How much downtime should you expect following a facial peel?

March 25, 2015
By: Jason Pozner, MD
The Plastic Surgery Channel

We now know with scientific backing what we’ve always assumed: taking care of your skin now, will dramatically affect how it appears in the future.  Beyond the basics like moisturizers and face wash, chemical peels offer great results at cleansing and rejuvenating the skin. A would-be peel patient asks The Plastic Surgery Channel about the recovery following a peel, and whether or not the treatment will have her looking her best for social engagements soon after the procedure:

Q –“I will be attending my nephew’s wedding in early May.  This is like a mini reunion with lots of family we haven’t seen in years.  I have a 35% TCA peel scheduled for April 7th on my under eyes, nose and chin areas. Know most of the medical and physician’s sites say by two weeks you should be good to go with sunscreen and makeup, maybe a little concealer.  Then I have been reading some blogs and find that it could be up to six MONTHS before the healing process and skin tone is normal!! Yikes, should I cancel and reschedule?? Is a month enough? I have fair skin, freckled, blue eyes and use Retin A almost every day to keep my rosacea at bay.”

                    A – Jason Pozner, MD

“The beauty about weddings is that most women wear makeup and that minor skin blemishes and pigment are easily covered up. It may take up to a few months for skin tone to be normal following a 35% TCA peel – or a deep laser,  for that matter – but you should be fine and able to wear makeup at 2 weeks after the procedure. You may be a little pink around the eyes at the time of the wedding but this is easily concealed. If I were you I would go through with the procedure at the time planned.”