Things You Need to Know Before You Get a Chemical Peel
Anyone who knows me knows that I have struggled with acne for a while now. Honestly, I never really noticed it. It was never a break out all over my face, just a few here and there, nothing major. Throughout college, I was going to the dermatologist when I was home on break, but I never had a routine and it was hard to keep anything consistent. So when I moved back home, I made it a personal mission to find a routine that would work for me. With my doctor's help, I did just that. It took me many months, using different topical gels, different oral medications, and different birth control.
I was one appointment away from going on Accutane or getting a smooth beam laser, which I did not want to do. But luckily, my skin started to clear up and it looks amazing if I do say so myself! Once my skin started to clear, my dermatologist suggested that my next step would be a chemical peel.
As a recently declared skincare junkie, I knew what a chemical peel was. Well, the bare minimum. I know somehow, the dermatologist puts acids on your skin and within a week, your face is peeling like a foot after a foot peel mask. Not knowing anything really, I did some research, as one does when they are nervous about anything. I hopped on to Google to learn more. So here is a helpful guide to help you understand the chemical peel basics.
What is a chemical peel?
A chemical peel is a cosmetic treatment that can be used to improve the appearance of the face, neck, and hands. During the procedure a chemical solution is applied to the area being treated, this causes it to exfoliate and in time, peel. Eventually, the dead skin will reveal new and smoother skin.
Why get a chemical peel?
There are several benefits to getting a chemical peel and depending on your concern, it will determine the type and strength of peel you receive.
Acne scars
Fine lines and wrinkles
Uneven skin tone
Hyperpigmentation
Scars
Sun damage
melasma
these AWFUL photos of me kind of show how bad my skin was. The upper right hand photo is before I came back from college. My skin was bad! The photo on the left was taken in October, my makeup is scary bad (I have since changed everything), I have a breakout on my cheek. I had been home for about 4 months.
What are the different types of peeling solutions?
There are three different types. Like I said before, depending on your concern, the intensity of the peel can vary.
Superficial Peel
This uses mild acids to gently exfoliate the skin and only penetrate the outermost layer of skin.
Types of Acids Used:
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) which is the mildest of chemical peels. Often derived from citric (citrus fruits), glycolic (sugar cane), lactic (fermented milk) malic (apples), and tartaric (grapes).
Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) are used in salicylic. It helps control oil production on acne-prone skin.
Glycolic Acid, Lactic acid, and salicylic acid are commonly applied together. Lactic acid is very hydrating and brightens the skin. Whereas, Glycolic acid causes more irritation but works quicker. And Salicylic acid has anti-inflammatory properties to reduce redness.
Benefits:
Treatment of fine lines
Dry and dehydrated skin
Uneven skin tone
Acne
Medium peel:
This reaches the middle and outer layer of skin. The medium peel is more effective in removing damaged skin cells.
Types of Acids:
Trichloroacetic Acid Peels (TCA). Most commonly used for medium-depth peels. It is available in many combinations. It is often used at lower percentages with salicylic acid. Should be done by a licensed professional.
Benefits:
Advanced uneven skin tone
Sun damage
Deeper wrinkles
Acne scars
Deep peel:
fully penetrates to the middle layer of skin
Types of Acids:
Phenol peels/ Carbolic acid
resorcinol
salicylic acid
Benefits
deeper wrinkles
deeper scars
precancerous skin patches
effects last up to 10 years
These photos were taken about an hour after the procedure. The solution had dried on my face and the dark spots are dried blood. My doctor did some extractions and left the blood on my face.
Where to get a chemical peel?
I received mine through my dermatologist so my doctor actually did it for me. However, you can get a chemical peel at a spa as well. As long as a trained Estitchen is applying it. For the mild at-home treatments you can find those at Ulta and Sephora.
How much does a chemical peel cost?
Chemical peels can be expensive for sure. For a light chemical peel, the lowest cost is $150 and for a deeper peel, it could be as much as $3,000 or more.
This was right after I woke up. My skin had become red.
Length of procedure
The actual process only took like 30 minutes. My dermatologist cleaned my face using alcohol and then did a few extractions of pimples I had. After that, she slowly painted two coats of the solution on my face. Stopping in between to give me the fan since my face was already heating up. Afterward, I just sat in the exam room for like 10 minutes with the fan on my face until I was ready to leave. Most procedures can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.
I had an event that day, so I tired to cover up the redness with makeup. That helped a little. I wasn’t able to get the blood off my face and my nose had started peeling. You can clearly see the circle about my mouth which also started peeling.
How to prepare
Before getting a chemical peel you will want to talk about it with your skincare specialist. They can help you determine what type you will need and let you know if there is anything that will interfere with chemical peel such as, topicals and acne medicine they have prescribed you. However, in general, most will let you know that you should stop using retinol or Retin-A up to a week before, stop exfoliating your face for 48 hours, and drink plenty of water. It also might be a good idea to take a pain pill such as Advil before going.
How does a chemical peel feel?
This was one of my main concerns. I had no idea what I was getting into. After my dermatologist did a few extractions (yes Dr. pimple popper style), she started to paint the acids on. At first, it felt nice, like a good pain. Then it began to burn, first like pins and needles then like a sunburn. In fact, the whole experience is like a controlled sunburn. My dermatologist gave me a small fan to hold and that helped a lot. The cool air felt so nice on my skin. I could feel the heat coming off of my face just like a normal sunburn (which I have had plenty of). My face stayed hot for a day or so. By day two, my skin was tight and I was starting to peel.
The circle around my face had become very visible. My new skin is bright red and was insanely dry. The skin that is peeling off is tan and has freckles.
What is the recovery like and how long does it last?
When I was getting my chemical peel, the recovery length was my biggest concern. My doctor told me that after my appointment, I had to wait until the next morning to wash my face with MILD face wash. So that kind of sucked because my face was white from the solution drying on my face. I slept with a fan right next to me all night and it wasn’t too bad at all. The next morning, my face wasn’t too red but throughout the day it got much redder, which I expected. It truly did act like a sunburn. My face got red, super dry, and then started peeling around my nose and mouth. Overall it took about a week for all my skin to peel off. Following the week, it took roughly 3 more days for the redness to completely go away.
The hardest part for me was not to pick at my skin. Once the dead skin flaked off, some of the new skin was breaking out (which is pretty common) so even that was hard to not pick at. So to combat my nasty habit, I applied lotion to my face frequently throughout the week. I would say like 3 times a day to the whole face and then a few different spots throughout the day, I would give extra. My example was that my mouth got really dry so I would always apply more there.
I keep saying it, but the chemical peel was just like a controlled sunburn. If it wasn’t for the pale white circles around my eyes and mouth, I totally could have said I was in the tanning bed or something. My skin got red, my freckles I tend to get in the summer came out, I got a slight tan, and then I peeled. The new skin was red though and I was freaking out about that. I was wondering if I did pick it, did I scar my face and will it be red forever. Turns out no, your face can stay red up to a year after getting a chemical peel (depending on the type).
this is my skin today (January 18th, 2021). I do have some small pimples but overall my skin looks great1
Products I used that helped a lot:
Mild face wash (Cetaphil) - You don’t want to use any acne face washes. They often contain salicylic acids in them and you definitely don’t want to add to the acid on your face.
Gentle SPF - this is a must-have item. The new skin is super sensitive to the sun so you want to make sure it is protected. If you do plan to be outside after getting a chemical peel done, I would recommend wearing a hat of some kind as well as reapplying SPF.
Heavy Moisturizing cream - I normally don’t like using moisturizing creams. They are too heavy for my skin and I always feel like my pores are clogged after I use them. But after my chemical peel, I used this every night for a week. I needed the heavy cream!
Peach & Lily Matcha Pudding Antioxidant Cream - I recently saw a TikToker who used the whole Peach & Lily Glass Skin line and I wanted to try it. This helped minimize the redness on my face so much! It is green so I applied it in the morning of my first day after the chemical peel and my skin looked basically normal.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream - I had gotten a few samples of this throughout the years in different subscription services and I am so thankful I did! Throughout the day I would just take my little tube out and apply it to places that were feeling super dry. It helped so much!
My skin honestly looks amazing after my first chemical peel. My skin tone evened out some. My acne scars don’t scream at me anymore, and my skin is smooth! My doctor said to go back after a month and I will probably be getting a few more! Wish me luck!