Assessing the safety of superficial chemical peels in darker skin: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Chemical peels have shown efficacy in the treatment of acne, photoaging, and pigmentary dyschromias; however, studies evaluating side effects, particularly in patients with skin of color, are limited.

Objective: We sought to determine the frequency of side effects and complications associated with superficial chemical peels in patients with skin types III-VI.

Methods: A 5-year single center retrospective analysis was performed.

Results: Of 473 chemical peel treatments included in this study, 18 (3.8%) were associated with short-term (≤2 weeks) or long-term (>2 weeks) complications. The most frequent complications were crusting (2.3%), postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (1.9%), and erythema (1.9%). All side effects resolved within 8 months of treatment and were located on the face. When stratified by season, side effects were noted to be less common during the winter. In the adjusted model, Fitzpatrick skin type VI was associated with a higher odds of side effects (odds ratio 5.14, 95% confidence interval 1.21-21.8; P = .0118).

Limitations: Single center retrospective design.

Conclusion: In this study, superficial chemical peels performed on patients with skin types III-VI had a relatively low complication rate, and skin type VI had higher odds of experiencing an adverse event. Side effects were noted to be less frequent during the winter months.

Keywords: chemical peels; ethnic skin; pigmentation; resurfacing; side effects; skin of color.