Peels & Micro needling: How to care for your skin before and after our treatment
My Premium Luxe Facials that include micro needling and a chemical peel with customized intensity are designed to target collagen growth in multiple ways: chemical peels like TCA and Jessner are the most collagen promoting treatments you can have with an esthetician or physician, and their recovery can look like anything from slightly scaly dry skin for a couple days that sheds almost like dried glue peeling off skin, to a thick, darkened layer of skin that will take up to 10 days to gradually shed to reveal brighter skin. In some cases, deeper peels will even result in the new skin being temporarily darker or flushed, and requires additional after care products.
Microneedling physically targets collagen, and we will use a custom blend of micro-injections, such as neuro-peptides Argireline and SN-KE which have a “Botox” like effect, antioxidants, collagen, stem cells, “face lift” amino DMAE and beyond in a suspension of hyaluronic acid, the most potent hydrator known to science. This will actually typically speed up recovery, and the immediate “down time” typically looks like 8-48 hours of swelling.
I love combining both of these treatments, because it allows us to target texture, pigmentation, fine lines, acne marks, and beyond in a way that is completely customized to what the individual client needs and is comfortable with in regards to recovery time.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR SKIN AFTERwards
Do not sweat, or take a hot shower/steam for 24-48 hours. Your skin is metabolizing the microinjections of vitamins, collagen, and peptides we have delivered to the deep layers of your dermis for about 24 hours, and heat can cause inflammation and lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Ideally avoid the sun, but re-apply a physical (zinc or titanium) SPF every 2 hours if you will be outside or near a window.
Reapply the recovery serum I will give you after your peel until you are done seeing shedding skin for 24 hours. During this recovery time we are essentially “evicting” the top layer of skin, and it’s crucial to recovery that you only use healing products that promote hydration. Your routine will be very simple: gentle cleansing (if needed), sunblock, and recovery serum. I often recommend Night Light as a recovery cream as it’s rich plant butter profile and 10% niacinamide assure bright, hydrated new skin. Recovery truly vary from 4-14 days, but is typically resolved in a week.
Resist the urge to “help” peeling skin and see what is under your shedding skin. As we are told as children “scabs are nature’s bandages” and what your are seeing are essentially thin scabs, which are crucial to assuring proper recovery. Prematurely peeling away at dead skin can result in stubborn hyperpigmentation, redness, and even infections.
How to prepare for optimal results
Discontinue tretinoin, retinol, and AHAs (glycolic acid, lactic acid and other exfoliating acids) ideally for 4 days or more prior to treatment.
If you have melanated skin (Fitzpatrick scale 4-6), it’s ideal to be on a melanin inhibitor for at least 30 days such as hydroquinone and/or Night Light to avoid post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
It is not advised to get a chemical peel or if you are on antibiotics, Accutane, or pregnant and breast feeding. If you’re on medications or herbs you’re uncertain of, ask your physician if a chemical peel is safe for you to be sure.
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER OUR TREATMENT
Moderate recovery from a peel and microneedling characterized by white flaking skin, Deeper treatments will incur thicker, darker/brown sheets of skin and more sensitive and vascular/red new skin.
You will typically leave with fresh and rosy skin, and you will not see signs of recovery until 12-72 hours after our treatment. Because we customize the intensity of your treatment to your goals and what you are comfortable with, recovery looks vastly different person to person. Recovery typically looks like very dry dead skin waiting to slough off for 1-2 days, and visibly shedding skin can appear scaly and white, to dark red or brown depending on the intensity of our treatment, your age, your skin’s individual chemistry, and how dry your skin is. Despite perceptions, sensitive skin does not mean you’ll have a more visibly dramatic recovery. In some cases, you will experience swelling or purging (superficial break outs) that are temporary and healthy, and typically last less than 2-3 days. Your skin will also feel warm and flush to the touch. The most important factors are to keep it protected, hydrated, and not assist in any peeling.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS & MYTHS
Stronger isn’t always better: Peels and micro needling give optimal results with the proper balance of intensity for the individual, as they both rely on different types of micro injuries to encourage collagen growth. When the pandemic was on the horizon, many of my clients requested I go “as strong as possible”, but this won’t yield better results. Just as over-exerting your muscles with an extreme work out won’t turn you into a fitness model in one week, but rather have you unable to properly walk for some time, a peel that is too intense can result in damaged tissue and prolonged sensitivity rather than looking 10 years younger. This is often where “peels gone wrong” stories come from: a facialist, nurse, or physician will choose to perform too many layers, or use too strong of a percentage in hopes of stellar results.
Sensitive skin can safely get chemical peels & micro needling: If your skin is sensitive or reactive to certain products or ingredients, it actually has little impact on how your skin will handle a peels and micro needling, because these treatments are simply creating a cellular response in your skin. Despite the term “peel”, we are not removing layers of skin in the treatment, but encouraging new collagen to form in the deeper layers, which will actually make your skin stronger and less sensitive in the long run. This is also why you leave looking glowing, and recovery and peeling does not show case itself until a day or more later. However, if you have eczema, peri oral dermatitis, or inflammation, you should always assure these conditions have subsided before getting a peel.
Deep peels don’t always have dramatic shedding: If you are over 55, or have experienced menopause, you will typically experience vastly less shedding than someone who is younger. Some people experience almost no shedding from the deepest of peels.
Peels can be more effective than laser for hyperpigmentation: It’s often assumed because lasers are performed under the supervision of a physician and involve advanced equipment that they are the most impactful choice for sun damage, melasma, and acne scars. Lasers are often used with much caution on melanated skin as they are more likely to cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation than peels for a longer duration. It’s crucial that if you have skin prone to hyper-pigmenting from trauma, the professional performing your laser understands how to treat your skin, as much like peels, balance is key. The Ultrabeam Facial uses a cool beam (diode) laser, and I typically prefer a balance of treatments involving lasers, micro needling, peels for dun damaged or hyper pigmented skin, and will refer out to for more intense lasers performed by a physician for the proper client in conjunction with seeing me for the treatments I offer as a medical esthetician.
As always, I encourage correspondence after all facials and my clients are welcomed to text or email me with photos of their recovery for feedback to assure they are following the right protocol for optimal results. The most direct way to reach me is via text at 310-923-2930.