Limitations of Chemical Peels


Find Clinics offering Chemical Peels in London & UK »

If you enter upon a chemical peel with unrealistic expectations then you are likely to be left both stripped of money and sorely disappointed. In certain respects the chemical peel can be considered to be a ‘miracle treatment’, it does have the power to alter your skin to an amazing extent.  If you want to reduce the visible signs of age then you are likely to desire to target the wrinkles upon your skin, most commonly located on the face, hands or neck. Chemical peels are able to remove the wrinkles that are on the surface level of your skin but they cannot target those which fold into the deeper skin layers.  However a chemical peel in conjunction with such procedures as a facelift could eliminate wrinkles significantly.

Most importantly chemical peels do not act as a substitute for facelifts. You will not suddenly and miraculously appear 25 years younger but the quality of your skin can be vastly improved.

Another potential limitation of the chemical peel, in context of the fast paced modern world, is that for some chemical peels the downtime (recovery time) needed for the skin to fully heal and for signs of swelling and redness to disappear, can be up to three weeks. This is true for the deep chemical peels whereas the superficial chemical peel can be performed quickly and are known as the ‘lunchtime peel’.


Other limitations which it is necessary to consider when you are deciding whether to proceed with a chemical peel treatment are:

  • Do you want to remove a tattoo ? - chemical peels cannot remove tattoos because the ink has penetrated too deep into the skin.
  • How much are you willing to pay? -  the majority of chemical peels are not expensive but if you were considering the more effective deep peel, then this can cost up to £2,000.
  • Do you want to tighten your skin? - facelifts remove sections of skin, chemical peels do not.

« Repeating Chemical Peels  Types of Chemical Peels »