Peels are usually described as superficial, medium or deep, and the difference is not a matter of degree so much as of category. A superficial peel using glycolic or salicylic acid affects the outermost layer and generally causes light flaking. A medium depth peel, often TCA or a Jessner solution, reaches further and involves real visible peeling and days of downtime. Deep peels are surgical in their implications.
Depth is the thing to ask about, because it drives everything else: downtime, risk of pigment change, and who is legally allowed to perform it. Peels can also cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and that risk is not evenly distributed across skin tones, so it is a fair question to ask how much experience a provider has with skin like yours.
What to ask a provider
- What depth is this peel, and what acid at what concentration?
- How many days of visible peeling should I plan for?
- How often do you treat skin of my tone with this?
Who offers this near Boulder
139 of the providers in our directory offer this, detected from their own published service pages. Scores are our 0 to 100 rating of the business, not of this treatment specifically, and they are never for sale. How we score.
Related: FacialsPigmentation, Melasma and RosaceaAcne and Acne Scarring
This page is information, not medical advice. Annette Thompson is a medical technologist writing from public data and firsthand visits, not your clinician. Decisions about any of this belong in a conversation with a qualified clinician who knows your history.