What is your post peel care?

Be gentle on your face and do not use harsh products. Make sure that what you do use is not only hypoallergenic, but also soothing. You can help speed up recovery by using an antioxidant moisturizer and eating lots of fruits and veg rich in antioxidants, particularly Vitamin C. Always ask your aesthetitian for product recommendations, but if you don't want to buy the really pricey cosmetics they are selling then just say that you want something cheap and natural.

One of the most important things you need to do after any peel is also to protect your skin from the sun, because if you don't, it can result in prolonged healing and even scabs and scarring. Wear the largest SPF you can find and just take care to not be out in the sun while you recover from your peel.

Hope that helps!

Web MD recommends:

• Wash the skin very often with the cleanser your provider recommends to you.
• Change the dressing on the wound (for deeper peels) as often as recommended. 
• Keep your skin well moisturized
• Be committed to avoiding the sun completely until the skin has healed. You will probably want to take time off work and stay indoors all the time, not just because of that but also because you will look, ehm, less than presentable. 

That's it. There are plenty of other tips floating around, but peels are serious business and I'm all for simply following the advice of medical professionals to ensure the best results here.

I'm with PINK, yeah, do what the doctor ordered and stick to it religiously, LOL. That includes, first and foremost, actually getting a doctor to do the peel for you and not going it alone as so many peeps seem to be doing right now. People have reported burns, scarring, scabs, serious redness and weird pigment issues because of doing their own peels. This can happen if you do have a peel done by a pro too, but you don't follow the aftercare instructions. Like sunscreen, people! And the deeper the peel, the more serious you gotta be about aftercare. You're getting the peel to look better, not worse!!!

So guys: the MAIN THING that your skin needs after any kind of chemical peel, but deeper peels in particular, is HYDRATION. Lots of it. A lack of hydration will promote redness, flaking and irritation. Some of that will happen anyway, but under-hydrate your skin, and you'll get a triple of quadruple dose of that stuff. Use a medical ointment designed for injured skin and NOT a commercial moisturizer that contains fragrances of any kind!!! This is very important. Some doctors will recommend hydrocortisone cream, others will have other suggestions. And STAY OUT OF THE SUN. But also, don't expose your skin to other harsh weather conditions like extreme cold and wind.

Thanks!!! That is the most useful thing I have read, probably because it did not occur to me that the main reason for peeling is that your skin gets dehydrated. Quite an eye opener really.

What medical ointments would you suggest then? Are you talking about creams used by people who have perhaps poured hot coffee on themselves, so for minor burns, really? Can you recommend any particular one?

About hydrocortisone I have heard it can cause some side effects. Is that true? What do other people here think about using hydrocortisone cream after a peel?

Post chemical peel skincare regime:

* Wear SPF
* Moisturize your skin but don't make your skin bathe in moisturizer... ask provider for details
* Products with soothing ingredients like chamomile are great for reducing redness
* Don't mess with your skin too much or you will irritate it further, wash no more than twice a day for sure

Don't exfoliate your skin, and don't go out in the sun too much or at all depending on the peel. Definitely don't pick scabs.