Avoid At-Home DIY Chemical Peels

Are you annoyed by fine lines and wrinkles? How about age spots, mild scars, or dark patches? Plastic surgeons might advise treating those wrinkles with a chemical peel in their office.

The problem is that the internet and certain beauty suppliers offer at-home DIY chemical peels that make it sound like you can just take care of these yourself. You absolutely should not.

In August of 2024, the FDA issued a new warning about do-it-yourself home chemical peels. They advised not purchasing them or using them only under licensed professional supervision. And consumers should take heed.

What Is a Chemical Peel?

Simply put, a chemical peel is the application of a chemical solution to the skin to address the above-mentioned issues. And there are a few different peels available.

Generally speaking, a light or “lunchtime” chemical peel is usually done in a series and it’s best for those with fine wrinkling, uneven skin coloring, or rough sun-damaged skin. Only the outermost layer of skin is removed and recovery requires little to no downtime.

With a medium chemical peel, both the outermost layer and the upper part of the middle skin layer are removed. This is a good option for those with more moderate wrinkles, age spots, acne scarring, or uneven skin coloring that’s more pronounced.

A deep chemical peel provides the most dramatic results. In this case, the chemical penetrates all the way down to the lower middle layer of the skin. This is most often recommended for those with moderate lines and wrinkles, extensive sun-damaged skin, deep acne scars, blotchy skin, and actinic keratosis. When done on the face, it’s a one-time treatment that requires pretreatment for up to eight weeks.

Why Are At-Home DIY Chemical Peels to Be Avoided?

All of the chemical peels we discussed require precision in application and expertise in the whole procedure – from start to finish. After all, you’re putting chemicals and acid on your skin. Without an experienced practitioner to perform a peel, you’re taking some serious risks.

Many of the at-home DIY chemical peels contain the same professional strength ingredients (such as trichloroacetic acid, glycolic acid, hydroxy acid, salicylic acid, fruit acid, and lactic acid) in varying inexact concentrations. Many of these concentrations are too high to be used safely at home,

Concentration is not the only problem. Each person has different skin and there’s no way of knowing how it will react to a chemical peel. In addition, as laid out above, skin prep and post-peel care are also critical components. Certain products shouldn’t be used before peels. And knowing how to care for the skin after a peel is essential.

Without all of these considerations, at-home DIY chemical peels are causing serious injuries.

What Sort of Things Can Go Wrong?

The chemicals used in most chemical peels remove layers of skin. That’s what they’re supposed to do. But just how deeply they penetrate needs to be carefully monitored to minimize complications.

If applied incorrectly or for too long, patients can experience chemical burns, swelling, pain, blisters, infection, pigmentation changes, and even disfiguring scars – at which point they require treatment with emergency care from a plastic surgeon or dermatologist.

So Should All Acids Be Avoided?

To be clear, the FDA warning only applies to chemical peels sold online or at beauty supply stores that are heavily marketed for treating acne, wrinkles, and discoloration while promoting collagen production.

That said, it’s not unusual to find glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy acids, and fruit acids in regular over-the-counter skin care products. Yet the concentrations are far lower than in a chemical peel and are unlikely to cause injury. As such, they are also unlikely to deliver the results many patients seek.

Don’t Cheat Your Skin

If you’re truly frustrated with fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, mild scars, or dark patches, you owe it to yourself (and your skin) to let a professional care for you.

Contact us today to set up your free consultation so we can discuss the best options for you.

And PLEASE steer clear of at-home DIY chemical peels. They’re just not worth it.