A peel is not one treatment. It is a depth, and the right one depends entirely on your skin.
Most people think a peel is a peel. Some are stronger, some are gentler, and the stronger ones presumably work better.
That is not how this works, and believing it is how people end up with pigmentation they did not have when they walked in.
A peel is only useful if it reaches the layer your problem is actually sitting in. Anything shallower does nothing. Anything deeper costs you downtime, inflammation and risk you did not need to take. Matching depth to concern is the entire skill, and it is why we built this as a series rather than a single treatment.
Three levels, priced from $259, $279 and $299 respectively.
Behind those three levels sits a genuinely substantial inventory. We stock professional ranges from PCA Skin, Dermaceutic, Toskani, Société, Cosmedix and Mesoestetic, alongside compounded mono peels formulated to concentration.
That range exists for one reason. A clinic holding two or three peels will inevitably fit your skin to what is on the shelf. We would rather select the formulation to the skin.
Your level is determined at consultation, and you progress upward only when your skin has demonstrated it is ready. That is not caution for its own sake. Starting at the top is the single most reliable way to make things worse.
You will read that peels are either AHA or BHA. That is incomplete, and the gap matters.
Alpha hydroxy acids are water-soluble and work at the surface, loosening the bonds between dead cells so they shed more evenly. Glycolic, lactic and mandelic all sit here.
Beta hydroxy acid, meaning salicylic, is oil-soluble. That single property changes everything, because it can travel into the follicle where congestion actually sits rather than working across the top of it.
Poly hydroxy acids are the gentler relatives. Larger molecules, slower penetration, better suited to sensitive and reactive skin.
Trichloroacetic acid is none of the above. TCA works by denaturing protein, and its depth is controlled by concentration and the number of coats applied. It is the backbone of medium-depth work.
And most professional peels are not a single acid at all. They are blends, layered and selected and matched to the skin in front of us. The acid, the strength, the combination and the number of passes are all decisions rather than defaults.
Which is precisely why a peel done well begins with understanding your skin rather than reaching for a bottle.
Very superficial. Working at the stratum corneum.
Our gentlest tier, and the right starting point for most people beginning treatment, for reactive or compromised skin, and for anyone who has never had a peel.
What sits in this tier:
What it addresses. Surface roughness, dullness, uneven tone, light congestion, and the general loss of clarity that comes from slowed cell turnover. It also improves how well your home care penetrates, which quietly makes everything else in your routine work harder.
Downtime. Minimal to none. Some people flake lightly for a day or two. Many do not.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. This is our pregnancy-appropriate tier. Enzyme treatments and gentle lactic and mandelic formulations are generally considered suitable, and it is discussed and assessed with your dermal clinician on the day.
If your concern is genuinely surface-level, this is where you will get your result, and you should expect to see it within a few treatments rather than a long course.
Superficial. Working through the epidermis toward the basal layer.
Active corrective work, and where most of the visible change happens for most people.
What sits in this tier:
What it addresses. Established congestion, post-inflammatory pigmentation, uneven tone, epidermal texture, and the surface component of photodamage. This is where a properly prepared skin starts to show real change.
Downtime. Expect visible flaking for a few days in most people.
Preparation. Some form of skin priming is usually required before this tier, and how long depends on your skin.
Not performed during pregnancy, or on a compromised barrier.
Medium depth. Reaching the papillary and upper reticular dermis.
Our advanced corrective tier, and a genuinely different proposition to the two above.
What sits in this tier:
On Jessner formulations. These are combination peels, traditionally layering salicylic and lactic acids together. Because they are applied in coats, the depth is genuinely controllable, which makes them well suited to skin that needs more than superficial work but is not ready for full TCA.
On TCA. This is the acid that reaches real textural change. Shallow atrophic scarring, dermal texture, enlarged pore appearance and established photodamage all sit at a depth that nothing lighter will touch.
On Cosmelan. Worth explaining, because it is not a conventional peel at all. It is a depigmenting protocol rather than a single treatment, combining an in-clinic mask with a structured home regime over several months. It is one of the more intensive options available for stubborn pigment, it requires genuine commitment, and it needs careful patient selection. We do not sell it casually and it is only ever recommended after full assessment.
Downtime. Genuine. Roughly five to seven days of visible peeling, a period where the skin looks worse before it looks better, and strict sun avoidance afterwards. This is not a treatment you book the week of an event.
Preparation is mandatory. Several weeks of appropriate home care, and often a course through the lower tiers first. That is not a formality. Treating unprepared, sun-exposed or barrier-compromised skin at depth is how people end up with post-inflammatory pigmentation they did not previously have.
Not performed during pregnancy, on active inflammatory acne, or on a compromised barrier. We progress more slowly and prepare for longer in olive and deeper skin tones, where the cost of getting it wrong is higher.
Here is something people find genuinely surprising.
You may not visibly peel at all.
Depending on the formulation and on your skin, you might experience mild flaking across two to five days, subtle redness for around twenty-four hours, or honestly nothing visible whatsoever.
Visible peeling is not a measure of whether a peel worked. It is a measure of how much surface material was loosened, which is not the same thing. The work is happening at a cellular level, and it is quiet, and it is real.
No drama. No raw face. Just skin renewing the way it already knows how.
If you specifically want the shedding, tell us and we will factor it in. If you specifically want to avoid it, we can do that too.
The single biggest difference between a peel that works and a peel that causes problems is what happened in the weeks beforehand.
Priming does three things. It conditions the skin so the peel penetrates evenly rather than patchily. It reduces the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation, particularly in deeper skin tones. And it accelerates recovery afterwards.
What priming involves depends on your skin and your tier, and is generally some combination of a retinoid, a pigment-inhibiting active, and disciplined sun protection, usually across two to six weeks.
Retinoid conditioning before a peel measurably improves outcomes and reduces the risk of marking, which is why we ask for it rather than treating on request.
We will also ask you to pause certain actives in the days immediately before, and we will tell you exactly which and when.
Immediately. Skin may look pink and feel warm or tight. Some formulations frost or darken briefly during application, which is expected.
Days one to three. Tightness, then dryness. Flaking begins if it is going to.
Days three to seven. Peeling if applicable. Do not pick, pull or exfoliate it. Let it release on its own, because helping it along is the most reliable way to cause marking.
Aftercare. Gentle cleansing, barrier support, no actives until we tell you, and absolute sun protection. iS Clinical SHEALD Recovery Balm and Dermaceutic K Ceutic, which repairs and protects at SPF 50 in one step, are both frequent recommendations here.
No heat. No sauna, no hot yoga, no vigorous exercise, no hot showers for the period we specify. Heat drives inflammation and, in pigment-prone skin, pigment.
You will leave with written aftercare rather than being told verbally and expected to remember.
A course rather than a single treatment, typically spaced two to four weeks apart depending on the tier and your skin.
We progress a level only when your skin has shown us it is ready. Level Three is not something we perform on request, and the preparation phase is part of the treatment rather than a delay before it.
Seasonally, we generally run the corrective phase through the cooler months and hold summer for protection and maintenance. Peeled skin and Australian UV are a poor combination.
Honestly, peels do the surface and epidermal work, and they do it very well.
They contribute meaningfully to dermal texture at Level Three, and they are excellent for the pigment that accompanies most concerns.
They do not replace collagen stimulation. If your concern is genuine atrophic scarring or structural laxity, a peel course alone will improve the skin around the problem and leave the problem largely unchanged. Skin needling and resurfacing do that work.
And they do not replace light-based treatment. Vascular concerns and discrete pigment lesions need IPL. A peel will not remove a broken capillary or a solar lentigo.
The two work together, and neither substitutes for the other. We will tell you honestly which you actually need.
Suitable for most skin types and tones, with the formulation and tier selected accordingly. Deeper skin tones are absolutely treatable and require a different approach, not a lesser one, with slower progression, longer priming and preferential use of mandelic and lactic formulations.
We would not treat you with active infection, open or broken skin, uncontrolled inflammatory skin disease, recent isotretinoin use within the relevant window, recent significant sun exposure or a tan, or a compromised barrier.
Tell us about any medications, particularly anything photosensitising, and about any recent treatment elsewhere.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Level One only, assessed and discussed at consultation.
Chemical peeling is one of the older and better-established interventions in dermatology, and the evidence reflects that. Superficial and medium-depth peels have a substantial literature across acne, post-inflammatory pigmentation, melasma and photoageing.
What the evidence also shows is that outcome depends heavily on formulation, concentration, technique, skin preparation and patient selection, rather than on the peel itself. The same acid produces a good result in prepared skin and a poor one in unprepared skin.
That is the argument for assessment, and it is why we are firm about priming.
On melasma specifically, peels can help and peels can worsen it, and the difference lies in depth, preparation and selection. We work conservatively in the lower tiers, and Level Three is rarely the right answer. If a strong peel has been offered to you as a first-line melasma treatment somewhere else, get a second opinion.
Level One, from $259. Level Two, from $279. Level Three, from $299.
We recommend a course rather than a single treatment, and packages are built during consultation around your skin and your plan rather than chosen from a menu beforehand. You will receive an itemised plan covering the full sequence, so you can see the total before committing to anything.
Cosmetic and dermal treatments do not attract a Medicare rebate.
Will I peel?
Possibly, and possibly not. Mild flaking across two to five days is common at Level Two and above. Level One frequently produces nothing visible at all. Visible peeling is not a measure of whether it worked.
How much downtime should I plan for?
Level One, none to a day. Level Two, a few days of flaking. Level Three, five to seven days of genuine peeling. Tell us if you have something coming up and we will plan around it.
Can I have a peel before an event?
Level One up to about four weeks before. Level Two around six weeks before. Level Three no closer than three months. Nothing in the final fortnight, and nothing you have not had before.
Which level will I be?
Whichever your skin is currently ready for, which is determined at consultation rather than chosen in advance. Most people begin at Level One and progress.
Are peels safe for darker skin tones?
Yes, with the right formulation and approach. Deeper skin tones carry a higher risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation, so we prime for longer, progress more slowly, and favour mandelic and lactic formulations. Careful treatment produces excellent results. Standardised treatment is what causes problems.
Can I have one while pregnant?
Level One only, and it is assessed and discussed with your dermal clinician on the day. Enzyme treatments and gentle lactic and mandelic formulations are generally considered appropriate.
What if I peel and it looks terrible?
Contact us. Do not pick it, do not exfoliate it, and do not apply anything we have not recommended. Almost everything people reach for in that moment makes it worse.
Can I wear makeup afterwards?
Not on the day of a Level Two or Three. After a Level One, usually yes, and we will tell you.
Which peel, at which level, in what sequence, is a decision we make with your skin in front of us. Book a consultation and we will assess properly and tell you honestly where to start.
There is no cost and no obligation.
Book online, or call or text us on 0478 844 048
Plump Aesthetic Clinic
525 Chapel Street, South Yarra
www.plumpaestheticclinic.com.au
Caitlin King, Registered Nurse, Founder and Clinical Director.
Belinda, Senior Dermal Clinician. Bachelor of Dermal Science.
Sammi, Senior Dermal Clinician. Bachelor of Dermal Science.
Last reviewed: [month, year]
Important information: All treatments require an individual consultation with a qualified practitioner to determine suitability. Results vary between individuals and depend on skin type, concern, formulation selected, skin preparation and aftercare compliance. No result is guaranteed. Chemical peels carry risks including redness, swelling, prolonged peeling, infection, post-inflammatory pigmentation and, rarely, scarring, all of which will be explained to you in full before you proceed. This information is general in nature and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.
