What is a Chemical Peel?
If you’ve never had a chemical peel before, you may be wondering what this treatment even is. Simply speaking, chemical peels are exactly what their name suggests. They are facial treatments that use chemicals (commonly-used ingredients include salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or trichloroacetic acid) to peel layers of skin, revealing healthy, new skin below. There are many different types of chemical peels. Peels range from very light peels to improve uneven skin tone to a stronger chemical peel that goes deeper to address fine lines, wrinkles, and acne.

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What are the side effects and downtime of a chemical peel?
Each person will react differently to skin treatments of all kinds, but for the most part, the side effects following chemical peels should be mild and healing should be completed within two weeks.

A common recovery timeline may look like:

• First few hours – you’ll notice some redness, tingling, or burning

• First few days – you may notice some dryness, irritation, and mild swelling

• Two to Three days – your skin may look flaky or peel, and discolorations or imperfections may temporarily be more noticeable

• Three to four days – you may breakout or notice skin looks tan or slightly darker than usual

• Five to seven days – all side effects should start to subside, and your skin should begin to look and feel normal.