Complications

Despite a deep understanding of the procedure and its meticulous performance, complications may still occur. The risk of potential complications increases with wound peeling depth and includes the following: pigmentary changes (hyper- and hypopigmentation), scarring, infection, pruritus, textural changes, milia, and acneiform eruptions. All are treatable if a patient is followed-up closely until full skin rehabilitation The most important potential complication of phenol-based peels is cardiotoxicity¹³. No hepatorenal or central nervous system toxicities have been reported in the literature following the use of deep peels. The incidence of cardiac arrhythmia is approximately 6% and it is successfully managed if a peel is carried out under the correct conditions.

Conclusions

Chemical peels provide a diverse, powerful, yet inexpensive tool for the medical and aesthetic practice. The spectrum of conditions with potential to benefit from the peeling procedure is extremely broad. Chemical peels can be combined with other procedures, such as surgery, dermal fillers and toxins.