Key takeaways
- Keep the skin moisturized: the AAD says dry, cracked skin can scar.
- Don't rub, scratch or pick; the AAD says picking raises infection and scarring risk dramatically.
- Protect healing skin from the sun, use sunscreen daily once healed, and never use tanning beds.
- Depth sets the calendar: 1 to 7 days to heal after a light peel, 7 to 14 after a medium peel, 14 to 21 after a deep peel.
- No source gives a day to restart retinoids or acids; restart timing is provider-directed.
The first 48 hours
Aftercare details scale with depth, because peels are classified by the wound they create: superficial peels penetrate the epidermis only, medium-depth peels the full epidermis and papillary dermis, and deep peels down to the mid-reticular dermis.
Not sure which depth you had?
Our chemical peel guide breaks down the types.
Three rules start the moment you leave the treatment room.
Keep the skin moisturized — the AAD's reason is blunt: dry, cracked skin can scar.
Keep your hands off: no rubbing, no scratching, no picking.
And protect healing skin from the sun; the AAD lists unprotected sun among the things that raise infection and scarring risk dramatically.
Depth decides the details.
After a light peel, the AAD says makeup usually goes back on immediately or the next day.
After a medium peel, swelling worsens for 48 hours — eyelids may swell — and the skin will crust and peel as it heals; the AAD's plan for that depth adds antiviral medication and a follow-up visit.
A deep peel comes home bandaged, with scheduled soaks as part of wound care.
Your provider's written instructions are the plan of record; the day-by-day healing calendar behind them is on our chemical peel recovery page.
Aftercare by peel depth (AAD)
| Depth | Time to heal | Makeup | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 1 to 7 days | Usually immediately or the next day | Sunscreen daily after healing |
| Medium | 7 to 14 days | Camouflage makeup after 5 to 7 days | Total sun avoidance until healed |
| Deep | 14 to 21 days, bandaged | None for at least 14 days | Total sun avoidance for 3 to 6 months |
AAD's own words: after a medium or deep peel, you will have downtime. The rules in this section exist because the skin is healing from a controlled wound — and the AAD ties skipping them (picking, makeup too early, unprotected sun) to infection and scarring risk that rises dramatically.
Don't pick: why
The flaking is the healing, not a problem to manage: the AAD describes treated skin crusting and peeling off as a medium peel heals, and scaling that may follow the redness of a light peel.
And the reason hands stay off is the AAD's own risk list: scratch the treated skin or pick off a scab, and the AAD counts infection and scarring risk as rising dramatically.
The don't list runs longer than picking: the AAD says don't rub or scratch, and its risk list adds applying makeup before the skin has healed, failing to protect the skin from the sun, not following wound care and indoor tanning.
Every item on it is a behavior.
The stakes are the outcomes ASPS names: with a qualified provider, peels are usually very safe, but infection or scarring — very rare — can occur, and some skin types risk temporary or permanent lightening or darkening.
The behaviors on the AAD's risk list are the part in your hands.
The AAD's risk list
- Scratching the skin or picking off a scab
- Makeup before the skin has healed
- Failing to protect the skin from the sun
- Not following wound care
- Indoor tanning
What can happen (ASPS)
- Infection (very rare)
- Scarring (very rare)
- Temporary or permanent lightening or darkening in some skin types
Moisturizer and sunscreen
The AAD's first aftercare instruction is to keep the skin moisturized, and it gives the reason: if healing skin dries out and cracks, it can scar.
As for the best moisturizer after a chemical peel — we found no source that names one product, so we won't invent a winner.
The AAD gives the rule, not a brand; the product, the amount and how often should come from the provider who did your peel.
Deeper peels bring their own wound-care routine — after a deep peel, the area stays bandaged, with scheduled daily soaks — and your provider's written routine governs that period.
Sunscreen is the other daily habit: the AAD says to use it every day once the skin has healed, and never to use tanning beds.
While the skin heals, failing to protect it from the sun is on the AAD's dramatic-risk list.
If the peel's goal was fading dark spots, the AAD calls one habit the foundation of that treatment: a tinted sunscreen with iron oxide, SPF 30+, broad-spectrum.
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When to restart actives
The research is clear about the stop and quiet about the restart.
Pre-peel priming, frequently with retinoids, is often started 2 to 4 weeks before a peel and stopped 3 to 5 days before the procedure, per a 2010 review of chemical peel practice.
For going back on them, we found no source that gives a specific number of days to wait before restarting retinoids or acids after a peel, so we won't invent one — restart timing is provider-directed.
The practical version: ask at your follow-up, and expect the go-ahead to track the skin being fully healed, not a fixed day.
As you add products back, keep FDA's July 30, 2024 warning in mind: the agency has not approved any chemical peel products, and says high-concentration TCA, glycolic, salicylic and lactic acid peels sold online can cause severe burns, infection, color changes and disfiguring scars. FDA says consumers should only consider peel products under the supervision of a dermatologist or licensed and trained practitioner.
When to call your provider
The AAD's call trigger is specific: contact the dermatologist if the skin burns, itches or swells.
An itch is also what invites scratching — one of the behaviors on the AAD's dramatic-risk list — so treat it as information, not an annoyance to out-wait.
- The skin burns, itches or swells — the AAD's own reasons to contact the dermatologist
- You have a cold-sore history — ASPS says reactivation is a risk and says to ask about preventive medication; tell the provider who did your peel if one appears
- Skin is darkening or lightening as it heals — ASPS counts temporary or permanent pigment change among peel risks
- Your follow-up visit — the AAD builds one into the medium-peel plan; keep it even when healing looks on track
None of this is a diagnosis.
ASPS's overall picture is that peels are usually very safe with a qualified provider; the provider who did yours is the one who can tell a clean heal from a problem.
MedSpaStandard summarizes what the AAD, ASPS and FDA publish about chemical peel aftercare in general. Depth, peel product and your skin change the details — follow the written instructions from the licensed provider who did your peel wherever they differ.
Frequently asked questions
What should you not do after a chemical peel?
Per the AAD's aftercare guidance: don't rub or scratch the treated skin, don't pick off scabs, don't apply makeup before the skin has healed, don't skip sun protection, and never use tanning beds.
The AAD says infection and scarring risk rises dramatically when patients scratch or pick, skip wound care, wear makeup too early, fail to protect skin from the sun or use indoor tanning.
What is the best moisturizer to use after a chemical peel?
We found no source that names a best moisturizer for skin healing from a peel, so we can't crown one.
What the AAD does say is to keep the skin moisturized, because dry, cracked skin can scar.
Ask the provider who did your peel which product to use, how much and how often — deeper peels come with a structured wound-care routine of their own.
When can I restart retinol after a chemical peel?
The research we checked sets the stop, not the restart: pre-peel priming with retinoids is often stopped 3 to 5 days before a peel.
We found no source giving a specific number of days to wait before restarting retinoids or acids afterward, so restart timing is provider-directed.
Ask at your follow-up, and expect the go-ahead to track the skin being fully healed rather than a fixed day.
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these sources and was checked against it.
- A Practical Approach to Chemical Peels: A Review of Fundamentals and Step-by-step Algorithmic Protocol for Treatment · National Library of Medicine
- Chemical peels: FAQs · American Academy of Dermatology
- How to fade dark spots in darker skin tones · American Academy of Dermatology
- Do not use chemical peel skin products · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Chemical Peel Risks and Safety · American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Evidence and Considerations in the Application of Chemical Peels in Skin Disorders and Aesthetic Resurfacing · National Library of Medicine
Medical disclaimer. MedSpaStandard is for education only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed provider about your own health, and check any provider's license with your state board.