Chemical peel facial treatments have become very popular in spas, beauty salons and clinics. However, if you are of a darker skin tone, chemical peels can cause burns and hyperpigmentation. In some cases, these side effects can last for years or even become permanent.
In 2022 on Reddit, an African American woman posted a pretty graphic before and after chemical peel photo in 2020. She got significant areas of hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation.
Recently, an African American man named Neyo White went viral due to his major facial skin burns and white patches after a chemical peel treatment at an Atlanta spa. Mr. White’s facial skin developed both hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation in various regions. His treatment entailed a 20% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) medical grade chemical peel. For those with darker skin, high-strength chemical peels are best avoided. Even weaker chemical peel treatments should only be undertaken under the guidance of experience professionals.
Update: January 5, 2023 — His latest before and after and upcoming treatment.
A short time after this video came out, Dr. Jason Emer announced on Instagram that he would be treating Mr. White and try to reverse all the pigment changes and skin damage. Mr. White plans to sue the Atlanta spa where he got the bad treatment.
Note that the aesthetician who did this treatment was interviewed by another aesthetician. Here is her side of the story. It is always possible that your skin will react entirely differently to that of most others who get the same treatment with no side effects. Any time you put strong chemicals on your skin (especially the facial area), there will always be some damage. Lets hope that Mr. White sees a reversal in his skin damage in the coming months.