Acne.org Products
Good or Excellent Response
27%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Moderate Response
57%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Side Effects
Low-Medium
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist or plastic surgeon? Make an appointment to get this procedure done. Don't have a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find a dermatologist or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to find a plastic surgeon.
Used Chemical Peels (Light / Superficial Peels)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
August 8, 2008
Cons:
Makes you look much worse than before the peel for a few days but it's worth it
I had a pretty bad zit (maybe cystic) which I ended up squeezing...bad idea. The zit healed quickly but left a very visible dark mark (east indian skin) and a scar in the middle. I used a TCA 12.5% solution on it and layered it 3 times before it was nice and frosted up. The next day it looked like a burn and got progressively worse for the next 3 days. By day 4 it started peeling out and low and behold...the hyperpigmentation was gone. The scar was even softer as well. It took a couple more days to peel out completely but the results were undeniable.
October 9, 2006
Pros:
Very affordable and cost-effective, clears active acne, reduces the depth and appearance of acne scarring, lightens post-inflammatory redness, gives the skin a healthier "glow" and smoother appearance, results improve after each treatment
Cons:
Very irritating if used incorrectly, best results can take multiple sessions depending on the strength of the acid, results are short-lived if not maintained by using milder acids between peels
This is an excellent option for those seeking smoother, clearer, and healthier skin for a fraction of the cost of laser treatments. Instead of visiting a spa, I performed chemical peels on myself by purchasing medical-strength peels over the internet. When done correctly, the results are equal to the more expensive peels done by aestheticians. I notice great improvement in the depth of my acne scarring, and they continue to get better with each subsequent peel -- some superficial scarring has been removed completely! I no longer experience hormonal breakouts, and my skin has a gorgeous "super-model" glow. The red spots leftover from acne are also getting much lighter, and again, improvements are cumulative with each peel. I do a 40% weekly lactic acid peel with 5% beta hydroxy peel daily. I also use copper peptides post-peel to encourage more rapid healing. I absolutely recommend chemical peels, but again, I stress that you can do this at-home for quite a bargain.
August 14, 2011
Pros:
Barely lightened scars
Cons:
Break out of new pimples
Cyst pimples which I never had till after this
I'm Asian with sensitive skin so the TCA peel that I used was the 12.5% and I only did one layer. At first I could see some of my scars fade away a little but after all my dry skin flaked off, I had new pimples, a lot of them. Then a few weeks later, I started getting cyst pimples which I never had before in my life and eventually I kept getting cyst pimples on the same areas. This product works well for many but if you have sensitive skin like mines, please ask a professional its proper for you. Right now I drink Green Tea and it works amazing.
April 6, 2009
Pros:
- Fantastic result
- Pain Free
Cons:
- Blue tint left for 24 hours
- 5 weeks downtime
- Price
OBAGI BLUE PEEL: I am in London, and 20 years old, I have had acne since the age of 14 and had really bad scarring. I tried everything from bio-oil to creme de la mere, and although they helped, nothing helped more than the OBAGI BLUE PEEL. It took 40 minutes by my specialist to apply and take off, and with 48 hours i was peeling. Whats great about it is that it gets rid of all your spots that includes white heads and black heads, and scarring that you have. It took my skin 5 weeks to fully mend itself and thank god my skin is now flawless. However I have done alot to maintain this. i.e. I am on a strict cleansing, toning, and moisturizing regime as prescribed by a specialist (obagi products) and eating healthily. I have also found that drinkin 2 litres of water a day has helped TREMENDOUSLY and i have kept my skin flawles The price for this peel was £1000 which is about $2000 I presume
February 20, 2009
Pros:
It's a great exfoliator and does mostly what it was advertised to do. It's worth the money compared to other acne treatments I've tried.
Cons:
You get flakey for a few days and it's a little gross...
I've been using 25% TCA for a couple months on deep acne scars. While it's not really improving the ice picks, it is improving hyperpigmentation left behind from old breakouts. If I do a peel on Thursday night, it usually finishes peeling by Wednesday of the following week. Since I don't have time to take off work everytime I need to do a peel, I've been addressing small sections at a time. I wear SPF 70 during and after recovery. I had a severe breakout about 6 months ago that left one whole side of my face completely scarred with hypermigmented spots. I have noticed a considerable improvement on the scars I've treated with TCA 25% vs the ones I have left to heal on their own. To cover redness durning the healing process I use Bare Minerals makeup which is listed as safe to use after plastic surgery. I have no adverse reactions. Also, during the peeling process my breakouts have not increased. I do the peel during my menstral cycle, when breakouts have slowed.
September 1, 2007
Pros:
Evens skin tone, reduces the appearance of acne scars, clears up your skin, makes your complexion overall better!
$20 for a whole bottle!
Cons:
One time i left it on my nose for too long and it had a little scarring from it taking too much skin off.
You are not suppose to use more than 20% of glycolic acid at home if you are not a professional. I however refuse to pay $80 a treatment at a professional. I use a 30% solution because i have darker skin. If you have dark skin stick to 30% otherwise if you go higher there is a rick of getting white spots. I have used this on my own off and on. Recently i have been using it once a week. That is the only glycolic acid that i use, i use nothing during the week expect a face wash and some acne cream. My boyfriend just commented that my face is looking great! He thinks it's because i'm not eating sugar, but really it's these peels i've been doing each week. I also take 50mg of zinc everyday. I believe it helps. I've had acne for over 10 years and this is the best thing i've ever found.
July 25, 2009
Pros:
Stops break outs, Improves overall skin tone and redness, helps scarring,
Cons:
Finding a pro. Peeling sucks but is so worth it
You must find someone who knows what they are doing. I have been getting my treatments at Clarity Med Spa in Tampa/ Lutz Florida and the aesthetician there is the best in the world in my opinion.
You must follow the directions for after care. Apply plenty of moisture. Do it when you don't have plans to go out in the sun. Do it when you don't have an outing planned. You need about 4-6 days of major peeling with the one I get. (Vitalize Peel)
August 16, 2008
Pros:
Evens skin tone, texture, reduces the appearance of pores, helps control breakouts, helps redice the appearance of shallow acne scars.
Cons:
Can have down time, depending on the % and layers used.
This is how I do my TCA peel:
I use Retin-A (0.025 creme) every day (start with every other day until you're used to the Retin-A. I apply copper serum first and then apply the retin-A) for 4-6 weeks, then stop 1 week prior to the peel (do not use AHA/BHAs either).
I do a 12.5% (start with 8%) TCA peel, 1 layer.
2 hours post-peel, apply Copper Serum (just a few drops) by [link removed]
do not use any AHA/BHA/retin-a products until skin is completely healed (1-2 weeks), then repeat. My skin looks gorgeous now!~ I get my TCA peel from original skin care. I get the 25% and dilute it to 8% or 12.5%. I get my copper serum from [link removed]. I get my retin-a from canada ([link removed]) with a prescription from my doc.
June 17, 2014
Very little effect for stubborn skin
I have some minor acne scarring, ice picks (very minor) and a few holes (again very minor) but always noticeable to yourself. Persistent redness left over from spots is a huge problem for me, still going strong after a year and a half. I have combination oily skin.
I bought this as it is a light peel, you start light and work your way up. This sadly had very very little effect on me. It did burn a little yes but not to an unbearable extent.
You are recommended to do this peel once a week, I bought from Bravura (I recommend highly), I however used this peel 5 days in a row purely out of frustration due to seeing no change. This still did nothing to my skin - I didn't even react badly to it! I even did a 30% and a 50% peel at the same time, one after one another, layered etc, my point being, I never ever reacted to it. meaning it just was not strong enough for my skin. It is a superficial peel, I should imagine it to work well for skin that is not badly damaged and which has not been scarred for a long time. This is my own personal recommendation. If you want to do TCA (medium depth peel) in the future I highly recommend that you do these peels for several weeks in the future. I think you need to examine how damaged your skin is before purchasing this, my skin is evidently made out of steel after the amount of crap ive put on it haha, it did not break me out however and helped with redness ever so slightly.
June 14, 2013
Indifferent. Expected a lot more.
Pros:
Improved appearence
Improved texture
Pore reduction
Cons:
Slightly faded scars
Not worth the amount of money
Quick background: 27 female, acne sufferer for 8yrs. Acne has moderately cleared up from stopping birth control, yet I still have awful scarring. I went to an esthetician for a series of chemical peels consisting of 2 lactic acid, and 6 glycolic acid peels. In total I spent over 800 dollars (Including gratuity). For the money I spent I am not satisfied with the results. I have seen an improvement in texture, redness, pore size and overall appearance. However, my scarring (which is what bothers me most) is still quite apparent. It has reduced, but not 800 dollars worth.
I honestly feel that using lemon as an exfoliant and scar reducer on a daily basis would give me the same results.
A few things that helped me:
Cut out dairy and red meat!
Drink more water - seriously it helps!
And for me the source of my acne was hormones so birth control seemed to make it worse.
July 15, 2015
To Kazuri, for BC I just know that it helps to have BC that has both progesterone and oestrogen rather than BC that has only oestrogen. To MzManda, lemon is acidic and I don't think that's a good thing in this case. I wouldn't recommend using on the face at all or even hair.. topical products used at home with acids like glycolic in them etc would be better.. There's this moisturiser I love by an Aussie brand called 'Alpha H'.. the product name is 'balancing moisturiser and gentle exfoliant' but you have to use it with a sunscreen on top.. As for the scar indentation I'd recommend looking into dermal needling.. I haven't tried it yet but so far it seems to be more effective and safer than what I consider to be very risky 'fraxel laser' treatment.. We're still learning about dermal needling at the moment.. the one I think would be most worth the money (if you're going to pay a professional) is the Max RF.. which is dermal stamping but it shoots radio frequency into the follicles?? at the same time.. I think the RF kills the bacteria or something like that.. You can also use a dermal roller at home but you have to do your research so you don't do more damage.. I think anything less than 5mm just means your skin will absorb products more but its .5mm minimum to make any difference to scarring and sanitation is essential.. If you read about it you'll see why..
Pros:
Got rid of hyperpigmentation and improved an acne scar