Face Red and Burning During Exercise (Couple of Days After Getting a Chemical Peel)?

Your skin is very new and vulnerable after a peel. When you work out your body gets hot and produces sweat; both of these factors can cause a burning sensation and irritation to the skin. Heat in the skin can also cause post inflammatory hyper pigmentation (darkening of the skin) so it is best to avoid working out for a week after a deep peel or a few days if your peel is lighter. Make sure to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from further damage.

After a chemical peel your skin is vulnerable and should be treated gently until the skin heals; this process taking longer with stronger peels. Even with a lighter peel, patients are advised to not let water run directly over the area and to not submerge skin in water. Perspiration itself can sometimes irritate the skin more because of its water and mineral content.

 

I would suggest avoiding exercise until your skin is healed and when in doubt, give you’re treating physician a call to confirm. In addition, try to use a gentle cleanser and moisturizer during the healing process, especially avoiding those with fragrances as those can also be irritating. “Dr. D”

Sweat is acidic and irritates and burns the fragile skin after any type of chemical peel.  The deeper the peel, the longer you need to avaid exercise and sweating.

You should be very gentle with your skin after any type of peel.  The stronger the peel, the longer it takes for the skin to heal.  You should avoid any strenuous activity until your skin has fully recovered.  Any activity that will make you hot, such as exercise or hot showers, will dilate the blood vessels in your skin and cause redness.  Wash carefully, use gentle products and avoid the sun.  If you have any concerns, please visit the doctor who performed the peel. 

While it would be helpful to know what type of peel you had (70% what?), generally-speaking, I tell all my chemical peeling patients to avoid exercise until the skin has recovered.  The skin is very sensitive after a peel and sweat can easily irritate it and delay the healing. Redness after a peel is expected but could also easily be exacerbated by the enhanced blood flow through the vessels secondary to exercise. Continue with your gentle skin care regimen and avoid exercise and sun until your skin has healed from the peel.

After a chemical peel, layers of dead skin which make up part of the skin's normal barrier start to shed.  New skin cells are "exposed", vulnerable and requires gentle care and caution.  Excess sweat and wiping of sweat from exercise, especially after such a strong chemical peel can cause irritation and worsened redness. I suggest you avoid exercising and make up for a week, cleanse with non-soap cleanser twice daily, hydrate your skin at least twice daily, and wear broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 30 for normal daily activities.