Facial psoriasis in the etiology of prolonged erythema following medium-depth chemical peels for severe photodamage.

Background: Chemical peeling is the controlled wounding of the epidermis and dermis for skin rejuvenation, involving the application of ablative agents to induce keratolysis and regeneration of damaged cell layers. Prolonged erythema is one complication of this procedure. We report the prevalence and probable etiology of prolonged facial erythema in a cohort of patients treated with medium-depth chemical peels.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective audit was conducted of all medium-depth facial chemical peels performed at two major teaching hospitals. All patients had severe facial photodamage affecting at least 75% surface area of the face. The occurrence of prolonged erythema following this peel was then identified and analyzed.

Results: Of our treatment cohort (n = 82, 51 women, 31 men) with 60 years mean (61.3 years for women, 56.7 years for men), 10 patients (12%; eight women, two men) experienced prolonged erythema beyond a month of treatment. Facial psoriasis was not apparent at the time of chemical peel but manifested as prolonged erythema beyond the expected timeframe following the procedure.

Conclusion: When patients experience prolonged erythema beyond a month of treatment and fail to respond to standard treatments, clinicians should examine carefully for extra-facial psoriasis prior to this procedure, and also consider facial psoriasis a possible cause of prolonged post-peel erythema.