Kayla Young
Don’t you just love how your skin looks after undergoing a chemical peel? The skin looks fresh, smoother, healthier, and (hopefully) acne-free.
However, achieving this result may take some time. It can take a few days before you see the results.
Is there really nothing we can do but to wait for the skin to completely shed off? Do you want to know how to speed up peeling after a chemical peel?
Some recommend using exfoliating gloves to help aid in the peeling. However, this is controversial, as it can further damage the skin.
Instead of that, we’ll go over how to help your skin heal from the chemical peeling process. That helps make sure that you’ll have desirable results.
Contents
What Is A Chemical Peel?
A chemical peel is a cosmetic procedure in which an acid solution (usually AHA and/or BHA) is placed on the skin so that it top layer eventually peels off. This results in smoother skin with fewer wrinkles, acne scars, etc.
However, you should also take note that it is also more sensitive to the sun.
Chemical peels are used to improve the skin’s appearance and can be used for many different skin problems.
Typically, facial chemical peels are safe for most skin types, depending on the solution that is applied. Special safety considerations apply when treating darker-skinned patients or those with actinic keratosis.
If you have a tendency to keloid scar or acne, it is best to consult with your dermatologist about using chemical peel treatments. A test spot will always be done before applying any chemicals to your face.
You can choose to go get a peel done at a mediSpa, or use a popular OTC brand like The Ordinary’s Peeling Solution.
What To Expect After The Procedure?
Immediately after the chemical peel procedure, you may feel burning and stinging of the treated area.
This pain usually subsides after the first few minutes, but you may want to apply an ice pack or numbing cream.
The treated skin will feel tight and warm at this point. If your face was just treated with glycolic acid, for example, it might appear red and shiny.
However, this is normal and should not last very long.
Your results usually become noticeable after 2-3 days, when the top layer of skin flakes off – revealing new pink or light brown-colored skin underneath.
The period between peeling is different for every person. It depends on the solution used during treatment and their own natural ability to heal.
In most cases, this peeling period lasts about 7 to 10 days.
But sometimes, it doesn’t feel like anything is happening, and you get anxious. You start wondering how to make skin peel faster after a chemical peel.
But like everything else, there are trade-offs here.
How To Speed Up Peeling After a Chemical Peel
There are many ways to speed up the peeling after a chemical peel. However, you should remember that attempting to speed up the process by using manual exfoliators shouldn’t be done.
The skin is already sensitive from the peel! Further exfoliation could just create tiny wounds on the skin.
Instead, the focus should be to heal the skin. Here are a few things to do:
1. Keep It Clean!
First thing you need to do is keep the area clean. Don’t touch or pick at your face! This can cause scarring which will result in an undesirable outcome.
That’s exactly why you shouldn’t use any exfoliating gloves or loofah on your skin. It will be too harsh.
2. Vitamins and Moisturizers
For faster healing, take extra vitamins such as Biotin and Vitamin C . Try applying aloe vera gel on the face every few hours. This helps protect the new skin during its developing stage so it would appear healthier than before.
An alternative to aloe vera would be applying other moisturizers to help soothe the skin and avoid the dreaded dry skin after a chemical peel.
3. Ice Up!
If you feel discomfort or itching, apply ice packs on the face. This might help soothe the skin and ease any discomfort you may have.
You could use chamomile tea bags to help soothe the skin, but this would somewhat depend on how sensitive your skin is.
4. Don’t Push It
Avoid activities that will cause excessive sweating such as intense physical activity. By doing so, you can prevent clogging of pores and bacteria ruining the outcome of your chemical peel treatment.
5. Prepare
Avoid using creams or lotion three days before and after a glycolic acid peel. Just apply moisturizer.
If applying moisturizer just stings too bad, listen to your body and stop. Try using other alternatives like aloe vera gel, coconut oil, or petroleum jelly instead.
Avoid using any product containing lanolin.
You can use Vaseline to seal the skin after your chemical peel. This seals in all the moisture and keeps your skin hydrated for longer periods of time without having to worry about it getting dry!
6. Be Careful of Blisters
If blisters form on top of each other, try popping them when they’re at their most ‘ripe’. You can use cotton swabs to gently pop the blisters without damaging the skin.
Be very careful when you decide to do this because you have to make sure it doesn’t form any scarring.
7. Go Vampire
It is recommended not to put anything on your face for at least 48 hours after your chemical peel procedure. This includes sunblock!
Stay out of the sun, and wear a wide-brimmed hat or otherwise find protection from the sun.
8. No Hot Showers
For a faster peeling process, avoid taking hot showers during the first 3 days of treatment. Use warm water instead to soothe and help speed up healing time.
Why Is My Skin Not Peeling After A Chemical Peel?
It’s possible that if your chemical peel solution was diluted incorrectly, the results will be less than satisfying. You may not even peel at all!
It can be possible for some people to experience little to no peeling at all, regardless of how diluted the solution was or how often they apply their moisturizer.
This is due to genetics.
Many people of Asian descent don’t peel after a chemical peel and this is completely normal.
Another reason why skin isn’t peeling could be because it hasn’t been given enough time to develop yet. Chemical peels usually take about 2-3 days to start peeling.
If it doesn’t peel after the usual number of days, don’t worry. It will probably begin peeling in a few more days once the dead layers have been shed off completely.
In some cases, you could be allergic to one or all of your chemical peels ingredients without even realizing it.
This is why it’s important to patch-test your product before using them on your face so that these issues can be avoided from happening in the future.
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