What can I use to help get rid of the burn? (Photo)

Question

I put on a treatment for acne called “clean and clear” advantage acne spot treatment, it uses 2% salicylic acid and it burnt my cheeks. I dont know what to do it hasnt went away. Its been 5 days. My skin is starting to peel.

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Hello! I'm Landry - an aesthetician at Shah Aesthetics both in the Chicago and Winnetka area. While looking over the ingredients in the product that you used, there are a couple of ingredients that could have caused this. The first one is the active ingredient, Salicylic acid. While this BHA is a great exfoliant for acne prone skin, at 2% it can indeed cause irritation. Three others that stuck out to me were the additions of Witch Hazel, Alcohol and fragrances. These are prone to causing irritation, especially in inflamed skin.

My recommendations are: Avoid exfoliants until your skin barrier has repaired itself and use barrier repairing products. Barrier repairing products include ceramides and niacinamide (between 2-5%). Both will repair and help support the skin barrier without causing further irritations and breakouts.

Deborah M. Longwill, DO · Answer

Hello and thank you for sharing. For the next couple of days, be very gentle with your skin, a gentle cleanser, OTC Silver Curad (for burns) and SPF. You may also want to seek the advice from a local, board certified dermatologist. Best of luck.

Karthik Ram, MRCS, DNB · Answer

Hi, I am sorry that you have developed this. There are many ways to protect your affected skin. Use a nice emollient , may be something with allantoin to calm the irritated skin. Protect it with a nice SPF to avoid further complications. Kindly meet your dermatologist or a cosmetic surgeon for evaluation.  Hope this will help you.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist. I recommend Silagen + Bioshield to promote healing. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

What can I use to help get rid of the burn? (Photo)

Answers (4)

Answer: See a Cosmetic Dermatologist for after care--burn after acne spot treatment

Answer: See a Cosmetic Dermatologist for after care--burn after acne spot treatment

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Salicylic Peel

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

What can I use to help get rid of the burn? (Photo)

Answers (4)

Answer: See a Cosmetic Dermatologist for after care--burn after acne spot treatment

Answer: See a Cosmetic Dermatologist for after care--burn after acne spot treatment

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Salicylic Peel

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.