who's had this done?

is it painful? did it make a lot of difference?

are they expensive? and how often do you do it?

i looked on the American Society of Plastic Surgeons or something like that and they had very generic info. i've found a few doctors in my area that do it but i wanted to ask about it here first.

comments?

It sounds painful *shudders*
I thought old people had it done to smoothe their face out?

i haven't had it done on my face, but i have on my back.
it's pretty painful- but more in an irritating way (similar to when you get a tattoo). i had some bad scarring on my back, and i go the peels in conjunction with microderm. it really helped a lot, and it didn't take forever to see the results.
they are pricey, but not too expensive depending on where you live. and lots of places have packages where you can buy a package of peels for cheaper than paying individually.
the practitioner will tell you how often you should get it done, depends on what type of results you're trying to achieve, and the strength of the peel.

I had a coupon for a free chemical peel, but I figured they'd just make you do more stuff once you went in the office. (Move to OC and your junk mail will be full of plastic surgeon and "medical day spa" ads.)

There are different kinds and levels -- some you recover from that day and can put makeup back on, and some make your skin peel by itself and you won't see the full results for weeks. The pain, recovery, and results all depend on the procedure. I think glycolic peels are fairly light and used as "lunchtime peels" -- you can also buy home glycolics from natura bisse, various ebay sellers, and a few websites. I've also heard of TCA peels which I know are stronger and your skin continues to peel for awhile. I don't know about others or prices or exactly how painful they are, though.

not had one, but please, if you do wind up doing it, make sure you research your doctor well. make sure they ar board certified and ask if you are allowed to speak to any past patients. some doctors have a list of people who are willing to talk to new patients and have waived confidentiality. cheap isn't good, good isn't cheap.