How Do Glycolic Acid Peels Differ from Other Chemical Peels?
Other commonly used chemical peeling agents include trichloroacetic acid (TCA), Jessner’s solution, salicylic acid and phenol. TCA, Jessner’s and phenol are effective in a number of conditions requiring a medium to deep skin peel. They are, by their nature, toxic to cells, and usually require a longer skin recovery period compared to superficial AHA peels. Salicylic acid peels are used to improve acne, but are not known to provide anti-aging benefits to skin. In contrast, glycolic acid peels are not toxic to skin cells and are used as superficial peels requiring little skin recovery time. Usually done in a series of controlled superficial peels, AHA peels have been shown to provide improvements to acne prone skin and help reverse sun damage. When proper procedures and techniques are used, results with glycolic acid peels are comparable to deeper peels, without their complications.
