Best Minimally-invasive Treatment for Hyperpigmentation Caused by Chemical Peels?

A good treatment for hyperpigmentation after TCA peels is the use of hydroquinone. Unfortunately, it is a pregnancy category C, meaning that the safety of the medication during pregnancy has not been established. A safe alternative may be IPL treatments. These are safe during pregnancy but the use must be balanced against the healing skin and possible lack of efficacy. I would suggest speaking with your physician about your concerns before proceeding with any other treatments.... more

Two weeks after a chemical peel is a very short period of time in relation to healing. The first thing I would recommend is patience in terms of the color variation. You should be using a sun block of at least SPF 30 during this time. Most physicians will not intervene for pigment problems until at least 4-6 weeks post-treatment. This rule is based on the natural time frame of wound healing. Wound healing occurs in 3 stages: The immediate phase which lasts about a week The proliferative... more

I have found that the Pearl laser is an excellent alternative to chemical peels for sun damaged skin.  It is less painful, requires less of the patient during convalescence, and usually involves only about 4 days social downtime.  It is not for freckles and probably melasma.  It is not good for deep wrinkles.  But when used on the properly selected patient, it seems to give very good results.

Hello, If the doctor only used 20% TCA (this is really not very strong) much of this should improve with time and sun avoidance/ sun screens (SPF 30 plus). Bleaching creams and/or dilute Retin A may help but I am not sure I would recommend them when you are trying to get pregnant. What does your surgeon say? Are you still seeing him or her? Hyperpigmentation after peeling really requires a doctor's continued examination to change to the things that work well for you. People vary. Best... more