Glycolic Acid Peels

Information about glycolic peels and what they do |



Glycolic acid peels are popular facial procedures performed at spas, skin care clinics, dermatologists' offices, and even at home. Both glycolic acid and lactic acid are AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), but glycolic acid is the more common one of the two.

Glycolic acid is a transparent, colorless, and watery liquid. In my experience, a 30% glycolic acid peel feels stronger than a 30% lactic acid peel. Glycolic acid also makes my skin a lot redder. This could be because glycolic acid particles are smaller than lactic acid ones and penetrate deeper into the skin. At any rate, glycolic acid peels are considered light or mild peels.


What do they do?

Depending on what you're looking for, glycolic acid peels can:

  • Reduce active acne
  • Help with blackheads
  • Deep clean pores
  • Improve the appearance of light wrinkles
  • Stimulate natural collagen production
  • Even out skin tone
  • Fade acne marks
  • Fade hyperpigmentation
  • Smooth rough skin

Keep in mind that each of these things will depend on your skin, the strength of the peel, and the number of peels you get. You will usually need more than one peel to achieve your desired results.


Starting the glycolic peels

You want to start with a low percentage glycolic acid peel first, usually around 30%, and gradually build your way up to 75% (if you can tolerate it). If you start off with too strong of a peel, you can really burn and damage your skin. When you first start getting peels, they should only be left on your skin for one minute. As you get more peels and your skin adjusts to the acid, the peels can then be left on for a longer amount of time.

During the peel, your skin will tingle, feel prickly, and turn red. Stronger peels, like 75% glycolic acid, may even burn. If you are getting a professional glycolic acid peel, there will most likely be a fan running to help cool your skin and ease the burning sensation. You will probably also be red for a of couple hours after the peel or even for the rest of the day.

Cold compresses can help reduce the redness and irritation from the peel. Many places apply cool steam on your skin for half an hour post-peel. One place I went to wrapped my face up in a giant cold towel and then applied a cooling mask afterwards. All of these steps help reduce any redness and inflammation. If you are giving yourself an at-home peel and your skin is really red, you can simply wet some paper towels and drape them over your skin (or stick your face in a cool mist humidifier). Paper masks may also be used.


Is there any downtime?

Glycolic peels are not considered deep peels, so you don't physically "peel" from them. You may flake a bit, but it's nowhere as intense as the peeling from TCA peels. Therefore, there is very little downtime associated with glycolic acid peels. You probably won't have to schedule time off or work or anything because the effects of the peel can usually be covered up with makeup.

It's still a good idea to get the peel done over the weekend to give your skin time to heal and to account for any possible irritation. I've gotten a 75% glycolic acid peel before (after taking 4 months to work my way up from 30%) and only had some redness and light flaking skin on my cheeks, so the downtime isn't too bad.

If you do flake and peel a bit, let it peel naturally or you run the risk of scarring your skin. After any chemical peel, you should also stay out of the sun and use a good sunscreen. For more details on side effects and warnings for chemical peels, check here. And here are precise instructions for using at-home chemical peels.

Some people like to freshen up their skin by getting a peel done before a wedding or big day of some sort. However, I would advise against doing that unless you are getting the peel done a week or more in advance. Besides needing time for the peel to work and for your skin to heal, you might even breakout or experience excessive irritation. These are all things you don't want on an important day.

You can usually maintain your peel results by having one done every three weeks. However, light peels (30%) can be performed every two weeks if you so desire.



Last updated: February 10, 2011


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