Acne.org Products
Chemical Exfoliation
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Common sense might tell us that chemical peels seem like such a great idea for acne, but in the real world, acid alone just doesn’t seem to completely take care of acne. They can also be expensive and leave the skin red and peeling for a few days every time you get one.
Chemical Exfoliation
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this procedure done. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one. Do not try this at home!
Used Chemical Peels? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
September 26, 2009
Product used: Glycolic Acid Peel
Cons:
It does sting a bit.. if you cannot tolerate slight irritation for a minute or two, I would be concered.
Okay here is my honest breakdown. #1 I am a man of color,Im sure there are others like me who wonder would this actually work for our skin types.The answer is Yes! and a big YES! I can honestly say I have seriously tried every over the counter product,including having tried proactive, murad etc etc,although, not saying those products (proactive) doesnt work,but if your skin is anythign like mine,those products work for a few weeks, then all of a sudden decide to take a vacation, then POOF! they lose there effectiveness.So i decided to try the glycolic peel,Read pages and pages of reviews and decided to go along and try it,My first impression applying the product, as i read in many reviews was that this would sting a bit. But after application it wasnt as bad as I thought. (40% strength) .. I had many breakouts on my forehead prior, but after neutralizing the Glyc. then once dried and applied the PH.. most of the pimples were dried up right after, i recommend this to anyone!
December 10, 2010
Product used: Glycolic Acid Peel
Pros:
Great results!
Cons:
Tingle a little...
I had lot of large pores, my skin is oily and I get pimples. I tried the Glycolic acid peel 30 from ANAIS SKIN CARE about 3 weeks ago now and I am very pleased with the results. I also use their TCA cleanser first. Which help the glycolic to go deeper! I am very happy with this Glycolic peel. I paid about 30 buck for the bottle.
March 12, 2009
Pros:
Leaves your skin baby smooth and clear, takes 20 minutes, very mild treatment,
Cons:
Peeling takes a few days, a bit pricey
28 y/o F: If you're like me with very light acne & some scarring from your teen yrs, the Vitalize Peel is what you should get! I did it on a Fri. afternoon, started peeling by Sun. morning & got the worst of it on Mon. After that, the peeling was very mild but I felt like a leper on Mon. My face was also a bit red, but my family swore up & down it was my imagination. Maybe it was. I suffer from a lot of blackheads, which are very difficult to clean. This peel removed almost all of them & the ones that were left were at the surface. All I had to do was push lightly down and out they came! One pimple that would never go away completely & would always scar has now risen to the surface & all I have to do is wait for it to heal or burst/heal & my skin will be perfect. It's now Wed. & I have a little peeling around my neck & near my ears. Just make sure to moisturize & stay out of the sun. Best part - I only have to maintain once/year! Best decision I ever made was a Vitalize
August 2, 2011
Pros:
effective on hyperpigmentations from acne and age spots; faster results than skin lightening creams/lotions/hydroquinone.
Cons:
burns a bit; I can only use one every few months so skin heals properly; pigmentations get super dark and leathery for up to 2 weeks
I used hydroquinone for 3 months with ZERO results! I saw results in 2 weeks with this peel. I would repurchase, but it may not be necessary because 1/2 oz would last a lifetime if I'm only gonna use it only 3-4 times per year. I only spot treat for now. I just can't do my entire face without looking like a burn victim for 2 weeks. In the back of my mind, I fear that my skin would not heal properly and leave me with skin worse than what I have now... My supervisor asked if I was ok. He probably thought someone hit me in the eye.
July 29, 2009
Pros:
less pimples, skin tone better
Cons:
still have rednesss, more little bumps on cheeks colourless, worsen my texture, pricy
I have combinational/normal skin. I only did one peel, but it probably improvied my skin 50%. I am going for 2 more peels. It stings when they do it, but its no big deal I have been putting a lot more antibacterial things on my face. What i liked about this peel is that my pimples size and quantity had reduced, but my pores are still getting glogged and u can see them in the mirror, just sitting there on my forehead full of dirt, when I try to pick em out, its only good for couple days and they clog again :( need better toner or something.
If you have extra cash, go do it, but if dont - try just using gentle cleansers based on water and oil free moisturizer, that helps a lot to not break out!!!
May 3, 2011
Product used: Glycolic Acid Peel
Pros:
- Has decreased my bacne
- Relatively inexpensive if you do it yourself
- Few side effects if you follow the protocol and start carefully
- Easy to apply (but for bacne you'll probably need some help with the brushing)
- Has paled my scars somewhat
Cons:
- Didn't take away all my bacne, so I started using AHA cream daily too.
- The stronger concentrations sting quite a bit.
- No permanent effect. The acne will return if you stop with the treatments
- Not suitable for summer sun and bathing
- Takes a while to work, but so does pretty much all effective acne treatments
- I always break out slightly after each peel
I have just finished a 7-treatment glycolic peel cycle using first 40% glycolic acid and then 50% (my back skin is not very sensitive). First a little background: I have moderate to somewhat severe bacne. I have tried retin-a, antibiotics and bp, the first two where rather useless and though bp worked rather well it bleaches everything so I had to stop. Also I've tried some "home remedies" like Head and shoulders and a non dairy diet, which again, didn't work. The only time I've been acne free is during my pregnancies. I get better during the summer months and worse in the winter. For the first three weeks I did just peels, plus a routine of salicylic acid toner and a mild lactic acid cream. My back got better, but I could kinda tell from experience that is wasn't going to work completely. So I added an aha-cream as per Dan's bacne regime. Now I'm on my 4th week of that combo and my back is considerably better. Just a few small pimples. Of course the back still looks like a mess due to all the scars and crusts, but when I touch my skin it feels much smoother. For me this is a very big deal since I've struggled with bacne for almost 20 years, and it has gotten worse and worse. After starting aha-treatments my skin looks the best it has in years. And I feel confident that if I can keep up with this regime I will have pretty decent looking back for the most parts. But it will take some dedication
October 7, 2009
Product used: Glycolic Acid Peel
Pros:
helps get rid of dead pigmentated skin thus revealing new skin
Cons:
requires persistence,long time as in many treatments and each treatment is about a week apart and you have to avoid sunlight totally.
well, i have tried for about 2 months now with 15% gel and 30%peel. beginning was amazing, i got really confident. i am 37 with bad childhood/teenage breakouts which left bad pigmentation and clogged pores on chin, nose and forehead. i guess my problem lies deep deep under the skin so it would take me long time to see long lasting results. I was told its gonna take 6mths to fully see the results. I got bad breakouts now, well, they are in-between whiteheads and pimples. I tried to remove them but skin is very sensitive and they are all very close together, and they dont seem to come out totally cos they seem to come back. There are like countless of them. almost every pore has the sebum or pus. Anyway, i can see the skin is tightening and i could see the shine(not from oil but due to the tight skin). I would try to continue cos it is quite a torture cos face is feeling dry and full of breakouts. Until 6 mths, i would not know if it really really works.
December 17, 2012
Product used: Glycolic Acid Peel
Pros:
1. smoother skin
2. Dark marks lightened
3. face is much clearer
Cons:
1. some peeling
2. redness for 20 mins after application
3. my skin adapted and now I need a stronger peel
I bought a glycolic acid peel 30%, from Perfect Image on Amazon. This peel worked from the get go. I noticed my skin was smoother after the first application.
After a few weeks I also noticed I was breaking out way less. Currently, I only have 1 active pimple, which is really not normal for me. I usually have at least 4-5 at a time. While the peel worked on breakouts and lightened some of my hyperpigmentation (I have very light skin, but dark marks), my skin adapted within a month and now my marks are not lightening like they did initially. My skin is still staying much clearer though. (even during that time of the month---weird!)
I also must say that I was using this product 2-3 times a week. I felt my skin could handle it, but this is most likely the reason why my skin adapted so quickly.
February 7, 2007
Pros:
TCA PEEL-READ THIS!!!!! BECAUSE IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL & FORGET A SIMPLE INSTRUCTION YOU JUST MAY REGRET IT.
Cons:
I did 4 applications of DEEP 50% TCA Peel myself and each peel turned out spectacular with absolutely astonishing results from a born surfer with brown spots everywhere & wrinkles, very tough skin.
I brought another bottle of 60% TCA. It had been 1 year since the last peel. So I put it on with much pain as you could imagine, my skin over the next 4 days weeped, broke out in white spots, blew up like a balloon, my down time was 14 days. I made a critical error of forgetting NEVER HAVE A SHOWER !!!!!! unless you can keep your face out of the water, I was showering 2 times a day, so when I got out my skin was soft & white much like being in a pool too long. So my face pre-maturely peeled, it just fell off, then went hard again and peeled again but my whole chin & under lip scabbed over like it was a major sore sitting on top of my skin. i did not go out in the sun for 4 months or even bright light afterwards. I treated it properly because it was serious LEFT IT ALONE I did not stress about it, it took 4 weeks to come off, I applied pure aloe vera plant once healed & now my skin is absolutely spotless Ageless with no scaring. I did scare me a little NEVER EVER FORGET THE RULES TO TCA
July 16, 2007
Pros:
Made my skin texture smoother and clearer.
Cons:
Takes about 12 days for all the peeling to shed and can't go outside...unless you put on alot of sunscreen...ALOT!!
I am a medium complexion black girl with acne prone skin. My face had started looking really dull like I had a dirt mask on my face or something, so I went to a dermatologist in my area and they said they could help me a little for about $500.00.... I did not have that kind of money. So i did some research on the internet about chemical peels, and I saw that the TCA was safe for darker complexions. So i ordered the 15% one for $19.00 of the web. When I applied it, it burned, but the directions say that is normal, along with frosting of the skin( when it turns white). It took about 10 days for it to completely peel the skin. The results looked real nice, but I could benefit from another. I have applied it again.. with a 3 week break from the last one. And my skin looks so much fresher and the color is more even. I am glad I tried this and will be doing another one in about 3 months. BUT IF YOU DO DECIDE TO USE THE "TCA" PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY...IT IS CRITICAL!!!
Pros:
Works very well.. doesnt dry my skin out as other users have stated. Very fast acting, down time is minimal. inexpensive way to get professional results.