Aesthetic Surgery

Chemical or mechanical peel

1) Can the peels have complications?
Every medical procedure may have complications. These will be minimized by an appropriate assessment of the skin and by the right choice of peeling technique. The deeper the peel, the higher the risk of complications such as hyper pigmentation (dark spots), hypo pigmentation (light spots), scars and infection. Dark skinned or Asian patients have higher risk of complications than light skinned people.

2) What can be done to avoid complications?
A careful assessment of the type of skin and the right choice of peeling technique are essential to avoid complications. Other measures, such as the preparation of the skin for 1 month with specific ointments, avoiding sun exposure before and after are also very important.

3) Are there any contraindications to the peel?
Yes. Patients with any skin disease or active infection should not be submitted to a peel. Patients with latent herpes should be previously treated with an antiviral drug (fanvir, acyclovir). Patients who have a history of use of isotretinoin preparations over the past year are also not eligible.