Immediately following a moderate-deep to deep chemical peel, your face will be quite swollen and your eyes may be swollen shut. You’ll need someone to care for you for a day or two. Your plastic surgeon will probably recommend a soft diet and caution you to take it easy, as well as not talk too much. A mild pain medication will be prescribed.
Swelling and crusting of the skin are normal and to be expected. You may be given an ointment to apply to your skin for seven to 10 days following surgery to keep it supple and to aid healing.
A TCA peel usually results in swelling and blisters that scab over. Most patients can resume their normal activities in a week to ten days when the rawness has subsided and new skin has emerged. Your fresh skin will be pinkish, finer, and free of many wrinkles. The TCA peel does not bleach the skin; your new skin will be able to produce pigment again—it will tan, in other words. It is important that you avoid exposure to the sun for several months after the procedure to protect the newly formed layers of skin. Using a sunblock is essential.
You may need two or more TCA peels to achieve the look you want.
With a phenol peel, new skin will begin to form in about seven to ten days. Your face will be very red at first, gradually fading to a pinkish color over the following weeks. By the end of four weeks, the redness should be faded to pink. To protect this delicate new skin, a sunblock must be used at all times to avoid ending up with blotchy, unevenly colored skin.
After about two weeks, your skin will be healed enough so that you can resume normal activities and you can begin to wear makeup.
It is crucial that you follow the post-operative instructions of your plastic surgeon completely.
Call your plastic surgeon right away if you experience any increase in redness or itching in the days after surgery.
|
