Chemical peels are a generic term for an exfoliative treatment precipitated by the application of a chemical, usually an acid. The ph and pKa of an acid typically predicts the level and depth of a peel.
Although chemical peels can be safely performed on the neck and chest, deep dermal peels are not indicated for this particular anatomic area.
I routinely perform chemical peels in these areas with great success.
Chemical peels do very well for the neck and chest areas . You have to do a few or multiple ones though. I like the 14% Jessners solution + 15-20% TCA peels for the neck and the 14% Jessners solution + 25-30% TCA peels for the chest. Depending on the amount of sun damage etc..., a patient will often need about 3-4 peels at 2-4 weeks apart. Costs run about $1000-1500 for a neck and chest peel. Aftercare with Retin A , Pravage MD, or Copper creams and sunscreens are very important also.
The peels will get rid of the discolorations and age spots and wrinkles quite well but you still can be left with broken capillaries or a ruddy reddish color from chronic sun exposure call poikyloderma of civatte. This then needs several IPL treatments . I like the Prolite II for this. Cost is roughly $500 per session.
David Hansen, MD
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