What to Expect from Your First Chemical Peel
A chemical peel is exactly how it sounds; it’s a facial treatment that uses chemicals to peel away layers of the skin. This helps improve the skin and rejuvenate the face by revealing the healthy layers underneath. Chemical peels can differ in how “deep” they go; some are designed to just go under the surface of the skin, while others go deeper to address more severe issues. Most chemical peels are on the lighter side, resulting in little downtime afterward.
What Conditions Do Chemical Peels Treat?
Chemical peels are used for various skin conditions, ranging from cosmetic to medical. They can be used to reduce the visibility of fine lines underneath the eyes or mouth, reduce mild scarring, and treat certain types of acne. They’re also used to reduce freckles, sun spots, and age spots.
Chemical peels can even out the skin, as well, making them helpful for people who have rough skin, scaly patches, or dark patches (which are often caused by birth control pills or pregnancy).
Do Chemical Peels Cause Side Effects?
Side effects vary by person, but overall, tend to be mild, minimal and limited to around two weeks. Immediately after the chemical peel, you may experience redness, tingling, or burning. For the first few days after, your skin will likely be dry, more sensitive than normal, and slightly swollen.
Around day three, your skin will start to flake; this is the part of the process that puts the “peel” in “chemical peel.” The flaking isn’t likely to be extreme and is most comparable to the flaking experienced after a sunburn. You can gently wash away the flakes when cleaning your face, but abstain from actively pulling the skin off.
About a week after your chemical peel, the side effects should start to ease, and new, healthy skin should begin to appear. Your skin may look red, darker, or lighter for about four weeks following the treatment.
How Many Chemical Peels are Needed?
Chemical peels usually aren’t a one-and-done process; most people need a handful depending on their desired result. How often you can have one depends on how deep your last chemical peel was. For those who get light peels, treatment can typically be repeated every 2-5 weeks.
What Should You Do After a Chemical Peel?
While light chemical peels don’t require a great deal of downtime, there are several things you can do to reduce the chance of side effects and help make the treatment as effective as possible.
To start, avoid any type of skincare for 24 hours. After that, follow any skincare routines recommended by the provider or esthetician who performed the peel. They may tell you to avoid exfoliating or to try certain products, ones that are better at moisturizing, triggering cells to regenerate, and protecting the skin from UV rays.
Refrain from using makeup for 1-2 weeks, as the chemicals in blush and foundation can irritate your skin and interfere with the healing process. You should also make a point to stay hydrated, as your skin dries out and flakes off, and to moisturize your face at least twice a day. Most importantly, avoid direct contact with the sun. If you do go outside, don’t forget to wear sunscreen and lots of it. Hats, visors, and umbrellas may be recommended, as well. Following a chemical peel, the skin is much more sensitive to sun damage.
The last thing to do after a chemical peel is to practice patience; no skincare treatment offers a fast-acting sip from the fountain of youth and full results take time to appear. Following the after-care instructions as closely as possible increases the odds of a highly successful process.
Vive Med Spa offers the highest quality esthetician services in the Denver, Colorado area. We expanded from permanent makeup to laser skin treatments to meet your needs for one destination for high-end skin rejuvenation services. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
