IPL Q&A
54%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
302 Reviews
IPLbefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average IPL Cost: $550

Learn about IPL

1,146 people and 239 doctors are talking about IPL

Get Free Email Updates

Can I Get a Chemical Peel After IPL?

asked 3 years ago by Sarahndipity in Los Angeles
Latest answer by Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Question viewed 5,498 times

How soon after I get an IPL Photofacial can I get a peel done? And what kind of peel would you recommend? I just got an IPL done 2 days ago and am wondering if I can get a mild peel to assist in the process in the same week?

4 answers to Can I Get a Chemical Peel After IPL?

+3

IPL treatment 2 weeks after Chemical Peel

I would recommend to wait at lest two weeks, to give enough time for your skin to recover after the IPL. Try to be safe and choose a mild chemical peel, such as 15-20% glycolic or salicylic acid peels. Having a Chemical Peel 1-2 weeks before the IPL will be a good idea as well. When the skin is exfoliated, the light from the IPL will penetrate better and you will have a more beneficial treatment.
Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+2

Chemical Peel after IPL

The reason the other practitioners are suggesting a 2 week wait is that your skin has undergone some trauma during the IPL treatment. A chemical peel also causes some trauma by exfoliating the skin aggressively. Using two treatments very close together may cause too much irritation and some unintended side effects like raw skin or itching. Give yourself some time to heal from the IPL and then after 2 weeks feel free to get a chemical peel.
Harold J. Kaplan, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Give yourself about 2 week to heal after photofacial

Thank you for your question. I think it would be in your best interest to wait approximately 2 weeks before pursuing a chemical peel. Granted, IPL is not an invasive procedure and the downtime is minimal, but it does involve a degree of inflammation, and potentially crusting for freckles/lentigos. Adding to this inflammation with a chemical peel could theoretically result in much worse inflammation and potential hyperpigmentation (darkening) of the skin. The effects of your IPL will show... more
Don Mehrabi, MD

Beverly Hills Dermatologist
+1

I would wait 2 weeks

I would wait until the skin has fully healed from your IPL procedure and there is no residual inflammation, the reason being that doing another procedure that causes the skin to become inflamed soon places you at greater risk for pigmentary problems. This may be as early as 1 week, depending on how your skin recovers from the IPL treatment. I would start with a light chemical peel such as Jessner, glycolic acid, 10% TCA, or salicylic acid.
Bryan K. Chen, MD

San Diego Dermatologist

Ask a question