Down time for a peel

Lifestyle Wedding, Fashion & Beauty
1

Those of you who do peels on a regular basis, how do you handle the down time?

I did a peel couple months back during the summer and my face kept peeling for over a week (something I hadn’t anticipated). Now I want to do one again but there has been something or another almost every single weekened since Ramadan and obvioulsy I can’t go in front of people with a post peel face.

How do you girls handle the down time after a peel and how long do you normally peel for?

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Re: Down time for a peel

I've never had a peel done :(

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Re: Down time for a peel

Post peel I moisturize a lot, wear sunscreen and don't touch my face. I have peeled a lot in the past but I noticed if I touched my face less, the peeling was less obvious.

I haven't done a peel in a while though and might do one if I find the one I am looking for.

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Re: Down time for a peel

Depends on the peel and its strength. Something like a TCA peel will have a longer down-time....about 3-4 days.

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Re: Down time for a peel

While my face is "healing", I only put on sunscreen/moisturizer and leave my face alone as much as possible. Even when my face isn't actually peeling....3-4 days after a peel...I leave it alone (just b/c you can't see it peel, doesn't mean it doesn't need time to heal). I "schedule" my peels around "special events" to make sure my face will be healed by that time.

That being said....if you don't want obvious "peeling" of the skin....then choose a milder peel. Lactic & Mandelic Acid should not make you skin "peel". With Glycolic, don't leave it on for too long. I've done Glycolic where I didn't peel at all....and where I did peel....the difference was the amount of time I left it on.

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Re: Down time for a peel

I find Vitamin E cream really helpful, I schedule one when i'm off for atleast 5 days and I just stay indoors. I always have sunblock on though.. no facewash etc. either.

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Re: Down time for a peel

wt is basic purpose of such peel. and is it llike facial which clears the skin or no/

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Re: Down time for a peel

Girls, I need to know what brands of peels you use on a regular basis? Tried and tested products only, please. Some of you had given links to websites in the other peels thread but can you please recommend a particular glycolic acid peel (20-30%) that works well? Do you a buy a kit that has a prep cleanser, peel and a neutralizer? On that note, anyone ever used baking soda in water to neutralize the peel?

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Re: Down time for a peel

MUAC. I've used their Glycolic, Salicylic, and Lactic Acid Peel. I also have their Glycolic Body Lotion and Argan Oil. Makeupalley.com also has a lot of user reviews on their peels.

If this is your 1st time doing a peel, start with the lowest concentration. I believe in MUAC, 30% is the lowest.

MUAC kits come with pre-prep cleansar. I only use it b/c it comes with it.

I don't "buy" any neutralizer. I use baking soda. When I'm ready to neutralize, I just take the baking soda and pat it all over my face directly. Personally, I don't mix it with water BUT I've read user reviews on Makeupalley where others have done this.

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Re: Down time for a peel

so what is the down time? 5 days? I haven't had it done because I don't have that kind of down time.

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Re: Down time for a peel

Thou art awesome :kiss:

Njgal, it depends on how strong the peel is. For a 20%, you shouldn’t have any problem going to work the following day. For a 70%, it may take 2 weeks or more.

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Re: Down time for a peel

"Downtime" refers to how long it takes your skin to fully recover from the peel. This doesn't necesarily mean that you can't go on with your normal daily activities.

With milder peels such as Lactic, Mandelic, Glycolic....if the % is lower and you don't keep it on for too long....then your skin might be a bit pinkish/reddish for a day or two...and may be a bit flaky. You just need to be diligent about applying sunscreen and moisturizer. But you can still continue to go to work or do whatever else you do on a daily basis.

Now with much stronger peels such as TCA....people get something called "frosting". This can also happen with Glycolic or Salicylic peels if you're not careful and leave it on for too long. In this case...the skin turns white during the peel. That means there was actually a burn. The parts that turn white (ie. "frost"), will turn leathey/scabby and peel off. This can take a few days...upto a week. This is generally when people want to take a few days to stay in the house since the skin that's frosted looks pretty horrible until it peels. Again this is a CHOICE. It doesn't mean that you can't continue going to work or doing other activities....but most prefer not to since their face looks like crap.

** On a side note, I experienced frosting with Salicylic peel 2 years ago on one of my cheeks. It was unintentional on my part (I left the peel on for too long). Although I continued going to work while "recovering" (I had no choice since the frosting wasn't planned!)....I will say that I can see why people choose to recover at home. All my co-workers were literally horrified when they saw my face with the huge scab/burn on my cheek!

But with the milder peels such as Lactic, Mandelic...and even with Glycolic (in lower %)...you should be fine. :) I did a 40% Lactic Peel 2 weeks ago with no issues (face was a little pink for 2 days and a little flaky for about 4 days).

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Re: Down time for a peel

I am on day 2 post peel. Very little peeling so far. Did 2 layers of TCA 12.5% for 10 mins altogether.

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I did a 40% glycol peel yesterday first time. Haven't noticed any difference :-/ I felt a little stingy at the time but don't feel my skin has reacted at all. Maybe it just tolerated it well and I could have left it on longer. Hmmm...feel like doing it again, I want results!

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Re: Down time for a peel

Kinda off topic question, but still relevant. What's the pain factor with a stronger peel (eg glycolic 25-35%)? Right now I'm using I think 10% but it works just like a chemical exfoliant than anything else and it doesn't hurt at all, but someone said that a stronger peel hurts. So does it?

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Re: Down time for a peel

Wow....I've heard similar experiences on a FEW users on MakeupAlley. That's some tough skin! :)

Did you get any frosting during the peel? Is this your 1st TCA?

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Re: Down time for a peel

How long did you leave the peel on for? Personally, I never notice any major difference after one peel. When I did glycolic peels years ago....for me personally, it took like 3-4 peels before I saw any major difference.

Depending on how long you left the peel on for....yes....your skin may be "tough" and able to tolerate longer time OR stronger %.

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Re: Down time for a peel

Glycolic 40% is a mild peel and should not "hurt" at all. Your face will feel tingly...and that tingly sensation could be intense depending on the skin sensitivity or how long you leave it on for....but there should not be any "pain".

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Re: Down time for a peel

Nope no frosting and this is my 2nd time in the last couple months. When I did it before I think I left it on for more than 10 mins and I peeled all over the face for 8 plus days. I was hoping to see similar results but I guess 10 mins wasn't enough. Next I am thinking of going for 3 layers. I wonder how long I should leave it on for????

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Re: Down time for a peel

http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=56257/TCA-Peel/Makeup-Artist-s-Choice-(MUAC)-/Treatments

I highly recommend you read the reviews on the link. I’ve never done TCA myself so don’t want to give you any “wrong” advice. But on the reviews, it seems some people peel several days after the peel.

You can either leave it on for longer OR consider moving up to a stronger % (18 is the next level I think). It seems like you know what you’re doing…3 layers may not be a bad idea.