Who should avoid chemical peels?

Individuals with darkly pigmented skin, Afro-Caribbean or Asian skin, are at risk of uneven pigmentation or loss of pigmentation after chemical peel. Persons with a history of abnormal skin scarring should be cautious. Peels should not be done in an area of an active herpes simplex infection or if acne treatment with isotretinoin has recently been used. Radiation therapy or recent surgery to the area of treatment are additional contraindications to chemical peel since these can inhibit skin regeneration.