The winter months are the most popular times of the year for Chemical Peels. Our VI Peel is extremely popular during this time of year as women (and men!) throughout the Sherman Oaks and Los Angeles area look for ways to refresh and rejuvenate their skin. Chemical peels are a great way to exfoliate the skin, getting rid of dead and damaged skin cells. They can also stimulate the production of new skin cells and collagen. Chemical peels can also treat any dark spots and areas of hyperpigmentation that can be made worse during the hot summer sun. How you care for your skin before and after a peel can have a big effect on your results. Our VI Peel has a take home kit that helps you take the best care of your skin after your peel. However, many different types of peels don’t have aftercare kits. Here are some general things to do to make sure you get the best chemical peel results:
Avoid Other Treatments
Your skin is highly fragile after a chemical peel, so you don’t want to do anything that’s going to irritate it. There are different types of chemical peels which vary in their strength and intensity. Superficial or light peels are typically well tolerated with minimal downtime. Moderate strength peels can take up to a week for your skin to fully recover. Deep peels can have up to 2 weeks of downtime. Regardless of which type of peel you get, you want to avoid any other treatments during your recovery which may affect your healing process. That mean’s any laser hair removal or microneedling treatments need to be put off for a couple of weeks until your skin has fully healed from your peel. Facials should also be avoided during this time. Any aggressive at home skin care products such as exfoliants or scrubs should also be avoided to minimize skin irritation and risks of scarring. One amazing treatment to consider after your skin has healed from your chemical peel is our Stem Cell Therapy which will help stimulate the production of new skin cells and boost the results of your chemical peel.
Avoid the Sun
The sun is your enemy after a chemical peel and you’ll want to avoid excessive sun exposure at all costs. This doesn’t mean you can’t leave your house, but whenever you do you need to make sure your skin is protected with an adequate sunscreen. The VI Peel take home kit contains a VI Derm SPF 30 sunscreen, but in general, any sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher is appropriate. Even after your skin is fully healed you want to make sure you’re wearing your sunscreen every time you leave the house.
What To Use On Your Skin After A Chemical Peel
After sunscreen the most important product to use on your skin after a chemical peel is a gentle moisturizer. Your skin will dry up and flake off after your peel, that’s what it’s supposed to do. So there’s no need to overdo it with heavy or oily moisturizers. Put your regular skin care regimen including any retinols and acids on hold while you let your skin heal from the peel. They can be safely resumed once cleared by your skin care specialist, usually a week after your peel.
How To Cleanse Your Skin
Your peel will exfoliate your skin so you won’t need to use any strong cleansers or exfoliators. Doing so may irritate your skin and cause scarring. It’s best to just use regular water to cleanse your skin as needed or according to your skin specialist’s instructions. We also don’t recommend using wash cloths as they may aggravate skin that is already irritated.
What About Makeup?
This will depend on the type and strength of the peel. For mild to moderate peels, you shouldn’t wash your face or wear any make up for at least 4 hours after your peel. After 4 hours if you really must wear make up then it’s ok. Just make sure you clean your make up off completely before you go to bed so you don’t clog up your pores. For stronger peels you may need to wait longer. The timing of when you can wear make up after a stronger peel should be discussed with your skin care specialist.
Don’t Pick Your Skin!
As tempting as it is you should never pick at your skin after your peel. The whole purpose of a chemical peel is to get rid of your damaged skin cells and reveal younger-looking, healthy new cells. Part of this process is to let the skin shed naturally. By picking off the skin before it’s ready to naturally shed you can cause scarring which will be very difficult to get rid of.
If you are considering a chemical peel, make sure to take advantage of our complimentary skin care analysis consultations with our certified skin care specialists. They can help you decide on the appropriate strength of peel and give you advice on caring for your skin afterwards. Feel free to Book Online, Call Us at (818) 789-5500, or Send Us An Email!
