The Best Time To Get a Peel

There are times in our lives where we want to see a professional for professional results. When our skin needs a little extra TLC, a peel can be the perfect treatment for most skin types.  Peels can help with many conditions such as acne and hyperpigmentation.

Now, for those who cringe a bit at the phrase "acid peels", I'd like to clear a few misconceptions up. The first time I received an acid peel I was terrified that my skin would crust up like a bad sunburn and peel up like lizard skin.  Boy, was I ever surprised!  Unless you are getting a dermatologist strength peel at a dermatologist's office, most peels are superficial.  This means that they only work on the top few layers of the skin.

In fact, the word "acid" itself can be very misleading.  Estheticians do not pour boiling vats of acids on their clients faces like old Batman movies.  No, the types of acids that are found in an esthetician's room are much gentler, and the kind found in my room are straight from natural sources.  These peels are also referred to as "chemical peels".

Believe it or not, natural substances are chemical compounds.  For example Hydrogen is H, and water is H2O but both are found in nature.  The difference between the chemical makeup of, say, lavender and plastic is that lavender is a natural substance while plastic is a synthetic substance.  You can have a chemical acid peel exfoliation that is genuinely from nature, like lactid acid from milk or malic acid from apples.  These are the types of peels that I prefer and use on my clients as the synthetic ones can have all sorts of buffers and preservatives that can do more damage than good.

One very common contraindication for peels is facial waxing.  Waxing thins the skin.  You wouldn't want to have acids eat away at anything more than the first few layers of skin, and if they are already gone from waxing, it is best to wait a few days to a week.

As far as the sun goes, it is very important to limit sun exposure after any exfoliation especially a peel or microderabrasion.  When the skin is thin, and the new skin cells are closer to the surface, they are very susceptible to sun damage.  It would be very counterproductive  to get a brightening peel to help with hyperpigmentation from sun damage and then go out in the sun and get even more sun damage.

When is the best time to get a peel?  Any time you don't have contraindications and are not going to be out in the sun.  The best time of year, for the most part, is the cool months when staying out of the sun is easy to manage.

Recommendations: For a professional treatment like a peel, you should seek out a professional esthetician.  Make sure you are getting your treatments from well-educated professionals that listen to you and your skin's needs.