Body Chemical Peel

Q: Dr. Eppley, Is it feasible to do a deep body chemical peel for arms, legs and back? Assuming all could not be done at one time (?) What would be the estimated cost. Everything I’ve read relates to facial peels. I would like to improve the appearance of my skin in these areas with long-term results. Thanks.

A: Skin resurfacing of body areas is completely different than that of the face. While the face has a great blood supply and can heal from even deep laser resurfacing, the rest of the body is not so tolerant. There is no such thing as a deep chemical peel for the body as that would result in delayed healing and terrible scarring. Body skin resurfacing must be approached much more conservatively (light to medium depth peels) and in sections. And even before that is done, skin test areas must be done to determine how the skin will react and heal. Therefore, while body skin rejuvenation can be done by skin resurfacing it must be done more conservatively and in stages unlike that of the face. There is a reason you can’t find much on a body chemical peel procedure…because it is a much more rare procedure than that of facial chemical peels. 

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana