The Food and Drug Administration is telling people to stay away from at-home chemical peels, warning that the products can potentially cause chemical burns and other serious complications. The agency has also started to go after sellers of the products, such as Amazon and Walmart.
Chemical peels have long been used by dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons to improve a person’s appearance. The chemicals remove damaged skin cells off the outer and sometimes middle layers of skin, leaving behind skin that’s typically smoother and less wrinkled. Peels are regularly deployed to treat acne scars, wrinkles, sun-damaged skin, and hyperpigmentation.
As valuable as they are, these peels are supposed to be performed under the watchful eye of trained professionals. In its warning issued Tuesday, the FDA notes that it hasn’t approved any chemical peel products. And trying to use these products on your own can make them much riskier than usual.
“[Chemical peels] contain ingredients such as trichloroacetic acid (TCA), glycolic acid, salicylic acid and lactic acid in varying concentrations that are too high to be used safely at home without supervision by a dermatologist or other licensed and trained practitioner,” the FDA wrote in its warning.
The agency has received adverse event reports from people possibly injured by these products, some severely. If misused, chemical peels can not only cause burns, but pain, swelling, infections, changes in skin color, along with disfiguring scars. “These injuries may even require emergency care or specialty care from a dermatologist or surgeon,” the FDA said.
In addition to the public warning, the FDA has sent warning letters to six companies selling these products, Amazon and Walmart included. Because no at-home chemical peels have been approved, the marketing of these products as such is illegal, according to the FDA. “Failure to adequately address this matter may result in legal action including, without limitation, seizure and/or injunction,” the FDA wrote in its letters to these companies.
The agency has also asked patients and doctors to report adverse events associated with these products.
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