Question:
Can a chemical peel be used to smooth the skin on my upper chest? I think years of being in the sun with a bathing suit on have aged this skin. I look pretty bad when I wear a dress or blouse that exposes my chest at all.
Answer:
Yes a chemical peel can be used, but the degree of peeling on the upper chest needs to be lower than what can be used on the face to reduce the risk of scarring. The chest does not contain the same number of oil glands and hair follicles involved in regenerating the peeled skin as the face does. Fractionated lasers are also an excellent method to re-surface the chest. These provide very nice improvement, but have less risk since all of the skin is not removed allowing the adjacent skin to heal the treated area from the edges as well. All of this happens on a microscopic level of course.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
