Is there an immediate, no-downtime exfoliation treatment? I usually get VI peels, but even the 6 days downtime is too long.

Hello and thank you for your excellent question. There is an extensive selection of chemical peels that range from light or superficial peels to deep peels that involve anesthesia and significant downtime. If you want a bit of subtle exfoliation to restore your skin’s healthy glow, a superficial peel might be the right choice. Keep in mind that superficial peels are limited in the extent of the improvement they can produce, and they need to be repeated frequently to maintain positive results. You should also be using the strongest retinoid topical therapy that your skin can tolerate. Home units like Clarisonic can also help give a deep cleansing and remove dead skin cells. While you might not see the same dramatic improvement you might achieve with a VI peel, you also won’t have to worry about the downtime afterward. 

As with many things in life you get out of a skin treatment what you put into it. That means in order to achieve greater results you should expect greater downtime. For example, microdermabrasion exfoliates and has no significant downtime. A phenol Croton oil peel has about 7 to 10 days for healing, but erythema that can last two or even 3 months. You can certainly find alternatives that have less downtime, but you should expect that the results equally would be diminished.

Yes,  there are less down time yet effective peels for your skin concerns.  I'd inquire about Jessner's peels.  I like the one from Glytone.  Best, Dr. Huo