Do you ever walk around Indian Harbour Beach or West Melbourne and wonder how so many people have such smooth, radiant skin? Do you struggle with regular acne outbreaks or have acne scars? Chemical peels may be a good addition to your skincare routine if you are concerned about your complexion. Here’s what you need to know.
How Often Can You Get Chemical Peels?
The bottom line is that you can get a follow-up chemical peel as soon as your skin has healed from the previous peel. How long this takes varies. Some people can get two superficial peels just 10 to 14 days apart. Others have to wait a month between treatments. If you get a stronger peel, like ThePerFect DermaPeel, you may need roughly three to four months between treatment sessions.
How Long Can I Expect My Treatment to Take?
Typically, chemical peels take between 30 and 60 minutes to complete. During this time, your skin will be cleaned, a cotton ball or cotton-tipped applicator will be used to apply the solution, and then the solution will be washed away from your skin.
What Can a Chemical Peel in the Indian Harbour Beach or West Melbourne Area Do for Me?
There are a number of potential benefits of getting a chemical peel in the West Melbourne or Indian Harbour Beach area. Typically, this treatment is sought for the diminishment of fine lines and wrinkles and the fading of hyperpigmentation and dark spots. However, that is not all a chemical peel can potentially do for you. Some other very popular benefits of this treatment include the treatment of acne and the reduction of acne scars.
How Does This Treatment Work?
Chemical peels work by removing one or more of the top layers of your skin. The stronger the acid peel is, the more layers of skin are removed. The visible layer of your skin cells is called the superficial layer. It is made up of dead skin cells. When this layer of dead skin cells is removed, the healthy, living cells beneath the previous superficial layer are revealed. The result is smooth, radiant skin that will remain beautiful until it is damaged by the sun and other factors.
What Should I Expect After My Treatment Session?
After your superficial chemical peel, we will apply a protective ointment to your skin to keep it comfortable. Then, we’ll review your aftercare guidelines with you to give you the opportunity to ask any questions or voice any concerns you may have. After that, you are free to go back to work or spend a relaxing day at home. There is no downtime required after treatment, but you will not be able to go back to work if you have a physically demanding job.
What Aftercare Guidelines Will I Need to Follow?
During the first 24 hours following your chemical peel, you may not wear makeup. After that, you may resume wearing whatever makeup you want, but you should consider sticking to a gentle mineral makeup that won’t potentially irritate your skin after treatment. Here are some other aftercare guidelines you will need to follow.
Don’t Pick at Your Peeling Skin
You should do everything you can to avoid picking at your peeling skin after your chemical peel. There are a couple of reasons why this is the case. The primary reason to avoid picking at your skin is that your skin may become infected if your hands were not clean when you picked at your skin. Another reason is that your treatment area may become inflamed or otherwise irritated, extending your recovery timeline and potentially affecting your results.
If you have long hair, it is highly advisable that you keep it in a bun or ponytail to reduce the likelihood that your hair ends up in your face. It is not uncommon for people to touch their face without realizing it because they instinctively brush their hair out of it.
Limit UV Exposure
It is also imperative that you avoid sun exposure as much as possible. The cells under the superficial layer of your skin are extremely sensitive to sunlight due to a lack of previous exposure. In addition to limiting the amount of time you spend in the sun, you must forgo indoor tanning methods. When sunlight is unavoidable, make sure you are using adequate sun protection.
Depending on your family medical history and personal skin health history, a sun protection factor between 35 and 55 should be adequate. Moreover, take care to ensure that the sunscreen you use is not expired, and make sure you store it properly. Also, make sure that you are reapplying it regularly. Even if you opt for a water-resistant sunscreen, it should be reapplied every 40 to 80 minutes if you are swimming. Otherwise, you will need to reapply every other hour.
Change Your Bathing Habits
You will also need to change your bathing habits temporarily after your chemical peel. It is critical that you don’t get hot water on your face during the first 72 hours following your restorative treatment. This mitigates the risk of skin irritation. For the same reason, you should also avoid getting cool water on your face during the first three days post-treatment. Whether you want to bathe with cool or warm water is up to you.
Keep Your Skin Hydrated
You also need to take care to keep your skin hydrated after your chemical peel. Moisturizing should already be a part of your daily skincare routine. However, it is not negotiable during the first few days following your peel. People with normal or oily skin should moisturize once per day. It is only necessary to moisturize twice daily if you have dry skin. If you don’t know what type of skin you have, we’ll let you know during your consultation.
If you only need to moisturize once per day to keep your skin hydrated, it doesn’t really matter whether you moisturize in the morning or evening. If you opt for a warm bath rather than a cold bath, though, you should strongly consider moisturizing after your bath. The warmer your water is, the more likely it is that some of the moisture in your skin will be lost.
How Will I Need to Prepare for My Treatment Session?
Preparing for your chemical peel starts with attending an initial evaluation with a cosmetic expert to verify that this treatment will be appropriate for you. To determine this, we will discuss your medical history and expectations, as well as inspecting your skin to assess how safe and effective this treatment will be for you. If you are deemed a good chemical peel candidate, you may be asked to:
- Take antiviral medication
- Use a retinoid cream
- Use hydroquinone
- Avoid unprotected sun exposure
- Avoid certain cosmetic treatments
You can generally get another superficial chemical peel every month to freshen up your results. If the chemical peel is very gentle, you may be able to come in every 10 to 14 days for a follow-up session. We can’t wait to craft a unique treatment plan to help you achieve your goals. If you’re in the Indian Harbour Beach or West Melbourne area contact The Refinery Medspa & Wellness and Skin & Body by The Refinery by using our simple online form. Alternatively, you can also call us at 321-341-3321 to reach us in West Melbourne, FL, or call us at 321-428-3004 to reach us in Indian Harbour Beach, FL. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for our latest deals and specials & events!
