Update on chemical peels

The area of chemical peeling has seen an explosion of growth and interest in the last 5 years. The use of peeling for the therapy of pigmentary dyschromias, actinic keratoses and rhytides, depressed scarring, and in selected cases, irradiation dermatitis, is amplified by the discovery of new wounding agents and new variations in technique. Appropriate growth in the objective evaluation of these agents and techniques is dependent on the demonstrative histology and the sharing of knowledge of both excellent results and significant complications in the dermatologic surgical literature.