VI Peel Advanced
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VI Peel Advanced vs Precision Plus
These are two versions of the same branded peel. Advanced is the base formula. Precision Plus is that same base with two pigment ingredients added. If brown patches are your main concern, book Precision Plus. If they are not, the choice barely matters.
At a glance
| The difference | VI Peel Advanced | VI Peel Precision Plus |
|---|---|---|
| What is in it | Five acids and vitamin C | The same five, plus two lighteners |
| What it is aimed at | Wrinkles, fine lines, older skin | Sun damage, melasma, dark patches |
| Cost | No published price | No published price either |
VI Peel Precision Plus
The same five, plus two lighteners Hydroquinone and kojic acid are added. They are the only stated difference between the two products.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What is in it
VI Peel Advanced
Five acids and vitamin C
Trichloroacetic acid, phenol, retinoic acid, salicylic acid and vitamin C. That is the full list the maker gives. There is nothing else in it.
VI Peel Precision Plus
The same five, plus two lighteners
Hydroquinone and kojic acid are added. They are the only stated difference between the two products.
What it is aimed at
VI Peel Advanced
Wrinkles, fine lines, older skin
The maker sells it for skin from around age 40 that has lost its bounce. That is marketing, not a tested use.
VI Peel Precision Plus
Sun damage, melasma, dark patches
Also marketing. But the added ingredients at least match that target. The same is not true of Advanced.
What the extra ingredients do
VI Peel Advanced
Nothing extra, just the base chemistry
Its stated ingredient list is the same as the original VI Peel. What makes it different is not disclosed.
VI Peel Precision Plus
Two ingredients that lighten pigment
Hydroquinone is the best studied ingredient for pigment. Kojic acid is used for pigment too. The maker lists hydroquinone allergy as a reason not to use this version, so a past reaction rules it out.
What the evidence says
VI Peel Advanced
Nothing specific to this version
The one published study did not say which version was used. It had no control group, and people were given botulinum toxin the same day.
VI Peel Precision Plus
Also nothing specific to this version
That single study is the whole literature. No one has compared Precision Plus against Advanced, or against a standard peel.
What you actually do
VI Peel Advanced
3 to 6 peels, 4 to 6 weeks apart
Then about four a year to keep it up. That course is a maker's instruction, not a trial result.
VI Peel Precision Plus
The same course
No study says the added ingredients change that schedule.
The downside
VI Peel Advanced
Shedding for three to four days
It starts around day three. No makeup for four hours, then kit products only through the shedding week. SPF 50, no exercise for 72 to 96 hours, no swimming for 7 to 10 days, no direct sun for a week.
VI Peel Precision Plus
The same shedding, the same aftercare
No study says the added ingredients change how you heal.
Cost
VI Peel Advanced
No published price
No public dataset lists a price for any branded peel. Every figure you see online is one clinic's menu.
VI Peel Precision Plus
No published price either
Nothing tells you which of the two should cost less. Ask each clinic for the peel price and the kit price separately.
Who tends to be happy with it
VI Peel Advanced
- Best for — Someone whose main complaint is texture, fine lines and dullness rather than dark patches.
- Best for — Someone who has reacted badly to hydroquinone and needs it left out.
- The mindset — You are buying the base peel with an aging label on it. Expect a peel, not a wrinkle treatment.
VI Peel Precision Plus
- Best for — Someone whose main complaint is brown patches, melasma or marks left by acne.
- Best for — Someone who wants pigment ingredients built into the peel.
- The mindset — The extra ingredients point at pigment, but the effect has not been measured. Judge it after a course, not after one peel.
The fine print
More photographs
VI Peel Advanced
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
What is the difference between VI Peel Advanced and Precision Plus?
Precision Plus contains hydroquinone and kojic acid on top of the shared base formula of trichloroacetic acid, phenol, retinoic acid, salicylic acid and vitamin C. Advanced contains only that base. Advanced is marketed for lines and aging skin, Precision Plus for pigment. That is the entire disclosed difference.
Is Advanced stronger than Precision Plus?
There is no published information that would let anyone answer that. The manufacturer does not publish concentrations for either variant, which it is not required to do for a professional-use product, and no study has compared them. If a clinic tells you one is stronger, that is their assessment rather than a documented fact.
Which is better for melasma or dark spots?
Precision Plus is the more logical choice, because it is the one that contains pigment-directed ingredients. That is reasoning from the formula, not a measured result - no trial has tested either variant for melasma, and none has compared them. If pigment is your concern, ask about priming the skin with a topical for two to four weeks beforehand, which has more published support than the choice between the two variants.
Which costs more?
There is no reliable published price for either. No professional society, government dataset or manufacturer publishes prices for branded peels, so every figure available is a single clinic's menu. Ask each clinic for the price of the peel and of the post-care kit separately.
Can I switch between them, or have both?
That is a question for the person treating you, and there is no published protocol to point to. The recommended course for the range is three to six peels every four to six weeks, then about four a year for maintenance - a manufacturer instruction rather than a trial finding. Nothing published addresses alternating variants.
Is either one FDA approved?
No. The FDA stated on 30 July 2024 that it has not approved any chemical peel products and that consumers should only use them under the supervision of a dermatologist or licensed and trained practitioner. No chemical peel holds a drug approval or a device clearance. That describes the regulatory pathway, not the safety of the treatment.
Will the downtime be different?
Nothing published suggests so. For both, the manufacturer describes shedding starting around day three and lasting three to four days, with no makeup or topicals for the first four hours, post-care kit products only through the shedding week, SPF 50, no exercise for 72 to 96 hours, no swimming for 7 to 10 days and no direct sun for a week.
Safety to keep in mind
No chemical peel product is FDA approved, and that covers both of these. In a drug alert dated 30 July 2024, the FDA said it has not approved any chemical peel products, and that consumers should only use them under the supervision of a dermatologist or a licensed and trained practitioner. That applies to the whole category, branded and unbranded alike.
Concentrations do not have to be published. Professional-use-only products are exempt from the consumer ingredient-declaration rules, so the manufacturer is not required to list percentages for any of its formulas. That is legal, and it is also why neither variant can be independently assigned a depth or a strength.