Facial Peels 101: Which Types Work Best on Older Skin?

Learn about treatments that can improve the look of skin and reduce fine lines and age spots

Stephanie Watson,

AARP

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Published June 06, 2024

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Have you looked at your skin in the mirror and decided that it needs some refreshing? If you tried antiaging creams but didn’t see much of a difference and you don’t want the expense and downtime of cosmetic surgery, a chemical peel might be worth considering.

A chemical peel essentially “sands off” the outer layers of skin to exfoliate, build collagen, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and correct hyperpigmentation, age spots, and sun damage. “On a continued basis, along with basic skin care, the overall look and feel of the skin is improved,” says Lyle Leipziger, M.D., chief of plastic surgery at LIJ Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York.

Peels use many different ingredients and intensities to achieve the desired results.

And they are appropriate for all adults, says Kachiu C. Lee, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Temple University and cosmetic dermatologist at Main Line Center for Laser Surgery in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, even for mature adults with thinner, crepey skin. “I don’t look at the patient’s age when deciding on which peel products to use, but rather, I look at the quality of their skin, the size of their pores as well as other indicators,” she says. Leipziger agrees, noting that it’s all about good skin tone and integrity. “There are ways to do peels in people that are older. Instead of doing a more aggressive peel you might do a series of more superficial peels to help get improved results.”

Light, medium and deep peels

The three peel types differ by how deeply each one penetrates the skin.

Superficial peels are the lightest variety. They get only into the epidermis, which is the uppermost layer of skin. “Those are good for giving you that glow right before you have a 50th high school reunion,” says Lee.

Medium depth peels penetrate to the upper part of the dermis, which is the next layer down. “Because it penetrates a little bit deeper, it’s a better peel for producing more rejuvenation — so think fine lines, dark spots, and sunspots,” she says.

Deep peels reach into deeper layers of the dermis. Those are the best peels for people who want to minimize deep-set lines or skin pigment issues.

The deeper the peel, the better results you’ll see, but also the more side effects and downtime you can expect. “I tell people if they do deep chemical peels that they will look at least five, if not 10 years younger in terms of their skin texture,” Lee says. However, expect to be stuck at home for a month or more with pink and swollen skin, which is why many of her patients don’t choose deep peels.

Deeper peels also come with potential risks like skin irritation, redness, burning, itching, blistering, infections and scarring.

VIDEO: Skin Care Tips for People 50 and Over

Peel ingredients

Glycolic acid, salicylic acid and retinoic acid are some common peel ingredients. Your provider will choose one for you based on what you’re trying to accomplish.

For aging skin, Lee likes to use glycolic acid peels, which are good for generating new collagen and improving the skin’s overall health. Salicylic acid helps with acne, while mandelic acid peels improve hyperpigmentation (skin discoloration).

How noticeable are the results?

That depends on the type of peel you get, the concentration of active ingredients, your skin type and how closely you follow your doctor’s care instructions, says Solomiya Grushchak, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained Mohs micrographic and cosmetic and laser surgeon at Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology in Chicago. “Patients can expect to see more even skin tone, less pigmentation, improved acne and a brightened appearance,” she says.

Even so, you want to go into the process with realistic expectations. “None of these are facelifts in a bottle,” Leipziger stresses. “If you have very deep embedded lines in your face, then a simple peel is not going to make that much of a difference.” For more heavy-duty facial rejuvenation, he recommends a laser or dermabrasion procedure.

While deep peels are usually one and done, you’ll need to come back every few months or even monthly to get more obvious results from a superficial peel.

Are at-home peels safe?

Medium and deep peels are definitely not do-it-yourself. For those, you should see a dermatologist or other medical professional who is trained to evaluate your skin and recommend the right product for you. Leipziger recommends meeting with the doctor or aesthetician first, to make sure you’re comfortable with them. Ask to see photos of patients who’ve had similar peels so you can see whether their results match your expectations.

You can safely do superficial peels at home because they contain much lower concentrations of active ingredients. Grushchak recommends that you follow the product instructions carefully and do a patch test first to see how your skin reacts.

Lee notes that it is “important to buy peels from a reputable store, since there are many counterfeit products on the internet.”

Lee and Grushchak recommend these at-home peels:

Skin Better

AlphaRet Exfoliating Peel Pads ($120, skinbetter.com)
Quantity: 30 peel pads

Sephora

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Mini Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads ($20, sephora.com)
Quantity: Five treatments

Glytone

Glytone Rejuvenating Mini Peel Gel ($65, glytone.com)

CVS Pharmacy

La Roche-Posay Glycolic B5 Dark Spot Corrector, Anti-Aging Serum with 10% Glycolic Acid ($45, cvs.com)

Neutrogena

Neutrogena Hydro Boost + Glycolic Acid Overnight Peel ($23, walmart.com)

Chicago Skin Science CCSD Reverse Peel Pads 15% Glycolic Acid ($45, chicagoskinscience.com)
Quantity: 60 peel pads

M-61 PowerGlow Peel ($32, m61labs.com)
Quantity: 10-day treatment

Who shouldn’t get peels?

This treatment isn’t recommended for anyone with an active infection like a cold sore, or an inflammatory skin condition such as psoriasis, rosacea or eczema. Wait to have a peel if you’ve just undergone a cosmetic procedure like laser resurfacing, microdermabrasion or waxing.

Lee avoids doing medium and deep peels in her patients with skin of color. “When you’re going that deep, you have a much higher risk of causing either hypo- [skin lightening] or hyperpigmentation [skin darkening],” she says.

You may get better results if your aesthetician first removes the baby fuzz from your face with a technique called dermaplaning. That will allow more of the peel ingredients to reach your skin. After treatment, good sun protection is a must to prevent complications like hyperpigmentation.

The key to getting the results you want, says Leipziger, is to have the peel personalized to you by a licensed aesthetician or board-certified doctor. And remember that peels are just one part of the skin care regimen your doctor recommends to keep your skin healthy and looking its best.

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Stephanie Watson is a freelance writer with more than two decades of experience covering consumer health. Her work has appeared in WebMD, Time, Harvard Health Publications, Healthline, HealthCentral and many other publications. She also served as executive editor of Harvard Women’s Health Watch.