Question: I would like a chemical peel. My friend is 45 and had a physician-strength peel and he looks fabulous. What types of skin problems will this correct? Do you do chemical peels in conjunction with other procedures such as laser therapy?
Answer: Chemical peels can correct all kinds of different skin problems but the most common would be fine lines and wrinkles, abnormal pigmentation, and rough texture. Classically, chemical peels will not address blood vessels in the skin but occasionally they can even improve those. Regarding combining chemical peels with laser peels I find that to be rather uncommon as they essentially are performing a similar function and therefore would not need to be combined. We do; however, combine microdermabrasion with chemical peels as the microdermabrasion will allow the chemicals to penetrate deeper and more consistently. Ultimately, I personally find cosmetic lasers to be much easier to customize for each individual’s skin anatomy since we can adjust the depth of the laser peel right on the monitor and instantly adapt to different areas of skin problems. Chemical peels for the most part are not able to be customized in nearly the same significant way.