Does Your Skin Have to Be Pre-treated for a Chemical Peel?

or with a light/superficial peel, like glycolic or salicylic acid can you do it right away?

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5 Doctor Answers | Asked by Chris22 in Toronto, Ontario

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Pretreating Peels

Pretreating the skin (usually with retin-A) before peels accomplishes two things: first it thins the epidermis and allows the peel to penetrate deeper and more evenly, and second it suppresses melanocyte pigment production so that the skin is less likely to hyperpigment in response to the peel. The first part of pretreatment (thinning the epidermis) can be accomplished mechanically by dermaplaning (essentially shaving) the skin) and is integrated into immediate peels in... more

Skin preparation prior to chemical peel

No, you do not have to do anything prior to a chemical peel. With that being said, it also depends on what your goals. If you have a lot of sun damage, I would recommend starting a "skin brightening" regimen approximately 4 weeks prior to peel. 3 weeks on and stop 1 week before. This will help prep your skin so that the chemical peel can penetrate. Again, there is no right way or wrong way. I would recommend seeing a paramedical aesthetician so... more

No, it doesn't but....

For a light peel with glycolic or salicylic acid, you do not need to really prep. As said before, Retin-A can be used sometimes to augment the effect of the peel.

Prep for a light chemical peel

These can be administered with little to no prep but Retin-A is always a reasonable adjunct. Avoidance of sun prior and subsequent to the treatment is important.