Bumpy Texture After a Chemical Peel. What’s the Deal?

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There are different ways you can improve the appearance of your skin. One of them is by getting a chemical peel. 

Chemical peels are treatments that make use of a chemical to help exfoliate the skin. This process can produce smoother and more flawless-looking skin. You can do this at home or at a medispa.

If you find yourself having a bumpy texture after a chemical peel, should you be worried? Or is this something that is to be expected? Sometimes, a bumpy texture could develop after a chemical peel. 

It could be caused by a variety of reasons. In this article, we’ll help you determine if the bumpy texture is something you should worry about.


Contents

What To Expect After A Chemical Peel

Let’s start first by talking about the possible effects of a chemical peel on your skin. In this way, you will be able to know what to expect after a chemical peel and if what is happening to your skin is common or something to be worried about.

First of all, there are side effects that could happen. But do remember that these eventually get better in time.

The side effects should only be mild and short-lived. 

Some of the immediate side effects could include redness, burning, tingling, dryness, mild swelling, flaking, peeling, mild breakout, and darkening of the skin. Eventually, your skin will start to get better after a week. 

Peeling is the main effect of this procedure. As your skin peels, it may look flaky. It won’t really peel off as a whole but skin will start peeling typically after about 3-5 days after the treatment. 

Don’t force the peeling so you don’t damage your skin. Plus, you should know to take care of your skin in this state. 

Due to peeling, your skin can be more susceptible to infection. Additionally, it could also be more sensitive to the sun and to irritating substances.

That’s why you should only use mild moisturizers after the procedure. 

As your skin is more sensitive due to the peeling, you can expect that there could be redness and hyperpigmentation, especially when exposed to heat.

One way to help your skin after the procedure is to avoid overexertion while exercising and use cooler water to wash the face or take a shower. 


What Causes Bumpy Texture After a Chemical Peel

A bumpy texture of the skin is one of the possible results you could have after having a chemical peel. Most of the time, you don’t have to worry about it as it will naturally subside.

However, there may be some cases when you need to consult your dermatologist so that you can avoid the bumpy texture from worsening and causing damage.

Here are a few of the causes of having a bumpy texture after having a chemical peel:

1. The Chemical Peel Used

The first reason why you could have a bumpy texture is the chemical that is used for your peeling treatment. There are various formulations and they can combine different ingredients to create the peel solution. 

You could be allergic to one or more of the ingredients. This could cause your skin to react negatively to the ingredients and create a bumpy texture. 

Sometimes, this bumpy texture can go away on its own but if not, you should really go back to those who did your chemical peeling session. 

In order to lessen the risk of negatively reacting to questionable ingredients in your chemical peeling solution, choose to go to a dermatologist for your chemical peel. 

If it’s too expensive to do that, we love the Ordinary Peeling Solution!

A Mild Breakout

Sometimes, a chemical peeling treatment can also trigger a mild breakout after the procedure. This is quite common and normal. 

There are times when your skin seems to be healthy on the surface but there is actually bacteria underneath. With the acceleration of the turnover of the skin cells due to the chemical peeling procedure, you may experience a breakout. 

With the acceleration of the turnover of the skin cells due to the chemical peeling procedure, you may experience a breakout. 

This is more common for those who have just started with the chemical peeling treatment. In this stage, it is believed that the skin is undergoing a purging stage. 

Along with the breakout or bumpy texture, the skin could also darken. However, you shouldn’t really be alarmed when this happens as it could clear up on its own. 

The amount of time it clears up will vary depending on your skin. On average, it may take about 6-8 weeks before your skin clears out. 

Possibility Of Milia

In some cases, the bumpy texture could also be due to milia. Milia are inclusion cyst and just like having a mild breakout, this could also appear as part of the healing process after the chemical peeling. 

Milia is more common for those who’ve had dermabrasion procedures rather than chemical peels. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen. 

Milia can gradually be removed by simply cleansing your skin. In some cases, there might be a need to gently extract them.

Don’t attempt to do this on your own if you are not known because it could further lead to scarring if you make a mistake. 

An Infection

Chemical peels should be done by professionals to help lessen the risk of infection. If the skin is contaminated, you could also get a herpes simplex outbreak.

This could come in a form of yellowish bumps that feel painful and are like burning.


What Can You Do About Bumpy Texture After A Chemical Peel?

There are a few things that you can do to your skin if it gets bumpy after a chemical peel. The first and simplest thing to do is nothing at all.

Sometimes, the bumpiness is just part of the healing process and it should just go away on its own.

The first and simplest thing to do is nothing at all.

If you are dealing with milia, it may need to be lanced out using a needle. However, this should be done by a professional to prevent scarring on your face. 

Sometimes, the bumps could still persist for more than a month and this is where your dermatologist may recommend you to use retinoic acid to help with the skin texture. 

Some bumps, like those due to a herpes simplex outbreak, should be treated immediately. These are caused by a virus and an anti-viral medicine is used to prevent it from worsening and further scarring your face. 

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Written by Kayla Young

Kayla is the founder of LuxeLuminous. She has worked professionally in the tanning industry for years. She has been interested in esthetics since childhood, and has tried every hair, skin, and makeup product ever produced (more or less).