Acid Skin peels can be a great non-surgical, non-invasive way to brighten up your skin and give it a lift. If you’ve undergone your first skin peel in an effort to unveil the fresh, youthful skin beneath any dullness and acne, or to improve the overall texture of your skin to try and help reduce fine lines, you might be asking how to take care of your brand-spanking new skin.
Before enjoying the dewy, smoother visage that the chemical solution helps to reveal, how do you take care of the sensitive, sometimes itchy skin the peel uncovered? Should you pile on the make-up and hit the beach, sans sunscreen — or lay low like a hermit for days? Is it okay to go back to your normal face washing and exfoliating routine?
Here are some tips to help you take care of your precious, ultra-delicate skin in the wake of a peel, along with several ways that you can aide the post-peel healing process along in order to hold on to the best, healthiest and youngest looking skin you’ve just obtained.
Table of Contents
#1 – Protect your face from the harsh rays of the sun
No matter what level of skin peel you’ve received, most doctors agree that now is an important time to avoid the sun. This means not booking your skin peel immediately prior to a sunny week long vacation in a warm climate where you’ll be exposed to a lot of light.
Instead, do your best to stay out of the peak daytime sunlight hours — typically from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., based on your locale. If you must venture outside into the bright light, make sure to take extra measures to protect yourself from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays by liberally applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen that specifically states the type of protection it offers on the label.
Hats with wide brims combined with a proper sunscreen are a good combination to help protect your sensitive skin, as well as staying indoors whenever possible until your skin calms down.
#2 – Keep the pimple creams at bay and avoid acne products
Certain acne creams, such as those containing benzoyl peroxide and anti-aging ingredients, don’t mix well with glycolic peels — so set them aside from your beauty regime for approximately two or three weeks in order to keep control of your skin.
#3 – Slather on the moisture
Directly after your skin peel treatment, you might discover that your skin takes on a feeling of tightness or dryness, and it may peel in varying degrees. A good quality moisturizer can help alleviate some of the dryness, but take special pains to make sure it’s a moisturizer that’s free of some of the anti-aging and acne-preventing formulations previously discussed.
#4 – Leave the flakes alone
Speaking of flaking out, of course it’s totally tempting to start picking away those flakes with your fingers, but to avoid scaring and infection from fingers full of bacteria, keep your hands off your face.
#5 – Save the cute cosmetics for another day…or two
Another temptation could come in the form of your favorite trusty foundation that may, on the surface, seem like an ideal way to cover up any redness or pink discoloration caused by the treatment.
Try and go make-up free at least the day of the peel in order to avoid any negative chemical reactions between the peel and the cosmetics. Ideally, the day after the peel would be good to avoid make-up as well, opting instead for a light moisturizer and sunscreen.
#6 – Cool it, kid
If your face feels any sort of itchiness or discomfort, a nice cool compress should do the trick at relieving the irritation.
#7 – Keep it clean and simple
It’s not the time to pull out your normal routine of any microdermabrasion tools, face scrubs nor harsh soaps and acne products. After all, your skin has been chemically exfoliated enough. A simple warm soap and water combination should work wonders after a peel, ensuring you adhere first and foremost by the instructions of the health expert who performed the peel in the first place.
#8 – Relax and enjoy
Following these post peel tips will hopefully gain you the type of refreshed and fabulous skin you were seeking. Employ them an enjoy your skin.