Salicylic Acid Chemical Peels At A Glance
- Best Results2-6 treatments
- Treatment Recovery0-2 days
- Procedure Time10 min
- Skin SpecialistDermal therapist
- Duration of Results2-8 weeks
- AnaestheticNil required
- Back to WorkImmediately to 1 day
- Cost$
Salicylic Acid Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are used to treat skin conditions such as pigmentation, melasma, acne, blackheads, congested skin & oily skin. The BHA or salicylic acid peel is best for patients with acneiform skin. Our team at Clinic Cutis can tailor a chemical peel program based upon your acne & skin type to help improve your complexion and texture.
FactsFacts on Salicylic Acid Chemical Peels For Acne
- Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid
- It can be compounded into a chemical peel
- Salicylic acid peels can improve acne, remove blackheads & congestion
- Other peels we perform include Jessner, TCA, Retinoic Acid & AHA peels
- Treatments start from just $98
What skin conditions are best treated with Salicylic Acid Chemical Peels?
BHA peels are more lipid soluble than AHA peels. Hence salicylic acid peels are excellent for the treatment of –
- Acne
- Blackheads, white heads, enlarged pores
- Oily skin
- Congested skin
- Post pigment changes from acne (post inflammatory hyperpigmentation)
If you have sun damage & photoaging, AHA peels are a better choice.
How do salicylic chemical peels treat acne?
Chemical peels work in 3 ways to help improve acne –
- Exfoliate the skin surface (chemical exfoliant). This unclogs blocked pores.
- Reduce inflammation.
- Decrease bacteria involved in acne, Propionibacterium acnes.
What types of acne respond best to chemical peels?
- Comedonal acne (“black-heads” and “white-heads”).
- Inflammatory pimples & cysts – salicylic acid peels are particularly useful in this setting.
How do we perform salicylic acid chemical peels?
We select a concentration of salicylic acid ranging from 5 to 30%, depending on the extent of acne, as well as the location & your skin’s sensitivity. A therapist or nurse will remove your makeup & prepare your skin with an acetone wash. This allows for greater penetration of salicylic acid.
A bespoke concentration is then applied to the area for a predetermined time. BHA peels, unlike AHA peels, do not need to be neutralized.
The peel process if over within 4-9 minutes.
View our Treatment Gallery
Are there any side effects from chemical peels?
- Mild discomfort in the form of tingling or burning – generally well tolerated, subsides rapidly once peel ends.
- Redness/swelling – typically less than 12 hours, sometimes slightly longer.
- Peeling – usually gentle flaking for a few days after the peel. Simple moisturizer can help.
- Pigment changes – especially for darker skin types. This is unlikely to happen with BHA peels, it is more common with TCA peeling.
What is the recovery period from salicylic acid acne chemical peels?
Superficial chemical peels performed for acne do not incur any “down-time”
Patients can return to work or school the next day. Sun avoidance is important, especially for the first few days after the peel. For strong concentrations above 20%, you may peel for a few days. We will always discuss the concentration strength and expected recovery before the peel itself.
Chemical peels are repeated every 2-4 weeks.
Acne topicals summarized. Have you had success with topicals? Please share.I really like to know
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👍🏻Give them a go with a finite time frame of 6 weeks. If no better, visit your family GP. They can escalate treatments. Give that 6 weeks, if no better see a dermatologist
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👍🏻🧴Retinol: 0.5 to 1.0% many choices, formulation over branding
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💯Retinoids: If you can get hold of #differin, it is better than #retinol. # trifarotene, tazarotene & retinoic acid / #tretinoin can be prescribed by your dermatologist
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🧪Salicylic acid: Super cheap exfoliant. 1.5 to 2%, #cerave or LRP #micropeel
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👍🏻Azelaic acid: if you are pregnant or have sensitive skin #azelaicacid is a great option. OTC, can be effective in PIH or post inflammatory pigmentation
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😷Benzoyl peroxide: Cheap & nasty, it works for zits & pustules. Get Benzac AC over the marketing BS by #Proactive
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💯Niacinamide : anti-inflammatory, reduced PIH, helps with skin barrier function
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🧚🏼Tea tree oil: for the fairies & hippies, all the best
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
#acnescars #acne #dermatologistbrisbane #holisticacnecure #acnecure #acnetreatments #acnecysts #retinol #retinoids #BHApeels #retinoids #teatreeoil #niacinamide
#natropathicmedicine #naturalbeauty
Salicylic acid is one of my favorite ingredients. This is the only acid in the BHA or beta-hydroxy acid family
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👍🏻Acne: great for reducing inflammation from #zits, pustules & #pimples. Also reduces #blackheads
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🛢Oily skin: can marginally help regulate oil production by modulating the activity of the sebaceous or oil gland
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👩🏽Acne Scars: best for PIH or post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Nowhere as good as pico lasers, but it’s a cost effective alternative
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🧴Chemical exfoliation: helps improve the optical properties of skin by removing the outermost cell layers. This in turn increases the turnover of cells
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💥🥊Potentiates other active ingredients: via exfoliation, it increases the effectiveness of #retinol, ascorbic acid & AHAs
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🎬Action: To discuss what salicylic acid peels can do for your skin, book a consultation with our nurses at Cutis Dermatology
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane 🇦🇺
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#chemicalpeels #salicylicacid #salacidpeels #BHAs #Bhapeels #skinrejuvenation #skincaretips #dermatologistbrisbane #dermatology #drdavinlim #acnepeels #skinlightening #salicylicacidpeels
Table based upon intended use, comparisons with other agents and clinical effects
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👌🏻Chemical peels: are great. They are underutilized in the day and age of lasers & devices. Peels, like everything else, are merely tools to get the job done. Clinical scenarios where peels have advantages over lasers include-
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1️⃣Treatment of comedonal acne. Salicylic acid 20-30% is a marvelous agent for blackheads & congestion, as is retinoic acid 1-7%
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2️⃣Freckles & superficial pigmentation: A medium depth peel can beat fractional lasers & BBL or IPL. One session of Jessner TCA or TCA will do the trick
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3️⃣Ice Pick scars, enlarged pores (like pathologically enlarged, not psychologically), TCA or phenol will beat fractional and even ablative devices
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4️⃣Deep rhytids; severe sun damage/elastosis: Phenol croton oil will out gun ablative lasers, albeit long downtime
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5️⃣Accelerated melasma treatment: in superficial > dermal pigment, where time is an issue. Remember, high gain, high risk, higher cost, but in some, but not all cases, faster results
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🔫🍌Combination lasers & peels: LARI or laser assisted retinoid infusion, combines laser & potent retinoids. The former aids in delivery of the latter. It works. Downtime can be tailored from 48 to 96 hours
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🎬Action: Book an appointment with my nursing team @clinic cutis to see whether peels are right for you
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
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Disclaimer: My clinical work deals with medium to deep peels only. For superficial peels including lactic, glycolic, retinoic, mandelic, #cosmelan #dermamelan & salicylic acid peels, please consult our nurses @cutis.dermatology
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#peels #chemicalpeels #tcapeels #jesserpeels #jessnertca #AHApeels #retinol #BHA #glycolicacid #lacticacidpeels #skincare #mandelicacid #melasmapeels #cosmelan
Skin acids part 2 ✌🏼A Lot of these chemicals have primary and secondary effects. These comments are based upon the intended use / efficacy of the molecule rather than in-vitro properties
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👉Molecules within families: Example of alpha hydroxy acids- there are many examples including glycolic, mandelic, lactic, citric, malic and tartaric acids. Glycolic and lactic acids are favourites for their exfoliative effects, whilst the large molecule size of mandelic can reduce skin penetration and hence be useful for skin rejuvenation in sensitive/rosacea skin (but why would you want to risk putting chemicals on rosacea-like skin when lasers & lights are inherently safer?)
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🎬Powerful science: I think most dermatologists stick to the main three for their own personal skin care, namely retinoic acid, ascorbic acid (as an antioxidant) and alpha hydroxy acids (as an exfoliant, usually in high concentration, low pH in a pulse manner). For those with uber sensitive skin, azelaic acid can be useful. As for hyaluronic acid? ...it works far better under your skin (dermal filler), not sitting on the skin 💉👍🏻
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
#skinscience #hyaluronicacid #kojicacid #skincareacids #skinscientist #lacticacid #ahas #glycolicacidpeels #drdavinlim #dermatologist #dermatologistbrisbane
Diet, lifestyle modifications & skincare can treat over 80% of acne cases. Try these simple tips BEFORE seeing a dermatologist
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🔬Skin Science: The acne diet is really quite easy to remember- cut out sugar & processed foods. Consume less dairy. Supplement this with good skin care & you will be surprised how effective it can be
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👉📖Skin Care: Start off with salicylic acid washes in the am. Treat spots with a dedicated spot treatment (higher strength sal acid). If you are a picker, consider hydrocolloid dressings. In the PM, consider a retinoid. Examples include #Differin, #retinol, hydroxypinacolone retinoate, #retinaldehyde, or a retinol ester. Dark spots? Add ascorbic acid as tolerated in the am? Red spots? #Niacinamide. Want some vitamins? Supplement with zinc
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👀When to see a dermatologist? If you have cystic acne, scarring acne, or if the above fails. We employ treatments such as #accutane, tablets, anti-hormones, chemical peels & low level laser therapy to treat acne
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😎Dr Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane, Australia🇦🇺
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#acne #acnetips #acneskincare #acneremedy#scartreatment #zitpatch #acnepatch #zitsticka #acnepatches #acnestickers #scarprevention #drdavinlim #naturalacneremedies #natropathicskincare #naturalskin #skincaretips #acneprone
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Disclaimer: My work is entirely procedural. For acne… please see my team @cliniccutis💯
BHA washes are my preferred wash for acne prone & oily skin
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🔬Skin Science: Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid. It is lipophilic, meaning it gets into the oil gland better than, say, alpha hydroxy acids (lactic, glycolic, mandelic, citric). Salicylic acid also has anti-inflammatory properties, hence great for acne
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👀👉How to use? Start in the AM- once a day. Increase to twice a day. Moisturize or apply #retinol #retinoids or your skincare active of choice post wash.
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⚠️Caution: Don’t mix with #BPO - benzoyl peroxide. Take extra care if you have sensitive skin. Reduce washing if you have skin irritation
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🧴Brands: La Roche Posay Effaclar Micropeel, 2% BHA. Alternatively Cerave makes a good wash. These two formulations are more gentle cf Neutrogena BHA (orange gel)
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🎬Action: Still struggling with acne? Consult one of my team @cliniccutis. They can step up your acne program to include clinical strength peels, lasers, & #phototherapy
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😎Dr Davin Lim
@drdavinlim
@cliniccutis
Brisbane🇦🇺
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#chemicalpeels #skincarescience #skincaretips #drdavinlim #davinlim #dermatologist #brisbanedermatology #BHA #BHAWash #Cerave #effaclar #skincarecommunity #acnetreatments #acneskincare #acnewash
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Disclaimer: I am a procedural dermatologist, for medical management of acne, please consult one of my colleagues @cliniccutis. For mild cases, our dermal therapists & nurses can help
Why is Cutis Clinic different from other clinics who perform chemical peels?
We are a clinic comprised of specialist dermatologists, with a subspecialty interest & experience in peels. In fact, we have over 15 combinations ranging from AHAs, BHA, compounded Jessner peels, retinoic acid, TCA & even deep peels including Hatter formulation phenol-croton oil peels.
Disclaimer: My work is procedural, conditions including acne are medical. I do perform peels, however, my peels are medium to deep combinations of Jessner, TCA, or phenol. Salicylic acid peels are considered superficial peels & are conducted by dermal therapists and nurses.
Can chemical peels treat acne scars?
The alpha/beta-hydroxy acid peels used for acne will provide some improvement for mild acne scarring. For more severe scarring, once your acne has been cured by your dermatologists, stronger TCA peels and TCA CROSS or Paint procedures can be employed. The concentration is based on scar & skin type.
Salicylic acid is a good peel for scarring associated with skin pigmentation changes, a term called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or PIH. This condition responds well to peels, lasers & simple skin care including retinol, niacinamide, pigment correctors & ascorbic acid. Be guided by your dermal therapist or nurse.
Note: My work is surgical, for skin pigment changes associated with acne, please consult my clinical team for guidance.
Can chemical peels be combined with other acne treatments?
In some cases, your specialist dermatologist will also prescribe you a Vitamin A cream in conjunction with your peel program. This cream, in conjunction with chemical peels, is designed to help prevent acne & blackheads.
If your acne is severe, we may prescribe you a short course of antibiotics or anti-hormone treatments (in females).
How do we combine phototherapy with peels?
This combination program uses the latest in PHOTOTHERAPY & chemical peels. This program is suited for mild to moderate cases of acne.
Ideal candidates for this program include whitehead and blackhead acne, and patients with very mild, early scarring. Patients can book directly into this program without assessment by a dermatologist.
Call Clinic Cutis to discuss appointment times.
What are the costs of chemical peels for acne?
- $92-98 per standard peel, repeated every 2-3 weeks (2-5 peels generally recommended).
- Vita or Tretinoin peels start at $92
- AHA peels start at $92
- TCA PAINT with clinical nurses range from $490 to $690
How do I make a booking for a salicylic acid chemical peel?
You do not need to see a dermatologist enter our chemical peel program. Call Clinic Cutis to make a booking or ask about chemical peels.
A great starting point is to have your acne assessed and managed through our expert clinical team.
Davin’s Viewpoint on salicylic acid chemical peels
Salicylic acid peels are an excellent and integral part of the combination approach towards treating acne. A good routine is to use it fortnightly in combination with home creams & antibiotic tablets. For acne or for patients not suitable for isotretinoin, the combination of retinoic acid peels with LED red light treatment can give another avenue for significant improvement with minimal down-time.
Our Specialist Nurses can assess your suitability of chemical peels, including appropriate skin care. The majority of comedonal acne or blackhead acne can be effectively managed with good formulations of skin care including retinol, retinoids, salicylic acid peels & washes as well as niacinamide & ascorbic acid.
Disclaimer: I do not teat acne, in the context of peels, I perform medium to deep peeling including Jessner TCA & phenol croton oil. These peels are suited to those who have severe acne scarring or significant photodamage.
