Outcome

Patients who complete a series of treatments with superficial chemical peels experience regeneration of new skin and improvement in their overall complexion and appearance. Of note, the effects on photoaging are very subtle, since superficial peels do not reach the dermis. The benefits to superficial chemical peels are that there are minimal risks as well as no downtime postprocedure. Also, superficial peels, especially glycolic acid and salicylic acid, are well tolerated in patients with darker complexions with minimal side effects since these peels only affect the epidermis and do not penetrate into the dermis.