How are Chemical Peels different from Microdermabrasion and Laser Resurfacing?
The most relevant difference between chemical peels and microdermabrasion is that microdermabrasion is a non-chemical procedure, and attacks imperfections by actually “sanding” flaws from the skin surface. While treatment plans for microdermabrasion and mild chemical peels like glycolic acid (AHA) chemical peels are similar, with up to eight procedures repeated at one to two week intervals, more advanced chemical peels require only one session. However, deep chemical peels like the phenol peel also require much more recovery time than microdermabrasion and the more mild peels. Also unlike microdermabrasion, deep chemical peels change the actual pigmentation of the skin through bleaching. Because of this, microdermabrasion is more suitable for patients with naturally darker complexions. The benefits and drawbacks of chemical peels versus laser resurfacing are somewhat more difficult to determine, due to the relatively new nature of the laser resurfacing procedure. However, recent resear
