Procedure

Chemical Peel

An acid solution applied in the office to shed the top layers of skin. Superficial peels clear pores and fade brown marks; medium peels reach texture and deeper sun damage. It does not fix indented scars.
Dr. Schwarz, MD · Board-certified dermatologistLast reviewed August 23, 2026
A small clear glass bowl holding a shallow pool of pale amber liquid on a white background, with a white fan-shaped brush lying beside it, bristles resting against the bowl.

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Peels are the cheapest useful thing in a dermatologist's office and the most oversold on social media. A light salicylic peel helps active acne and fades brown marks faster, but it will not touch an indented scar.

What I find myself repeating: think a course of six, and think accelerator for a home routine — without a retinoid at home, a peel does a fraction of the work it could.

The real risk is going straight to a medium-depth peel on deeper skin tones, which trades a temporary brown mark for a lasting one.

— Dr. Schwarz, Board Certified Dermatologist

Key Facts

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Also calledSuperficial peel, salicylic acid peel, glycolic acid peel, Jessner's peel, TCA peel
DowntimeNone to 3 days for a light peel; 5 to 10 days for medium depth
Sessions4 to 6, spaced 2 to 4 weeks apart, then maintenance
Typical costAbout $100 to $300 per light peel in the US; $400 to $900 for medium depth. Varies widely by city and provider
Results timelineBrighter within a week; pigment and texture change takes 3 or more sessions
PainStinging and heat for 2 to 10 minutes with a light peel; a medium peel burns during and for up to an hour afterward
Skin tone safetyLight salicylic and glycolic peels are safe for all tones. Medium and deep peels carry real risk of dark or light patches on deeper skin tones

What It Is

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An acid is brushed on, left for a timed period, then neutralized, taking the outer layers with it. Peels are grouped by how deep they reach — superficial (top layer only), medium (into the upper dermis), deep (rarely used now). For acne and post-acne marks, superficial peels do most of the work.

How It Works

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Acids dissolve the glue between dead skin cells, so the surface layer sheds. Salicylic acid is oil-soluble and gets inside the pore, clearing the plug that starts a blackhead. Glycolic acid is water-soluble and small, so it works on the surface and speeds up turnover. Both remove cells carrying extra pigment, which is why post-acne marks fade. Superficial peels do not reach pigment in the deeper layer.

Skin is about two millimetres thick on the face. How deep a treatment reaches decides what it can change, and whether it treats all of the skin or scattered columns of it decides how long you take to heal.

How it works
Compare
Skin basics
EPIDERMISDERMISFAT0.05 mm — pigment0.5 mm — texture + pores1.0 mm — collagen1.5 mm — deep dermisNEEDLINGNON-ABLATIVE LASERABLATIVE LASERREACHES THE UPPER DERMIS

This reaches just past the epidermis into the top of the dermis, around half a millimetre down. That is where fine texture, pores and the shallowest scarring sit. Deep enough to remodel a little, shallow enough that healing is measured in days. A peel or a scrub takes the skin off evenly from the surface down. Everything above the line goes and nothing below it is touched, which is why peels suit surface pigment and rough texture, and why the whole face flakes for a few days after.

Needles make hundreds of separate channels and leave the skin between them untouched. That untouched skin is what heals the rest, so recovery is quick — but a needle only injures the skin to start repair. It removes nothing.

The light passes through the surface and heats a column underneath it. The surface stays whole, so you leave red rather than raw — and it takes a course of sessions rather than one.

The laser removes columns of skin outright: the white gaps here are tissue that is gone, and new skin grows in from the sides. The strongest of the four, and the longest to heal.

The outer layer, and the only one anything in a jar reaches. It renews itself constantly: a cell made at the bottom takes about a month to reach the surface and flake off. Most of what a skincare product does, it does here.

The living layer underneath, holding the blood vessels, the nerves and the collagen. It is where lasting change happens and it is hard to reach: most of what is sold for the skin never gets this far.

What It Treats

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Melasma
Melasma
Moderate evidence
Light peels, spaced out, speed up the clearing of surface pigment when they are added to creams and sun protection. They are an addition and never a replacement. Depth is the whole issue: a peel strong enough to leave the skin red and peeling can inflame it and leave the patch darker than it started, which is one of the commonest ways melasma gets worse.
Close-up of the lower cheek, nose and mouth of a young person with medium-brown skin, turned three-quarters away from the camera against a pale blue background. Scattered flat dark brown marks are spread across the cheek, with a few small raised spots still active among them.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Moderate evidence
A series of light peels speeds up the shedding of surface pigment, so it helps brown marks far more than gray ones. Done gently and spaced out, it adds to a good home routine rather than replacing it. Done too strongly, especially on deeper skin tones, the peel itself inflames the skin and creates a fresh round of marks.
Close-up of a cheek with inflamed acne. Raised pink-red bumps, a few with yellow-white heads, sit in a patch of redness, and the skin between them is dry and flaking.
Acne
Moderate evidence
Modest benefit for clogged pores and a better one for the dark marks left behind. Needs repeat sessions, and the benefit fades if the daily treatment stops.
Actinic Keratosis
Actinic Keratosis
Moderate evidence
A medium-depth peel takes off the damaged top layer across a whole face or scalp at once, so it treats the field rather than single spots. It is an option when creams have not been tolerated. The skin is red and peeling for about a week, and results depend a lot on who is doing it and at what strength.
Sun Spots (Solar Lentigines)
Sun Spots (Solar Lentigines)
Moderate evidence
Lightens spots across a whole area rather than one at a time, which suits the backs of the hands, the forearms and the chest where spots are scattered widely. Usually a course rather than a single treatment, and the result is a general evening out rather than each spot disappearing. Depth matters: a peel strong enough to leave the skin raw can leave a darker mark instead.
Close-up of the cheek, nose and mouth of an adult with light skin, turned three-quarters away from the camera against a pale blue background. The surface of the cheek is uneven, dimpled with shallow depressions and small pits that catch the light. There are no active spots — the change here is in the texture of the skin rather than its color.
Acne Scarring
Moderate evidence
Repeated medium-depth peels smooth the edges of shallow scars and even out the tone around them. The effect on texture is modest next to laser or needling. On this page peels earn their place mostly for the flat marks sitting alongside the scars rather than for the scars themselves.

Not the Best For

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Keratosis Pilaris
Keratosis Pilaris
Limited evidence
A stronger version of the acid creams, applied in a clinic to the arms or cheeks. It can smooth the texture for a while, and the effect fades in the same way, so the daily cream is still needed afterwards. It is an add-on for people who want a faster start, not a replacement for the routine.
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Limited evidence
Light peels done around the eye can lift brown pigment over a course of treatments, and they are a reasonable next step when creams have stalled. Settings have to be gentle, spaced further apart and often preceded by weeks of a preparation cream, because over-treating eyelid skin leaves more pigment than it removed. On deeper skin tones, ask directly how many people with your skin tone the clinic treats.
Ingrown Hairs
Limited evidence
A course of light salicylic or glycolic peels aimed at the mottled dark marks across the beard and neck once the bumps have stopped. On deeper skin tones it has to be done cautiously and by someone who treats them regularly, because too strong a peel causes exactly the darkening you are trying to clear. It does nothing for the bumps themselves.
Stretch Marks
Stretch Marks
Limited evidence
Medium-depth peels have some evidence for modest improvement in mature marks, mostly when used alongside another treatment rather than on their own. Because they work by controlled injury, the same pigment cautions apply on deeper skin tones, and a test patch is worth insisting on.
Close-up of the cheek, nose and mouth of an adult with light skin, turned three-quarters away from the camera against a pale blue background. The surface of the cheek is uneven, dimpled with shallow depressions and small pits that catch the light. There are no active spots — the change here is in the texture of the skin rather than its color.
Indented (depressed) scars
Doesn't work
A peel works on the surface layers. Scars that dip below the skin are missing tissue further down than a peel reaches. The flat marks beside them do respond.
Acne without daily treatment
Doesn't work
A peel clears what is on your face today. It does nothing to the pores plugging up underneath, so the acne comes back between appointments unless a daily treatment continues.

Pros and Cons

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Pros
  • Two problems at once Treats the spots and the marks they leave.
  • Low cost, no device One of the cheapest office options. No laser.
  • Little downtime A few days of mild flaking.
Cons
  • It is a course 4 to 6 sessions plus maintenance.
  • Depth is where the risk is Deeper peels can leave lasting dark or light patches.
  • It fades Stop peeling, stop the home routine, and it comes back.

How to Prepare

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4 weeks before2 weeks before1 week before
Pigment cream
4 weeks before
On deeper skin tones, a pigment-blocking cream first cuts the risk of dark patches.
Sun and tanning
2 weeks before
No tanning, no sunburn. Sunscreen daily.
Actives and hair removal
1 week before
No waxing, threading or hair removal creams. Stop retinoids, benzoyl peroxide and acids 3 to 5 days before.

What Happens

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ArrivingThe treatmentLeaving
Arriving
Skin is checked, photos taken, and you confirm what you have stopped using. The provider picks the acid and strength. No numbing — a fan or cool air instead. Your provider will ask about these things.
The treatment
Skin is cleaned and degreased, eyes and lips protected, acid brushed on in layers. It stings and builds over 2 to 5 minutes, then gets neutralized. The visit takes 20 to 30 minutes. A light peel burns briefly and most people tolerate it; a medium peel is genuinely uncomfortable, and the burning can last an hour.
Leaving
Pink, tight skin, sometimes with mild swelling and stinging for a few hours. A light peel leaves you flushed, like after a hot shower. A medium peel, noticeably red.

Recovery

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Days 1 to 3Days 4 to 7Weeks 1 to 2
Days 1 to 3
Skin darkens slightly, dry and rough. Flaking starts day 2 or 3; it does not mean the peel was too strong. Medium peels begin sheeting.
Days 4 to 7
Light peels finish flaking. Medium peels are still peeling and pink. Do not pick at loose skin — that is how marks and scars happen.
Weeks 1 to 2
Some people break out for a week or two as clogged pores clear. It settles on its own.

Aftercare

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24 hours5 to 7 days2 weeks
Makeup and exercise
24 hours
No makeup, no workouts. Heat and sweat sting freshly peeled skin. After a medium peel, keep makeup off until peeling finishes.
Actives
5 to 7 days
Restart retinoids and acids once flaking finishes.
Sun
2 weeks
Strict avoidance, SPF 30 or higher daily. Sun on peeling skin is the main cause of dark patches.

Risks

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Superficial peel side effects are mild. Risk rises sharply with depth.

Dark patches
New brown or gray patches 2 to 4 weeks later, most common on deeper skin tones and after sun. Treat early — the longer they sit, the longer they take to clear.
Prolonged redness
Worsening rather than settling after a week.
A cold sore outbreak
Peels can trigger one. Antivirals work best started early.

Combining Treatments

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Same day
Topical acne creams
A daily retinoid, benzoyl peroxide and azelaic acid continue.
Same day
Oral acne medicines
Antibiotics, spironolactone and hormonal treatment continue.
Same day
Extractions
Often done right after a salicylic peel, when plugs release easily.
Same day
Pigment creams
Between peels, these do most of the work on post-acne marks.
Wait 2 weeks
Laser, needling, waxing
2 weeks either side on the same area.
Wait 2 weeks
Another peel
At least 2 weeks apart.
Wait 6 months
Isotretinoin
Most providers wait 6 months before a medium-depth peel; light peels sooner.

Insurance Coverage

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Insurance rarely covers peels for acne or post-acne marks — they count as cosmetic. Peels for precancerous sun damage are sometimes an exception.

Ask Your Doctor

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If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
Ask the doctor managing your pregnancy or breastfeeding first.
If you have broken or infected skin there
Cold sores, impetigo, an eczema flare, or open skin must clear first.
If you finished isotretinoin recently
Most providers wait about 6 months before a medium-depth peel.
If you have had keloid scars
Nothing deeper than a superficial peel without a careful discussion.
If your goal is smoothing indented scars
Wrong procedure.
If you have a deeper skin tone
The risk is new dark patches from the peel itself. Stay superficial, start low, and expect pre-treatment and slow progress.
If you have melasma
Peels can help it or worsen it. Find a provider experienced with melasma.
If you take a sun-sensitizing medicine
Doxycycline and some diuretics make skin more reactive. Say what you take.
If you are tanned or have had recent sun
Peeling tanned skin risks blotchy pigment. Wait.

At-Home Versions

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Leave-on acid products (salicylic 0.5 to 2%, glycolic 5 to 10%)
Good alternative
Lower strength used daily. Slower than an office peel but does much of the same work, and far cheaper. This is the sensible default.
At-home peel pads and 30%+ glycolic kits
Okay alternative
Stronger than daily products and closer to a light office peel. Overuse causes irritation and dark marks. Use no more than weekly.
High-strength TCA sold online
Bad alternative
Do not. At peel strength it causes burns and permanent scarring without trained application.

How It Compares

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Topical retinoid
Better
Does both of the peel's jobs — clearing pores and fading marks — at home and daily, over months rather than weeks. Cheaper, and skin already using one peels better.
MicroneedlingDiagram: how Microneedling works in the skin
Microneedling
Different job
Aimed at indented scars, which a superficial peel does not touch. More downtime per session, and usually done once the acne itself is under control.
Fractional laser resurfacing
Better
Stronger on texture and scarring, with more downtime, more cost and more care needed on deeper skin tones.
MicrodermabrasionDiagram: how Microdermabrasion works in the skin
Microdermabrasion
Worse
Sands the surface instead of dissolving it. No peeling and little lasting effect on acne, which is why it is often bundled rather than sold on its own.

Finding a Provider

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Licensed estheticians do superficial peels in most US states; medium-depth peels generally need a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner, and rules vary by state. Ask which acid, what percentage, and how they would handle a dark patch. Red flags: an unnamed "proprietary" solution, a promise to clear acne scars, pressure to buy a big package on day one, no discussion of sun protection.

Questions Patients Ask

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Do chemical peels work for acne scars?

Not for indented scars. Peels fade the flat brown or red marks left after a spot — people call those scars, but they are discoloration. Depressed scars need microneedling, lasers, subcision, or filler.

Which peel is best for acne?

Salicylic acid, usually — oil-soluble, so it works inside the pore. Glycolic acid suits surface dullness and pigment. Some providers combine them, or use a salicylic-mandelic blend on deeper skin tones.

How many do I need?

4 to 6 sessions, 2 to 4 weeks apart, then maintenance. One peel gives a temporary glow.

Are peels safe on deeper skin tones?

Superficial salicylic and glycolic peels are, with good data behind them. Deeper peels can leave a lasting dark or light patch. Depth, not the acid, matters.

Will I actually peel?

Often not much, and that is fine. Sheeting does not mean it worked; mild flaking does not mean it did not.

References

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