Aftercare for Peels, Lasers and Microneedling
The days right after a skin procedure decide your results. Here's a simple, two-stage recovery routine — and what to avoid while you heal.
Professional treatments — chemical peels, lasers, deep microneedling — work by creating controlled damage so your skin rebuilds itself stronger. But the days straight after are when your skin is most vulnerable, and how you look after it decides whether you get a smooth result or a setback. Here's a simple recovery routine.
Stage one: calm and seal (days 1–2)
Right after a procedure your skin is inflamed and its barrier is barely there. The priority is to soothe it and give it a shield. Apply Aegis or Northern Reach generously — the ceramides act like a liquid bandage, sealing the raw skin and stopping moisture escaping, while Ectoin protects the wounded tissue as it starts to knit back together. Keep everything else off; simplicity is what heals.
Stage two: rebuild (day 3 onward)
Once the worst of the redness has settled and the skin has started to close, bring in a copper peptide serum — War Paint or Northern Light. The GHK-Cu tells your skin to rebuild with fresh, healthy collagen rather than disorganised scar tissue. This is the window where you can steer the healing toward a smoother, clearer result, so don't skip it.
What to avoid while you heal
- Direct sun — your skin has almost no protection right now; cover up and stay out of it.
- Active acids and retinol — vitamin C, AHAs, BHAs and retinoids can burn procedure-weakened skin. Pause them.
- Friction — no scrubbing, no harsh towels. Pat, don't rub.
The payoff
Give your skin the right materials and a calm environment and it repairs itself faster, with less peeling and redness. Most people find their downtime is noticeably shorter — and the final result better — when they follow this rather than improvising.
