How Effective is Chemical Skin Peeling for Acne?


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Chemical peeling is widely agreed to be pretty effective at reducing the appearance of acne scars. It is also thought to have a positive effect on active acne. AHA peels are, in general, ineffective on both active acne and acne scarring. Meanwhile, very deep treatments, like phenol peels, are often considered to be too harsh and too severe for active acne or mild-to-moderate acne scars. Added to this, chemical peels are only really effective at reducing the appearance of ice pick and boxcar scars, they have no effect on rolling or hypertrophic scars.

The number of people that chemical skin peeling works well for is made even smaller by the fact that using Phenol peels on dark skin can often cause hyperpigmentation. The most effective and widely used chemical peel for acne and acne scarring is therefore the TCA peel as it is less likely to cause skin discolouration in all patients.


TCA peels have been shown to reduce active acne lesions in both number and redness, they have also been successfully used to significantly reduce the visibility of acne scarring and improve the overall condition and appearance of acne prone skin.

How effective your own chemical skin peel treatment is ultimately depends, quite often, on your own skin. While chemical peels will often reduce acne and acne scars, the success of the treatment is often judged upon the final appearance of the skin. Often, if your skin tolerates the treatment ell, your peel will be successful but, if you are left with hyperpigmentation or uneven skin tone, your skin peel may be judged unsuccessful, even if your scarring or acne has been significantly improved.

In order to have the best chemical peel treatment possible and see the best results available, you should ensure that you have your procedure overseen and performed with the best practitioner possible. Choosing a medical professional with years of experience performing chemical peels for acne and acne scars will seriously improve your chances of having an effective treatment and excellent results.

Alternatives to Chemical Skin Peels for Acne

The most expensive chemical skin peels can be very costly indeed and there are also a high number of risks involved with the, pretty invasive, procedure. These factors may lead you to consider alternative therapies instead. There are a number of cheaper, less risky procedures available which may improve the condition of your acne and acne scars.

The most common alternative treatment for active acne is a course of prescription medicine. Prescription drugs are not as fast acting or dramatic as a skin peel but, over time, you will almost certainly see positive results that are achievable without the many side effects and risks of chemical peeling. Talk to your doctor or dermatologist to discover if prescription medication is suitable to treat your acne.

Light and laser therapies are also a possible alternative to chemical peeling. They have substantially fewer side effects and an impressively short recovery period but their effectiveness is not entirely agreed upon. Many people swear that they work while others claim that there is no beneficial effect to be had from using them. Also the lack of research into their use means that many people are concerned about the long-term safety of the therapies.

Alternative therapies that will treat acne scars usually work in a similar way to chemical peels. Just like chemical peels, both dermabrasion and laser skin resurfacing work on the basis that removing the damaged upper layers of skin will allow new, less scarred layers of skin to grow in their place. Both dermabrasion and laser skin resurfacing are often cheaper than chemical peels, though they tend to have similar recovery times and side effects.

Another alternative to chemical peels for treating acne scarring is acne scar removal surgery. This is often an effective treatment that reduces, and even erases, the appearance of acne scarring. It is a lot more precise than chemical peeling and, depending on the amount of surgery, it is often similar in both price and invasiveness though both procedures carry different kinds of risks.

If you are unsure about which treatment will work best for your acne or acne scarring you should talk to your doctor or dermatologist. They will be able to recommend the most effective course of treatment for your specific condition.

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