and often remove, the eyelid xanthelasma, the yellow-white plaques deposited in the skin around the eyes of people who have raised serum cholesterol levels.

Close Menu