Appreciation post: Why I stopped using those harsh acid peels on my clients

I used to swear by 30% glycolic peels for acne clients, especially back in my Phoenix spa days. Then I switched to gentle lactic acid peels at 10% strength about 2 years ago after a client named Sarah told me she felt raw for a week. Now I get better results with less redness and no lost days of work for them. Has anyone else dropped high-strength peels for milder options?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_west22d ago

The skin's microbiome angle is something nobody talks about with these harsh peels. Those high percentage acids don't just strip the top layer, they nuke the whole ecosystem of good bacteria living on the skin. Lactic acid at 10% is gentler on that microbiome but still gets the job done over time. My neighbor is a microbiologist and she warned me about this years ago when she saw my old peel routine. Your clients are probably healing faster now because their skin's natural defenses aren't getting obliterated every session. Slow and steady really does win the race with this stuff.

lisa82022d ago

Oh man, so basically I've been committing skincare genocide this whole time and didn't even know it. Great.