Will a Chemical Peel Help with Uneven Skin and Pits?

Methods to improve pitted uneven skin include:  Dermabrasions, subcissions, punch grafting, excisions, fillers, lasers, etc. See a doc who has experience in all these methods since he or she can explain your options better.  chem peels won't do much at all.

Our treatments use combination therapy to improve the epidermis and dermis for most deep scars. The options available for acne scars depend on the character of your scars, in terms of topography and contour. We see atrophic and hypertrophic acne scars, as well as scars that have hypo and hyperpigmentation. We begin each scar evaluation with an assessment of scar quality and subtype. 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 decide whether early subcision should be started.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

There are several types of scars.  The pits you are referring to are what we call ice pick scars.  In the past, there was nothing, other than excision that would eliminate these scars, but with the advent of the Encore fractionated CO2 laser (Encore Total Fx), I have seen considerable improvement of acne scars with the Deep Fx treatment settings due to the deep penetration of the laser.  Usually 2 treatments are necessary but 60-75% improvement can be seen.  A TCA or Phenol peel works great for boxcar scars but not ice pick scars.  The lower strength acids have minimal effects on acne scars but do improve pigmentation with multiple peels.

Different types of peels exist, and will vary in the degree that they help with deeper pits/ pores and irregularies in contour. More aggressive peels such as deeper TCA peels and phenol peels are more effective, but have more risks, and have longer recovery time.

Lasers are often very effective, and when combined with fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm, may more reliably correct the 'moon crater' that you are referring to.

When choosing a resurfacing or peeling modality we MUST consider what we are asking it to do or better yet, how deeply do we want it to remove skin? The typical moon crater depressions you are referring to would be much better addressed with proper laser resurfacing and fillers rather than a moderate chemical peels. Lasers add much greater selectivity and specificity. I prefer the SCITON Joule platform with its Contour TRL and ProFractional capabilities. Look it up on Google.