Even out tone, off the top layers

A chemical peel is an acid solution applied at a controlled depth so the damaged top layers of skin shed and rebuild smoother and more even. Superficial peels use glycolic, lactic, mandelic, or salicylic acid and refresh the surface. Medium peels use stronger glycolic or TCA and reach the upper dermis, where they rebuild collagen.

A superficial peel heals in about a week: you’ll be pink the first evening, flaking from day 3, and clear by day 7. The American Academy of Dermatology’s full range is 1 to 7 days of redness, then 3 to 7 days of scaling. A medium peel takes 7 to 14 days, with makeup possible from day 5 to 7.

Dermaplaning is a blade that removes dead surface cells and fine facial hair in 30 minutes with no downtime. A chemical peel is an acid that changes pigment and texture and comes with a few days of flaking. If you’d like a smooth surface this week, dermaplaning is a good choice. If you’re hoping to change melasma, post-acne marks, or fine lines, a peel is the better fit.

Superficial if your concern is dullness, active acne, post-acne marks, or melasma, which is treated gently and repeatedly rather than aggressively. Medium if your concern is texture, fine lines, or stubborn sun damage on lighter skin and you can spare a recovery week. Darker skin types start superficial in every case. We’ll choose the depth with you at your consult.

The peel brand on the Skinovatio Lincoln Park booking menu is VI Peel, in several strengths. The depth matters more than the label: superficial peels are glycolic, lactic, mandelic, salicylic, or a Jessner’s blend, and medium peels are TCA at roughly 20 to 35 percent. At your consult, we’ll tell you which product we’re planning for your skin.

Yes, it can help manage melasma, though it isn’t a cure. A series of superficial peels, spaced 2 to 5 weeks apart and run in the low-sun months, lightens melasma on the cheeks and upper lip. It returns with sun and hormonal shifts, so the plan includes daily sunscreen and often a topical from a dermatologist. Medium peels and IPL can make melasma rebound, so we keep melasma peels gentle.

It can partly help. A peel on its own flattens surface marks and evens the color left behind by acne, but it doesn’t fill pitted scars. A 2024 network meta-analysis of 24 randomized trials ranked a peel combined with microneedling as the most effective option for acne scars, per Li and colleagues. If you have pitted scarring, we’ll plan both.

On a light peel the flaking starts around day 3 and is done by day 7, so a Thursday peel flakes over the weekend and is clear by midweek. On a medium peel the flaking runs days 3 to 7 and the redness lasts into the second week, so book it ahead of a week without important meetings or events.

Aim for three to four weeks out, and never inside two. That way the flaking is finished and you’ll have a week of brightness before the photos. For a series, start four to five months out so the last peel lands at the 3 to 4 week mark. A medium peel needs at least four weeks, and six is even better.

It can make it feel worse. Cold wind and forced-air heat dry the skin, so days 3 to 7 feel tighter and the flakes look more obvious. Use a bland moisturizer twice as often as usual, and sunscreen every morning, even in January. Winter is still the safest peel season here, because low sun means less risk of the pigment coming straight back.

A peel is temporary by design. Your skin turns over and settles within one to two weeks. On a first visit, we start with the lowest strength that will make a difference, and only go deeper once we’ve seen how your skin responds.