What is RefinityTM: Over the years, a broad spectrum of various skin peeling products have been developed. The harshest and most severe of these are equated with Phenol chemical peels and even some laser treatments. However, one of the most rapidly growing areas in recent years is the development of less harsh products that range from Retin-A to alpha hydroxy acids.
It is the last category that is most exciting today. In my experience, Alpha Hydroxy acids have proven to be unique in their ability to develop new collagen and promote new skin cell growth. The Alpha Hydroxy acids are multiple in number but the most popular are glycolic, malic, and lactic acid. The basis of the Refinity peel is glycolic and lactic acids. The age-old problem with these peels is that the majority of the over-the-counter products are simply not strong enough. In an effort to improve on this, products were developed for physician’s use containing high strength glycolic acid. However, these tended to burn and irritate people far more than they could tolerate. The important fact to remember is that unlike other peels, glycolic acid does not need to burn you!
The recommendation for treatment is an in-office glycolic acid peel every two weeks for a ninety-day period. And then, on a four to six week basis as you would do a normal facial. This can, in effect, replace your routine facials. In addition, a 15% lactic acid take-home product with an accompaning cosmoderm toner and cleanser complete the Refinity system.
