Your skin protects you against harmful bacteria and other environmental factors. It can also impact your appearance and self-esteem.
Unfortunately, several factors can ruin your skin and negatively affect your self-confidence. While home skin care treatments can help, they don’t always guarantee clear, youthful skin. For this reason, you must invest in chemical peels.
If you want to regain better skin, this article will explain what you should avoid and do before a chemical peel.
Schedule Your Pre-treatment Exam
Before committing to this treatment, you must let a dermatologist examine your skin’s texture, thickness, and tone to determine if a chemical peel can help you get the desired results. Your doctor will also educate you about the different stages of the treatment process and can answer your questions.
Moreover, you should disclose all health and skin conditions and medications to your dermatologist for health and safety reasons.
When Am I Not Qualified for a Chemical Peel?
You can’t get chemical peels if you have a history of keloids, unusual skin pigmentations, and severe or recurring cold sore outbreaks. You also can’t qualify if you have extreme medical conditions.
3 Things to Avoid Before a Chemical Peel
After discussing what to expect at a pre-treatment exam, here’s what to avoid before getting a chemical peel.
1. Sun Exposure
Before getting a chemical peel, you must limit exposure by avoiding the sun for at least ten days before the treatment. However, if you must go outside, apply sunscreen and minimize the time spent in the sun.
2. Certain Medications
Before getting a chemical peel, inform your dermatologist if you’re taking contraceptives, anti-allergy medications, antibiotics, tranquilizers, water pills, and oral diabetes medicine. You should also disclose if you’re taking photosynthesizing drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, acne medications, coal tar, or psoralens because they can interfere with the peel’s acids and may inflame your skin after sunlight exposure.
Moreover, you must postpone your treatment if you have used these medications in the past six months.
3. Skin Treatments
Avoid tanning, chemical hair removal treatments or waxing, and chemical injections like Botox for at least two to three weeks, five to seven days, and one week, respectively. You should also wait at least two weeks after your previous chemical peel or microdermabrasion treatment.
5 Things to Do Before a Chemical Peel
Here are five good habits to do before a chemical peel.
1. Take Your Antiviral Medications
Before your chemical peel, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medications, such as Acyclovir or Valacyclovir, especially if you have recurring cold sores in or around your mouth. Take Acyclovir two days to a week before treatment and Valacyclovir two days before and ten to 14 days after the peel.
2. Take Antibiotics
Doctors may also recommend taking antibiotics before and after a deep peel treatment as a precaution for patients with pre-existing conditions to protect them from the risk of infection.
3. Use Your Prescribed Lotions or Creams
Your dermatologist may prescribe a moisturizing lotion before treatment, like glycolic acid for light peels or Retin-A or tretinoin for light or medium peels, to help speed up the healing process.
4. Use a Bleaching Agent
Your doctor may recommend you combine a retinoid cream with a bleaching agent like hydroquinone to reduce the chances of skin darkening during treatment. They usually recommend this for patients with darker skin tones.
5. Let Someone Bring You Home
If you’re getting a deep peel, your dermatologist may need to sedate you to help the chemical penetrate your skin’s deeper layers. You can stay safe by letting a trusted companion drive you home after the procedure.
Conclusion
Chemical peels can help people regain their clear and youthful skin. You can get the best results from this treatment by consulting your dermatologist and knowing what to do and avoid before the procedure.
If you need chemical peels in Greenwood Village, CO, visit Elixir Med Spa! We established our business in 2018 to boost our clients’ confidence. Book your appointment now!