How To Treat Your Face After A Chemical Peel
Sun-damaged skin can be restored to its former glory with the help of chemical peels. The skin is left brighter and smoother after this treatment, and hyper-pigmentation is reduced. In order to get the most out of your chemical peel procedure, it’s crucial that you have a solid strategy in place for thereafter.
How to care for your face after a chemical peel
Chemical peels are a highly effective skin treatment that removes the outermost surface of the skin to reduce visible signs of aging, acne, and discoloration while revealing brighter, smoother skin below. They range from mild to intense in strength, with some professional-grade formulas available for home use and others only available at salons, spas, or clinics.
Post-peel skin care can help minimize sensations or visible side effects of a peel, making it easier to incorporate this treatment into your lifestyle. Some common post-peel side effects include slight tingling or burning, which should subside quickly. If not, speak to a medical professional or professional skin therapist about what might be causing post-peel discomfort.
- Hands Off: The main goal of a chemical peel is to pull up and slough off the damaged skin cells, revealing healthy, glowing skin underneath. Avoid touching, picking, or scratching the dead skin when it starts to shed, as using fingers to remove the dead skin can lead to possible scarring.
- Pull It Back: Pulling your hair back away from the face with a hair band can help prevent you from touching and keep breakouts at bay. Touching the skin with dirty fingers and hands will only aggregate the new skin and may lead to breakouts. If breakouts do occur, have your aesthetician treat them for you or leave them alone.
- Moisturize – Just Enough to Be Comfortable: After receiving a chemical peel, your skin will be sensitive, so it’s important to use little to no moisturizer for the first couple days after treatment. In some cases, there may be a specific post-care moisturizer provided at the time of treatment, which is safe to use. For some people, the only thing that won’t sting the skin is Aquaphor, which is easily available over the counter.
- Protect Your Skin With SPF: Choose a physical sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and broad spectrum high safety ratings to protect your newly brightened skin.
- Let It Peel: Do not remove any of the dry, dead skin with any sort of rubbing, peeling, or pulling during the peeling process. Safe exfoliation can be done as soon as skin is no longer hyper sensitive.
- Lighten Up: Consult a skincare professional for a custom home care regimen to maintain your newly brightened skin. Be sure to have a great antioxidant and specialized melanocyte down regulators to help with tougher pigment.
- Don’t Worry: It’s also a good idea to just read a book and don’t worry about how your skin looks for a few days. The end result is more than worth the investment!
Burn Spots After Chemical Peel Treatment
Pain and burning is commonly encountered during a peel procedure in sensitive skin. It can persist up to 2-5 days after the peel till re-epithelialization is completed.
Skin care can cause a chemical burn on the face if a person uses acid exfoliants that are too strong, applies them too frequently, or leaves them on for too long. Acid exfoliants include ingredients such as glycolic, lactic, or salicylic acid.
These acids belong to a group of substances known as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). They are popular ingredients in skin care, but improper use can result in skin damage.
Chemical burns are skin wounds that occur due to a strongly acidic or alkaline substance. Some skin care products or treatments may be acidic enough to cause one.
Anyone who feels any discomfort when using a skin care product should not attempt to leave it on the skin. Burning and pain are not signs that the product is working as it should. Rather, they are signs that it is damaging the skin.
The symptoms of a chemical burn include:
- skin discoloration or inflammation
- a burning sensation
- pain
- numbness
- blistering
- peeling
If any of these symptoms occur after applying a skin care product, a person should immediately remove any contaminated clothing and wash the skin with clean running water for 20 minutes. It is important to avoid contact with the runoff water.
If the product is on the face, a person can do this by tipping their head over a sink, bath, or shower basin before pouring water from a jug. Alternatively, they could use a showerhead.
After washing the skin thoroughly, it is advisable to speak with a doctor. Doctors do not recommendTrusted Source systemic medications, such as antibiotics or steroids, to treat chemical burns. However, they may wish to prescribe a topical antibiotic or low strength steroid cream to prevent infection.
Removing Dead Skin After Chemical Peel
When the dead skin starts to shed, avoid touching, picking or scratching it with your fingers. Let the dead skin shed off naturally, and don’t peel the skin off with your own fingers – using fingers to remove the dead skin can lead to possible scarring.
A chemical peel is a common skin treatment to get rid of sunspots, wrinkles, and dark patches. It’s very successful in treating those issues, but what do you do after you have the treatment? Like with any procedure, there are some important aftercare tips to follow so your skin heals well. Always check with your dermatologist for the right steps, but these are the most common ways to treat your skin after a chemical peel.
