Why Brown Skin and Chemical Peels Have a Complicated Relationship
Brown skin produces more melanin, and melanin-producing cells called melanocytes are unusually reactive. Any inflammation, a breakout, a wax burn, even aggressive exfoliation, can trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), where the skin darkens as a defensive response. A 2020 review published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology confirmed that Fitzpatrick skin types IV through VI, which include most South Asian skin tones, carry a significantly higher risk of PIH following any procedure that causes epidermal injury. Chemical peels cause controlled epidermal injury. That is the whole mechanism. On fair skin, the recovery from that injury tends to be straightforward. On brown skin, the recovery can produce the very problem you were trying to solve.
