What Chemical Peel is Best to Tighten Skin?

In order to understand the best way to treat skin laxity, it is important to understand the causes behind why your skin loses its firmness and elasticity.


These qualities are attributed to protein fibers in your skin like collagen.
Exposure to UV rays as well as the presence of free radicals from food and environmental sources causes damage to these fibers, making your skin less firm. Wrinkles are likely to form at this point.


Chemical peels primarily address the surface of the skin. And results will vary widely across individuals. Lasers like Fraxel, offer safer and more predictable results. The laser energy is turned into heat which prompts the dermis layer to produce new collagen fibers.

Both Fraxel Repair and Fraxel Dual use this principle. However, Fraxel Repair may be ideal if you have fair or light olive toned skin. The laser vaporizes numerous  vertical columns of skin and reduces the overall surface area. This of course tightens the skin. Fraxel Dual will be a better choice if you have darker colored skin.

Our treatments use combination therapy to improve the epidermis and dermis. We see atrophic and hypertrophic scars, as well as scars that have hypo and hyperpigmentation. Our main concern is rebuilding collagen and that is why we use a HIDEF protocol that includes combination therapy. Morpheus 8, scar subcision, fibrous release, fractional laser, CO2 laser, Thulium laser, PDL Vbeam laser, and fractional resurfacing can be used in addition to TCA Cross and chemical peels to further improve skin. Patients should start Melarase AM and Melarase PM for active hyperpigmentation. Always begin with a consultation to discuss the best treatment options for your type of skin. .

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Generally, medium peels are great for fine lines and wrinkles, but if you want something more aggressive then I suggest other treatments. Deeper wrinkles can be treated with fillers. Laser skin tightening can also work.

We recently started treating with the JetPeel. This amazing treatment is painless and dramatically improves the appearance and texture of your skin in a rapid manner and provides a discernible enhancement to the recipient from the very first Jet Peel treatment session.This treatment combines 100% oxygen and sterile saline to gently cleanse and hydrate the skin. The combination is delivered much like an airbrush treatment (mini pressure wash) and the effect is amazing. This gentle cleansing unclogs pores and removes dirt and makeup that can build up on the skin’s surface over time. The infusion of oxygen acts like a dose of Vitamin E to refresh the skin’s texture and appearance.

Alpha and beta hydroxyacid chemical peels erase fine lines and give the skin a smoother appearance within 1 to 3 treatments. Light TCA chemical peels (including Obagi Blue Peels) use trichloroacetic acid to more aggressively erase wrinkles and tighten the skin, minimize enlarged pores, and even pigmentation. As TCA is more aggressive in nature, recovery time is increased.