What it is

A chemical peel is a medical-strength acid solution applied to the skin to remove damaged outer layers so that fresher, more even skin replaces them.

At Blue Harbor Medical & Aesthetics, peels range from light to deeper strengths. Common ingredients include glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids and TCA. The depth is chosen for your skin type, your concern and how much downtime you can manage.

Why it helps

Sun damage, brown spots, clogged pores and dullness sit mostly in the top layers of skin. A peel lifts those layers in a controlled way and speeds up cell turnover, which also signals the skin to make new collagen.

Peels reach deeper than anything sold over the counter, and the strength is adjusted for you instead of for the average shopper.

Benefits

  • Brighter, smoother skin, often after a single light peel.
  • Fading of sun spots, uneven tone and some melasma.
  • Clearer pores and fewer breakouts with salicylic acid peels.
  • Softer fine lines with medium-depth peels.
  • Better absorption of your home skin care afterward.
  • A lower cost than laser treatment, with options that need no downtime.

Risks and side effects

  • Expected: stinging during the peel, then redness, tightness, dryness and visible peeling. Light peels flake for a few days. Deeper peels can take about a week.
  • Dark or light patches after healing. This is more likely in deeper skin tones and with sun exposure during recovery.
  • Cold sore reactivation. Tell us if you get them.
  • Uncommon: infection, prolonged redness or scarring, mainly with deeper peels or if peeling skin is picked.
  • Sun sensitivity for several weeks. Daily sunscreen is required.

Who should wait or skip it

Peels are not done on sunburned, broken or infected skin. Let us know if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have taken isotretinoin recently, use a prescription retinoid, or tend to scar or darken after skin injuries.

Book a consultation

Come see what chemical peel is right for you.

Call 207-264-8128 or book online at blueharbormedical.com. We are at 79 Elm Street, Camden, Maine. Fall and winter are the best seasons for peels in Maine, when sun exposure is lowest. We service Maine including Bangor, Portland, Augusta, Camden, Waldoboro, Damariscotta, Searsport, Brunswick and surrounding communities.

This page is general information, not medical advice. Treatment is offered only after an evaluation determines it is appropriate for you. Individual results vary.