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.

Chemical peels can be used effectively to treat sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles, acne and acne scars, and dark spots on the skin. Even rough skin and a dull complexion can benefit from a chemical peel. When skin laxity and wrinkles are the primary concern I usually recommend a medium depth peel with Tricholoracetic Acid (TCA) or a combination of Jessner's solution and TCA. Medium depth peels cause a deeper level of peeling compared to superficial peels like glycolic or beta peels. They are also typically associated with greater downtime and often the patient will be red for a week after treatment. These peels should really be performed with a dermatologist trained in this procedure.

A fairly strong (higher concentration, greater pressure of application, greater frost achieved) TCA peel can improve sun damage, wrinkling and skin laxity.  However, such a peel involves one to two weeks of edema, erythema (redness), peeling skin and possibly crusting. Chemical peeling when done correctly by a well-trained, experienced, board-certified dermatologist can yield excellent results. The link below shows before and after photos of a TCA 35% peel with heavy frost.  After photos were taken about 4 to 6 weeks after the peel. 

All chemical peels will help tighten skin to a certain degree. The "most effective" peel is the one most appropriate for the changes in your skin. I use trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in varying concentrations. This acid works very well for me.

This is a great question and there is much misinformation about chemical peels. Chemical peels, whether botanical, natural, or chemical are categorized as: "superficial", "medium-depth", or "deep". There are entire volumes of textbooks written on this subject, but our space is limited here. To summarize...A superficial chemical peel is defined as a peel that affects the epidermal layer only. A medium-depth chemical peel affects the epidermis and the upper dermis, and a deep chemical peel affects all of the epidermis and a large part of the dermis. Superficial and medium depth peels can cause a temporary tightening of the skin. This tightening is due to the body's response to the agent that was applied, for example an alpha-hydroxy acid, a beta-hydroxy acid, or an enzyme peel will cause an inflammatory reaction by the body, with swelling in the skin and a temporary tight feeling, followed by dehydration of the tissue, with a continued tight appearance. Depending on the potency of the agent applied, the tight appearance continues for 1 to 7 days. After the body's response has ended, the skin will re-hydrate and return to normal. Deep chemical peels (usually involving phenol or high levels of TCA paired with other compounds) are the only peels that can cause permanent tightening, and the tightening is due to permanent alteration of the collagen in your skin, including possible permanent damage. 

Chemical peeling is often thought of as a minor procedure, but as you can see by my comments, it can cause damage or it can be a wonderful thing..it just depends who is treating you and how much they know. For this reason, please see a board certified dermatologist or board certified facial plastic surgeon for a peel. Get fully educated on the types of peels available, especially those that are best for you.