A chemical peel applies an acid solution to the skin in a controlled way, removing damaged surface layers so smoother skin regenerates underneath. Peels are classified by depth: superficial, medium and deep. Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics performs peels at its San Luis Obispo office and matches the depth to the concern and the skin type.
What a peel does for your skin
A peel puts a carefully chosen acid on your skin, lifts off the damaged surface, and lets your body replace it. What comes up underneath is newer skin: more even in tone, smoother to the touch, and clearer of the marks that made you start looking at treatments in the first place.
The word “peel” makes people picture the same thing every time, and that is the misunderstanding worth clearing up. A light peel is a lunch-hour treatment that leaves you glowing and slightly flaky. A medium peel is a genuine resurfacing that will visibly shed for one to two weeks and can change your skin in a single session. They are the same idea at completely different intensities.
We pick the lightest one that will actually get you where you want to go. That is not caution for its own sake. Going deeper than a concern requires buys you more recovery and more risk without buying you a better result.
What a peel is good at
- Lifting dull, tired-looking skin and giving back some brightness
- Evening out blotchy tone and superficial brown patches
- Smoothing rough, bumpy texture
- Clearing congestion and calming acne-prone skin
- Softening the fine lines that sit right at the surface
- Doing all of it on your chest, back and hands, not only your face
Depths of peel, and choosing between them is the whole treatment. Depth is directly tied to how much improvement you get and to how many complications can occur, which is why the assessment matters more than the solution. [1]
Three depths, and the one you need
Superficial
Works within the top layer of skin. This is the one for dullness, mild acne and early pigment change, and it leaves you with little more than light flaking. Superficial peels build their result through repetition, so they run as a short course roughly four weeks apart.
Medium
Reaches into the upper dermis and sets off real repair, which is what lays down new collagen. Expect visible peeling for one to two weeks. This is the one that can change your skin in a single session, and it is where melasma and deeper sun damage are usually handled.
Deep
The strongest of the three, reserved for significant sun damage and deep lines. It is planned carefully at a consultation rather than booked the same day, and one treatment does the work of many lighter ones.
How long visible peeling lasts after a medium peel. Book it around your calendar, not the other way around. The shedding is the treatment working, and picking at it is the fastest route to a mark that outlasts the peel.
Areas we treat
Face
Evens tone, smooths texture, lifts superficial pigment and calms acne-prone skin.
Neck
Softens the superficial discoloration and crepey texture that give age away first.
Chest
Clears the sun-related mottling that decades of open collars produce.
Back
Reaches acne and the dark marks it leaves, in an area you cannot treat yourself.
Hands
Fades sun spots on the part of you that shows in every photograph.
It’s always this way at Dr. Kilcline’s: Services are prompt, friendly, professional and most of all comfortable.
The Coastal difference
The acid is the easy part
Anyone can apply a solution. Choosing which solution, at what strength, for which skin, is the part that takes a dermatologist, and it is the part that decides whether you walk out evenly bright or with a patch of dark pigment that takes months to settle. Depth is tied directly to both results and complications. [1] The assessment is the treatment.
It matters more here than it would elsewhere. Peeled skin is new skin, and new skin burns, and we live somewhere with a great deal of sun. We plan peel courses around the sun you actually get, not the sun you would get in Seattle, and existing sun damage often changes which depth makes sense to start with.
How soon a light peel can be repeated. Lighter peels are designed to run as a course, and most of the change arrives across the series rather than after the first one.
Is it right for you?
A peel is probably a good fit if:
- Your skin looks dull, blotchy or rough and good skincare has taken it as far as it goes
- You have superficial brown patches, sun spots or the marks left behind by acne
- Your skin is congested and breaking out
- You can follow sun protection instructions properly afterward
- You understand that the depth you choose sets both the recovery and the result
We will steer you somewhere else if:
- You have an infection, broken skin or significant irritation in the area right now
- You are on a medication or have had a recent procedure that makes peeling unsafe
- Your pigment carries a risk that another approach handles more safely
If you are not sure which of those you are, that is the consultation. Melasma in particular is a case where the wrong depth makes things worse rather than better, and it is not a decision to make from a website.
What to expect afterward
Your skin will feel tight and look pink, the way it does after a day outside. Depending on depth you will get flaking or genuine peeling, and pigment often darkens briefly before it sheds, which surprises people who were not warned. All of it is the treatment working.
While you are healing, do
- Keep it simple: gentle cleanser, plenty of moisturizer
- Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, without negotiating with yourself about it
- Let the skin come away in its own time
- Follow whatever plan your provider sends you home with
While you are healing, don’t
- Pull, pick or help anything off
- Go back to retinoids, acids or scrubs until we clear you
- Book a peel a week before an event you care about
- Let new skin see direct sun
Call us about anything severe, worsening, or simply not what we described: significant pain, blistering, signs of infection, or any reaction that does not match what we discussed. We would far rather hear from you.
Concerns treated
Peels are one of the few treatments that work across pigment, texture and acne at once. Pick a concern to see how we approach it.
What treatment costs
A peel is priced by depth and by the area treated, and lighter peels are usually planned as a short course rather than a single visit. You get the cost of the whole plan at your consultation, not a starting price that moves later.
We do not sell the deepest peel you will tolerate. If a lighter one gets you there, that is what you will be offered.
Treatment time
20 to 45 minutes
Downtime
None to 2 weeks, depending on depth
Results appear
As the skin renews, over several days
Results last
Varies with depth and concern
Chemical peel frequently asked questions
Every day, and especially on skin that has just been peeled. Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant. [3]
Offered at
Ready for better skin? Request your consultation
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology in San Luis Obispo, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form. In Santa Maria, medical appointments are available without a referral for PPO patients, and for HMO patients we are in-network with Santa Maria Physician's Choice.
A consultation fee of $125 is due at the time of booking.
Sources and medical review
1. Lee KC, Wambier CG, Soon SL, Sterling JB, Landau M, Rullan P, Brody HJ; International Peeling Society. “Basic chemical peeling: Superficial and medium-depth peels.” *Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.* 2019 Aug;81(2):313-324. Peel depth is directly related to improved results and to the number of complications that can occur. PMID 30550830. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30550830/ · Peer-Reviewed Study
2. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. “Chemical Peels for Skin Resurfacing.” Chemical peels benefit acne vulgaris, melasma, wrinkles, actinic keratosis, photodamage, pigmentation disorders and acne scars. NBK547752. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547752/ · Medical Reference
3. American Academy of Dermatology Association. “How to select a sunscreen.” Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/how-to-select-sunscreen · Medical Organization
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Individual results may vary. A consultation fee of $125 is due at the time of booking.