Chemical peels in Alpharetta
A chemical peel uses an acid solution to remove the outer layers of skin in a controlled way, which improves tone, texture, and pigment as the skin regenerates. Depth is the whole conversation: a light peel means a weekend of flaking and a subtle change, a medium peel means a week indoors and a real one. We select depth based on your skin type and what you can actually accommodate, and darker skin tones require a more conservative approach and more patience.
What it is
An acid at a controlled concentration and pH breaks the bonds holding surface skin cells together, so those layers separate and shed over the following days. What regenerates underneath arrives with more even pigment distribution and a smoother surface, because the cells doing the regenerating are younger than the ones removed.
Different acids reach different depths and suit different problems. Alpha hydroxy acids work at the surface and suit dullness and fine texture. Salicylic acid is oil-soluble, so it gets into the follicle and suits congestion. Higher concentrations and layered applications reach into the upper dermis, which is where pigment and textural change respond — and where the recovery becomes a week rather than a weekend.
What it feels like
A building sting and a strong warmth for the two to five minutes the acid is active, peaking near the end. A fan helps and is offered. Light peels are comfortably tolerable; medium-depth peels are genuinely uncomfortable for a few minutes and then stop the moment they are neutralised.
Downtime
Two to four days for a light peel — tightness on day one, flaking on days two and three. Five to eight days for a medium peel, with visible sheeting of skin from day three, and it does not look subtle while it is happening. We plan medium peels around your calendar rather than the other way round.
How long it lasts
Months rather than years, and it depends heavily on sun exposure and home routine. Light peels are usually a series of three to six; the change from a medium peel is durable but aging and ultraviolet exposure continue regardless.
Who it’s for — and who it isn’t
A good fit
- Surface roughness, dullness, and uneven tone where the change wanted is real but not dramatic.
- Congestion and mild inflammatory breakouts, using a salicylic-based formulation.
- Pigment where a heat-based device would be the wrong choice, which includes anybody with melasma.
Not a fit
- Skin with a currently compromised barrier — stinging, flaking, reacting to products it used to tolerate. We will send you away with a repair routine and a review rather than exfoliating it.
- Anyone on or recently finished with oral isotretinoin. The interval before resurfacing of any kind is measured in months, and we will ask.
- Anyone unwilling to use daily sun protection afterwards, because freshly peeled skin pigments readily and the result will not survive.
Who performs it here
Nia Ellison
LE, CLT
Lead Medical Aesthetician
Cosmetic laser services are delegated by, and performed under the supervision of, Anita Rao, MD, in accordance with Georgia Composite Medical Board requirements.
Bree Salazar
LE
Medical Aesthetician
Performs delegated treatments under the medical direction and standing orders of Anita Rao, MD.
What it costs
Priced by depth rather than by name, because the depth is what determines both the result and the week that follows it. Light peels are usually a series and quoted as one; a medium peel is quoted singly. Which one is appropriate is decided at the exam, not from a menu.
Questions about chemical peels
How much will I peel, and when?
A light peel: mild flaking around the nose and mouth on days two and three, and a lot of people barely visibly peel at all. A medium peel: visible sheeting from day three through day six, which looks alarming and is the treatment working. We show you photographs of the day-four stage before you book.
Which depth is right for me?
It depends on your skin type, your pigment risk, what you are treating, and how many days you can accommodate. Most people do better starting light and going deeper on a second appointment than starting deep and discovering their skin is more reactive than expected.
Can I do this if I have melasma?
Often yes, conservatively, and it is one of the few in-office options we are comfortable with for melasma precisely because it adds no heat. It is also managed rather than cleared, so the plan involves sun protection and topicals for as long as you have it, and a peel is one part of that.