Do chemical peels require anesthesia?

Question: Do chemical peels require anesthesia?

Answer: It really depends on the strength of the chemical peel.  For very strong peels like strong PCA peels or Phenol peels, anesthesia would be required.  I personally do not do these in my practice anymore.  All the chemical peels that we do are actually pretty light, because when it comes to aggressive skin resurfacing, I feel that the control over depth that I have with laser resurfacing is very important in regards to the safety of the procedure.