The truth of Chemical Peels and Acid Creams

CChemical peels use an acid to strip away the top layer of your skin. The idea is that this encourages new, smoother skin to grow.

Peels that remove only the very top layer of your skin are available as home products or from a beautician. They only have a short-term effect. Deeper chemical peels that remove more of your skin can be done by a doctor or nurse.

Some chemical peels contain the chemicals glycolic acid or lactic acid. You can also get creams or moisturizers that contain smaller amounts of these chemicals. Usually, with the products you buy yourself, up to 10 percent of the cream is glycolic or lactic acid. The rest of the cream may be made of water, moisturizers and other chemicals.

Most chemical peels haven’t been tested properly in good-quality studies. Two studies looked at creams containing small amounts of glycolic acid. One study found that these creams didn’t help to reduce wrinkles. The other found that they did, but only a tiny amount. A basic cream without any glycolic acid worked almost as well.

One study looked at lactic acid cream. It helped to reduce wrinkles a small amount, but people using a cream without any active ingredient improved almost as much.

The chemicals used in some peels and creams can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. It’s important to protect your skin from sunlight if you’re using these treatments. It’s best to use a sunscreen that’s at least factor 15. A hat and sunglasses also offer protection from the sun.

Chemical peels or acid creams can make your skin turn red and feel sore. In one small study of chemical peels, the redness lasted for more than two months. Chemical peels may also cause temporary scarring.