Peels Belong With Trained Providers

Chemical peels are sold as a quick, in-and-out service. The source that matters says something narrower about who should be doing them.

This guide reads the advice on peels against its source and ends with a question to put in writing before you pay. It covers chemical peels and the provider who applies them.

The advice under review

The American Academy of Dermatology's page, chemical peels: overview, carries this sentence: "the FDA advises you to buy and use a chemical peel only under the supervision of a licensed, trained provider like a dermatologist."

Preparation belongs in the paperwork

The sentence names a condition, supervision, and it names who supplies it, a provider who is both licensed and trained. If you are told a peel needs no preparation, or that preparation happens on the day, compare that with the steps in chemical peels: preparation and ask where those steps appear in what you were given.

What the wording establishes

"Licensed" and "trained" are two separate words, and the source uses both. "Like a dermatologist" is an example, not a complete list, so a provider who is not a dermatologist is not ruled out by the wording. A reader should ask which license and which training the provider holds, and ask to see both in writing.

A second reference, the society page on chemical peels, is useful for comparing how the procedure is described before you agree to it.

Before you agree to a peel

Ask the provider to put this in writing: who will apply the peel, what license and training do they hold, and what does the agreement list as excluded? The academy's list of the best questions to ask when considering a cosmetic treatment is a workable template for the rest.