What Should I Expect After a Jessner's Peel?

Question

I am scheduled for one after 17 days of applying a skin lightening cream. I was told that approx. 3-4 days after application that I would peel and that was about it. Is a Jessner's Peel the same as a TCA chemical peel? Will I have a shiny and pink face for 'weeks' after procedure? I have a wedding 3 weeks after scheduled peel. Thank you for your time.

David Hansen, MD · Answer

Jessner's solution is a great little peel made up of 3 fruit acids. It is easy to apply to every skin type and causes a slight flakiness on day 4-7. Makeup and moisturizers camaflage it easily so you can go to work right away with no downtime. Since it is light, it doesn't do much by itself unless you do 5-6 peels at 2 week intervals. sincerely, David Hansen,MD

William Ting, MD · Answer

Jessner peel is a superficial chemical peel that should not involve more than 3-4 days of pinkness and peeling. Pretreatment with bleaching cream or prescription strength retinoid cream can be helpful but not necessary. It is sometimes combined with TCA chemical peel to make TCA chemical peel more potent.

Dina D. Strachan, MD · Answer

Jessner's peels are generally "low-to-no downtime" peels. The peeling usually begins 1-3 days after the procedure. Generally, there is significant peeling. I tell my patients they may peel very little or they might peel like a snake--but this is brief! Most of the peeling takes place during the first 24 hours after the peel begins. To give you an idea, I usually recommend the procedure on a Thursday. The peeling starts over the weekend and most of it is resolved by Monday.

Lawrence Osman, MD · Answer

Jessner's solution produces a superficial peel. Other superficial peels include salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and low concentrations of TCA. Most people get mild to moderate peeling starting 1 - 2 days after the peel that lasts for 3 - 4 days. Skin does not stay red for long after the peeling stops.

Philip Young, MD · Answer

A Jessner's peel is superficial and you should recover quickly. Peeling usually takes about 3-5 days and you won't be red for more than a week or two at most. TCA's usually depend on what concentration the TCA is. 10% is superficial and recovery is about the same or a little more that the Jessner's. 20% is a little deeper and can reach the papillary dermis and will require 5-7 days to peel. 30-35% is a medium depth peel and can reach the deeper papillary dermis and will take 7-10 days to peel. But I wouldn't worry about the Jessner's taking too long to recover.

D.J. Verret, MD · Answer

A Jessner's peel is a superficial chemical peel. It is usually used as a precursor for either TCA or phenol peels to clean dead skin and oil and allow the other peel to work better. It is technically made of lactic acid, salicylic acid, USP and resorcinol in ethanol. You may have 3-4 days of redness and probably may or may not peel. Prolonged redness, though possible is unlikely. Within about a week, even if you have some redness, it can be covered with makeup. Be sure to wear you sunscreen!!!

John P. Di Saia, MD · Answer

Hello,  Jessner's is a prep for a TCA peel. It can be used with or without a TCA following it. A Jessner's alone is good for acne and has little downtime. The Jessner's removes oil and makes the TCA absorb a bit more evenly afterward. That is why some docs use the Jessner's immediately before a TCA peel.
With peels you always have to focus on what you are looking to accomplish and what your accepted downtime is. Discuss this with your doctor before the peel.

What Should I Expect After a Jessner's Peel?

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