Peel Prep 101: How to Get Stunning Results from Your At-Home Chemical Peel
Follow your manual because the manual tells you this. It says you have two options. If you do dream peel one time only, or luminosity can be done three to five days. And then it says you cannot apply luminosity if you did a dream peel. That's it. Always read the manual. Everything is in the manual. Everything is addressed in the manual prep, post care times; everything is there.
So we have a lot of new customers finding our website and making purchases, and we just want to make sure that everybody is well informed of the safety and the protocols that we have in place for their safety.
Actually. Yes, safety and patience.
Patience.
Working up to prepping for the peel, doing the peel, aftercare, and that next peel. Not being too aggressive.
Absolutely. And waiting for the appropriate amount of time.
Yes.
So obviously, when you're ready to do a peel, it's not just a matter of grabbing a peel and doing it. We need to prep our skin, and to prep or prime your skin properly, you want to do this for a good four weeks. You want to get on a good regimen; you want to use an acid cleanser to take the dead skin off. You want to use an antioxidant so your skin is healthy. Is that mandatory for a peel? No, but we want your skin to be healthy an antioxidant. We want to use SPF 50 every single day, and we want you to have a retinoid in there. Now, if somebody is prone to hyperpigmentation and has skin that's Fitzpatrick four through six, it's mandatory to use a melanin inhibitor. If you have lighter skin, Fitzpatrick types one through three, your chances of getting PIH are much, much, much less. But you still could.
You can.
Yes. So it is best practice to use a melan inhibitor like our Fade Bright.
Correct.
So that's it. That's just a good regimen. Obviously, throw a moisturizer in there, but we want your skin to be healthy. We want your skin exfoliated. We want those retinoids so your skin's turning over quickly. So you're going to heal better when you do your peel. And we want you protected when you're going outside with things like antioxidants and SPF. Once you've done that for four weeks, people notice a transformation already in their skin.
Sure.
They're like, oh my gosh, all I've done is prep, and my skin is amazing. So obviously it's important to take that picture before you even start prepping.
Oh yeah, good idea.
But then, when we do a peel, we're all prepped. We want to stop using strong products like serum or serum 30 Tretinoin. Yeah. Our fusion A. Yes. Now, this does have granactive retinoid in it.
Okay.
Now that is the milder ester of Tretinoin, but it still could cause some irritation or sensitivity for some. So you should stop this at least three or four days prior to your peel. Two. I just want to throw that in there.
Suppose you're on the more sensitive side.
Yeah, some people are fine to use it up to that date. But if you are more sensitive, I would stop this, too. At least three, four days if you're having any kind of sensitivities. And let's just talk real quick about prep, making sure that you're not irritated and too dry. Let's start slow. In the group, we'll talk about this constantly. It's too much. We know what we want your regimen to be, but you might not be on that regimen fully, even when that first month is done, because people start a little bit too aggressively. There are a lot of acids. There's our acid cleanser that's going to make you dry for one to two weeks right off the bat. Just that one product. And that's just showing. It's working. It's taking the dead skin off. So the day you get your box, if you open it and start all five products at once, you're going to be sorry. You're going to be sorry, three, four days, you're going to be dry and red and irritated, and your skin's going to be burning. Start each product at least a few days before. Makes sense. Especially things like the Fade Bright, use that maybe every other day. See how that goes. Make sure you're not irritated or dry. Add in the vitamin C, and don't use too much Vitamin C.
Absolutely.
I keep saying like a half a pea size, very small. And then yeah, mix it with a water-based serum or mix it with the cream to dilute it. But that's an acid vitamin. An acid that can cause irritation. It might sting a little anyway, has a low pH level. That's normal. Fusion A: Any retinoid is going to cause sensitivity. I tell people, and it even says on the fusion bottle, you're starting this a couple of times a week and then adding on a day as your skin and tolerance allow, because you can't do a peel if your skin's all irritated and dry and flaky. Very true. So you have to work your way slowly in and if you start applying things that don't normally sting or burn, like let's say an eye cream, and all of a sudden you're applying your platinum eyes, and all of a sudden it's stinging and burning, and it's not the eye cream. It's likely overuse of, or the retinol is too strong.
Retinol.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yes. Fusion A will always cause sensitivity.
Dial it back.
They don't ever burn when you're applying them.
Right.
But everything else later on causes.
Right.
And a lot of times, the customers think it's the cleanser, they think it's the fade, Bri, they think it's something else. But then, when we dive into what they have and what they're using, almost always the culprit is overuse of the retinoid.
Yes. Yep. I agree. So we've got that covered. You have to do your prep. Do your prep, and slowly introduce the products individually. Make sure you're not having issues before you add the next one in. It could be a couple of weeks before you're using all the products. So your prep may be longer than the two to four weeks. It could be. It could be because we want your skin to be normal and healthy, and feel calm and moisturized before you do that peel. So no rushing, take your time.
Because they're only putting themselves at risk, and that's the thing, when I get the phone calls or the posts on the Facebook page, it's always, most of the time, they didn't want to. They were excited. They're excited, they're excited, they're excited. They're already feeling like, all I want to do is peel, and I'm doing this. And now, they're so regretful afterward, they say, Oh, I should have listened. But I was so excited and I just wanted to jump right in. And so please follow the protocols.
Yes. And be gentle and take your time.
Yes. So what percent, let's talk percentages. So what do we have here?
There's a seven upfront.
Okay. So, typical seven is great for sensitive skin types.
Yeah. We always used to say, well, we didn't have the seven a long time ago. We had the 13.
I love, I love the TCA seven.
I love the TCA seven. So, seven or 13 I always consider as first, and always a maximum of two layers. Your very first time.
I don't ever want somebody starting with a 20. I don't ever want you applying a 30. Just take your time. Start with a lower percentage. You will get peeling with a seven. This is not like a baby peel or anything like that. This is a great peel. I love the seven peel. It causes excellent flaking. Start with one to two layers. Okay, so what you just got is a little bit of light flaking. That's okay. Next time, you can add one additional layer. That is the protocol. Every time you do this peel, as long as you're not frosting all over where the skin turns white and blanches, you can add a layer if you want. That's not even mandatory. Some people are perfectly content with two layers of this, and they don't ever want to do more. That's like me. I'm good, I'm good. I don't want excessive. I like about two to three layers, and I will add a little bit of Dream Peel on top.
Yes. Well, let's just talk about that real quick. You don't want to buy these and then put them both on the first time you use 'em.
You have to try everything individually. Those are advanced peel options. When you're combining peels, Jessner and TCA, and dream peel, everything has to be done by itself at least once. How do you check your skin? How do you see how your skin is going to react?
Yeah, exactly. Once you've done them all separate, then you can start adding one on and doing more. But so back to this seven. When you're doing five plus layers, you can continue applying layers if you want. That's perfectly fine. You can apply, you can work out and put 10 layers on, or you can move to the 13. Your choice, once you're doing five layers consistently, you can move to the next percentage. Nice wet layers. Waiting for that full five minutes in between all of the things. Okay. Yeah. Not dripping, not too dry. If it's too dry, if you're ringing your G gauze out, you're barely going to get anything. Right. Because TCA works with a volume of solution you're applying, it has to use it up. It coagulates all those proteins in the skin. And if there's a lot of liquid, it's just going to keep going and keep going and keep going and keep going and keep going.
You want to try to get a nice, even layer.
Yes. So we get it wet. I like to fold it and just pitter-pat with my fingertips. I'm not ringing it out. Pitter-pat or shake. Shake is good to make sure nothing is dripping out once we get it there. That's perfect. That's wet but not dripping wet, then you can apply it. That is the perfect way. Too wet, too strong, too dry, not going to get it off.
Got it.
And then you want to work your way up to seven to 13. If you're putting five, six layers of the 13 on, you can work up to 20. Again, always start at one layer. Again, two layers maximum.
Let's just say we have a customer who does two layers of TCA 13, and they say, Oh, I didn't get hardly any peeling. They should then their next peel, move up the ladder, and apply more layers. Correct.
They should definitely apply another layer. But they should also firstly make sure that their gauze was the proper amount of wet. Yes. Go through their application.
They could have been too dry. They could have,
Right.
So it's not like they would immediately jump to a TCA 20.
No. And that happens.
Yes.
And this is what we're addressing today. Yes. Let's not be so aggressive. Let's not be in such a hurry to have a big, deep, crazy peel.
Yes.
I don't think that's the goal ever.
It is a controlled chemical burn. Let's be real. Let's be safe's an acid that you're putting on your skin to purposely damage that top layer. So to force it to shed quicker to stimulate collagen and all that in a safe manner. So if they follow the proper protocols, we can all achieve that. But when they jump ahead 10 steps and say, Oh, I did two layers of 13 and I didn't get any peeling, so now I did three layers of 20 and I am a mess. And you're right when you say you're jumping ahead 10 steps because I mean let's that 13 at one layer, 13 at two layers, 13 at three layers, at four layers, at five layers, at five steps there. Oh no, you just jumped to 20. We weren't even supposed to get to one layer at 20 yet. And you're putting on three layers. So now you're on step nine when you should be back here at three or four, and the more layers, equal more flaking. So you were going to get a better peel the next time you did it. Always stay consistent with that asset.
You're going to get better peeling with more layers of a lower percent.
And it's safer to put yourself at risk and jump up to the next percentage.
Yeah. That's when things happen where, oh, someone let's say starts peeling on day two, and a big chunk comes off, and then it's a pink area. Okay, well, what did you put on? Well, I put a TCA 23 layer. I'm like, oh my gosh, that is just too strong. I don't know many people who work up to that. People who are doing peels and they're just doing them as a lifelong journey for their skin. They’re not in any kind of race to get to that 20 and be putting multiple layers. The people who do this for the longest amount of time are usually somewhere in 13, maybe three, four layers.
Yeah, exactly.
They're not trying to take everything off.
A dream peel.
Yes. Yep. Dream peel is an excellent way to get a more aggressive peel without going too far with the percentages.
One other thing we should talk about is post-peel. A lot of times, they will do something aggressive, and they're seeing more peeling, and they're like, I have a wedding on Saturday. I need to peel this off now.
So they can, but you can't. Well, that's too bad. You shouldn't have done this peel. Right. If you have an event coming up in any time, less than two or three weeks, you should not do it. If someone's like, I have eight days, don't do it. Do not force that skin to come off. Do not do it prematurely because it was going to look so angry underneath and red, and you're going to have all kinds of other,
It could be no cover that up, and you're going to look terrible that day. Yeah. It's really not good. So, really, just let that skin stay on as is. As long as it can. Keep it hydrated. Follow the protocols and don't force things to happen quicker. Your skin's going to take, it's going to be two weeks, two weeks before you look lovely again.
Yeah. Three to five days to start flaking a little dry after, and another three to five days to finish. That's six days, which would be very short for sure to 10 days. And I talk to people and see people and even myself, I've gone past 10 days. Oh, for sure. Around the hairline. A couple of little dry spots that are just lingering. Okay. Well, that's when you get the der zyme enzyme mask. And of course, don't be scared to use a washcloth. I tell people that once you've really been flaking, good. Use a washcloth. Let that washcloth get some of that dead skin off.
Yeah. That's where most of the don't peel it.
Yeah. That's where most of it’s going to exfoliate when you're cleansing.
Yeah.
Yep. For sure.
And then let's talk about post-care. So there are a couple of things. It’s when you have your acid and your peel is done, and you've rinsed it off, it's a special miracle time where you can put some products on, maybe some peptides, your fade bright, you can put some things on, and it's just a magical time. It's going to penetrate lovely. And then you put your healing products on top. Generally, that first day is kind of it. And then your skin starts to dry and tighten, and it feels almost kind of like thick, and it's going to peel in a few days. Now, everything isn't going to penetrate.
Well, no.
Now we used to kind of say you could continue applying Fade BRI at this time, but I think we're finding that people are just doing this far too aggressively. They're putting it on every single day, and then it's causing irritation, and it's not penetrating through that plasticy type of way.
Yeah.
Day one is irritating. As long as it's not irritating, you can apply it. Day two, if it's not irritating, you can apply it, but I don't think most people are going to. We want you to concentrate after that first day with all your healing products. Emu Oil, healing oil, PDRN, things like that. Epidermal growth factors, hyaluronic, lots of things like that. Soothing, calming, healing, regenerating type things. Don't go crazy. Don't put on any acids. Don't put on Tretinoin, no serum 15, nothing like that. You can use your cleansers as long as they don't bother you. We do have two peel boosters. We touch base on the dream peel. Peel, luminosity. Luminosity.
Yes. So, one time only for the dream peel. That's another thing.
Yes.
If you were to wash your peel off, or in the case of JA, or let's say it's still on your face, you can put your dream peel on, leave that on for six hours or so. Wash it off if you have luminosity that can be applied every day, because we're trying to encourage excess dryness, excess peeling with that. You could put that on once per day until your skin starts to flake. You might get three, four days out of that. That's it. And you could still put your healing oils right on top of luminosity. And that's only going to go on like TCA and ner. So let's say we're doing our mild peels, glycolic, mandelic, salicylic, and lactic. I mean, those don't, we're not putting anything else. You don't need a peel booster because they're formulated. Just peel, not to see visible. No. Yeah. So that's the beauty of that peel is there is no downtime. Exactly. So it doesn't make sense to put a peel booster on something that's not really intended to peel, and it's just going to irritate your skin for sure because you're only targeting that upper layer with those acids.
I get that question a lot.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not necessary. You don't want to put a dream peel on top of a mandelic. You want to put Luminosity on top of mandelic or glycolic. They're just going to cause irritation.
You're better off just putting your healing products, letting them gently, lightly slough off over the next five days, because that's a little quicker peel for most people, lighter.
And most importantly, they need to weigh the appropriate amount of time to do their next peel.
Yes. Yeah.
Look at the guidelines in the peel manual.
Those are there, and they're very important.
Yeah. You don't have to memorize them there. They’re going to the Mendel section. It will tell you five minutes this time, 10 minutes next time, and you can do another peel in. And within one to two weeks, that just made me think of something. There is always a question. If I'm doing a peel every week, well, how can I use my retinoids? Well, you really couldn't. Right. You wouldn't have any time if you've got to stop 'em for four days prior to your peel. So the best thing to do is to do a peel every other week. So if we're doing, let's say we do our mandelic 40 this week, you're going to peel for maybe have a little bit of dryness. Let's say three to five, six days, you're done. Okay. Well, now you can start using your products again. So start using your retinoid for a couple of days. Get two, three days out of that. And then you're going to need to stop before you do your next peel. Exactly. So that's the best way to do it. So you're at least getting probably about three days of application, then you're going to stop, then your peel's going to happen, and you start up again. So do every other week. I just thought that might be another.
Yeah, I had
That's a common one.
Yeah. Common question. And then you get people on both sides of the fence. People who have very hearty skin, who do it right up until,
Yes. They stop their retinoids. The day before, I could do a day or two later, start right back up with no issues. But then you have somebody on the other end of the spectrum who has more sensitive skin, and you're better off alternating. Yes, for sure. Yes.
Yes.
Absolutely.
But I think that's, can you think of anything else?
That was a good one at the end there. Big. Yeah, that was the big one. And then the dream peel. One time only, I had a client's email, and she did a TCA of some sort and then didn't think she had a lot of peelings and then did the peel the next day again, and then put dream pill on and then put dream pill on for two more days after that. And now her skin is super wrinkly.
Oh boy.
It's going to exfoliate, but it’s just really irritating to the skin. The peel goes on one time. It's a one-time peel event.
If a few acids aren't going on at this particular minute apart, no, it can't go on the next day. No, it can't go in any other time. Today is peel day. This hour that we have. We're doing our peel, and once that timeframe is gone, we're all done.
And where the confusion comes into play with the dream peel is a little bit, because you can do that as a standalone peel.
It is a standalone peel. You can do it one day, two days or three days or three days. So they combine that somehow with the peel booster. But no, with two separate. Two separate applications.
Correct. So yeah, if you're going to do it on its own and follow your manual, because the manual does tell you this. It says you have two options. If you do dream peel one time only, or luminosity can be done three to five days. And then it says you cannot apply luminosity if you did a dream peel. That's it. Always read the manual. Everything is in the manual. Everything is addressed in the manual prep, post care times. Everything is there.
Yes.
There's no need to remember it. Don't even ask anybody. Just open your manual. It's right there.
And the dream peel has a nice card in there, and it shows you everything that you need to know, and basically, follow the instructions. You don't have to do three days; start with one or two.
Start with one day.
Yeah. And on your neck, mix it. Follow the directions. Mix it or don't put it on at all. Yeah.
Yeah. Because the neck and décolleté are so sensitive,
It's got a delayed reaction to it. So a lot of times, they three days will put it on for that first day and go, oh, I have felt absolutely nothing. And then they do it the next day, and then they do it the third day, and then by the fifth day, everything burns. Everything
Burns. I have my face down on fire.
Yeah, it would be like that too if you had just done it two days ago. Yes. You'll get great results. Start with one to two days, and then you’ve got to get a baseline. How is your skin going to react?
Yeah, absolutely.
Perfect. Good. We’ve covered a lot of things.
We did for all our faux PAs, and how tos.
Platinum protocols.
Then, follow it.
