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Chemical peel for teen acne treatment

Teenagers like Jordan Spallas are bombarded with beautiful images every day, making it hard to go to school without clear skin.

Jordan tried everything from face washes to over-the-counter acne medications to clear her skin for about a year, until coming across a common facial product: a beta hydroxy chemical peel which penetrates deep into the skin's pores.

Registered Nurse Julie Anderson says the whole in-office process takes about five minutes. She cleans the face, then applies the acid preparation on the patient's skin for about three minutes, then washes it off.

After a couple of days, it will start peeling, eliminating all the dead skin on the top of the face and killing bacteria that causes the acne breakouts.

Anderson says some over-the-counter products contain the same acid but it's only about 2 percent, compared with the 30 percent they use. Either way, Anderson cautions it's not a "quick fix."

While each case is different, some take up to a year to clear up completely and the peels only work for people with mild acne.

A chemical peel typically costs about $75 and most patients visit their doctor about once a month.