Do chemical peels, and laser peels "thin your skin out" and make you age faster?

Most chemical peels such as fruit acids or TCA peels do not thin the skin at all. They take the top layers off and allow you to produce new skin from below so the total thickness never changes. The more peels you do then the younger you look as a rule. Sincerely, David Hansen,MD

Provided the peels and laser treatments do not push the skin too far, the answer is no not really.  However, push the skin too far and it can be thinned and atrophied.  The big CO2 laser treatments definitely can damage the face (aliens have sucked my face off look).  I would say this is a thing of the past but it isn't.  This machines are still out there.  So my best advice is to be clear about what you are getting into.  The no or minimal down time treatments are generally very safe but provide only modest improvement.  Very nice deeper peels are great but this really required very advanced peeling skills that many cosmetic surgeons lack.

Chemical peels are made to prevent you from aging faster and maintain your youthful skin. It safely removes or exfoliates the top layer of dead skin, allowing new, more youthful, healthy skin to show through. While the skin typically sheds old, dull dead skin cells every 28 days, this process slows down with prolonged sun exposure and aging. Chemical peels cause this natural cell turnover process to speed up, helping to stimulate the growth of new collagen—the skin-firming protein that acts like a scaffold for the skin. The speed or depth of cell turnover is determined by the concentration of the peel and the amount of time it’s left on skin.

Chemical peels take off the superficial layers of the epidermis.  Chemical peels make you look younger and you do not age faster from them.  Strict sun avoidance and sunscreens are most important to maintain after chemical peels.  Please find a board certified dermatologist for the best cosmetic results.