VI Peel

Five to seven days before

• Stop all retinoids. Tretinoin, retinol, retinaldehyde, adapalene. These thin the barrier and raise peel sensitivity.
• Stop all exfoliating acids. Glycolic, lactic, salicylic and PHA, including toners, serums and masks.
• Stop benzoyl peroxide.

Two weeks before

• No waxing, threading, laser hair removal or dermaplaning on the treatment area.
• No other peels, microneedling or laser treatment.

Tell us before your appointment

• Any history of cold sores. A peel can trigger an outbreak, and a preventive antiviral is prescribed beforehand.
• Any isotretinoin in the last twelve months. A peel is not performed within that window.
• Any recent sun exposure or an active tan. Peeling tanned skin markedly raises the risk of pigmentation, and the appointment is better rescheduled.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Peels are not performed during pregnancy.
• Any known allergy, particularly to salicylic acid or retinoic acid.
• Your current skincare routine, so anything else that needs pausing can be identified.

The day itself

• Arrive with clean, product-free skin. No moisturizer, no SPF, no makeup.
• Skip caffeine that morning if you flush easily.
• Wear a button-front top so nothing has to come over your face afterwards.

For Fitzpatrick III and above, preparation starts about four weeks before the peel. Arriving with calm, well conditioned skin is what decides both how well the peel works and how safely it heals.

Calm the barrier first

• Switch to bland, fragrance-free moisturizers. Ceramides and gentle humectants.
• Use a gentle, non-stripping cleanser only.
• Stop retinoids and exfoliating acids two weeks before rather than the standard five to seven days, so the barrier has longer to recover.
• No scrubs, exfoliating devices, or anything that creates friction or inflammation.

Slow melanin production before the peel

• Starting a melanin-inhibiting topical two to four weeks beforehand primes the skin to resist pigmentation through the inflammatory phase. It is one of the highest yield things available for Fitzpatrick IV to VI.
• Which agent depends on your skin and is chosen at consultation. Options include hydroquinone, cysteamine, azelaic acid, topical or oral tranexamic acid, and gentler choices such as kojic acid or arbutin.

SPF 50 from four weeks out

• Not just afterwards. UV exposure in the weeks before a peel raises background melanin activity and increases the risk during the peeling window.

Settle the skin before you start

• For a first peel, or particularly reactive skin, a calming treatment one to two weeks beforehand lowers the starting level of inflammation. A Hydrafacial beforehand is one option for that.
• Any active inflammatory acne is treated first. Peeling over inflamed acne is one of the most reliable ways to produce pigmentation in deeper skin.
• Any history of cold sores means a preventive antiviral. An outbreak during healing can leave pigmentation far out of proportion to the flare.

The peel stays on after you leave and keeps working. You remove it at home, at the time you are given in the clinic, usually four to six hours later.

• Do not wash it off early. Leave it on for the full time. Early removal shortens the treatment.
• Do not touch, rub or pick at the skin.
• Do not exercise or do anything that makes you sweat. Sweat can make the peel work unevenly.
• Put nothing on your skin until after the peel is washed off.
• When it is time, use cool or lukewarm water and a gentle fragrance-free cleanser. Pat dry, do not rub.
• Then apply the post-peel protectant from your kit. It is formulated for the barrier at this stage.

Pink, red and tight-feeling skin at this point is expected.

Days 1 to 2, before anything visible happens

• Skin looks pink, feels tight and may be sensitive. Normal.
• Peeling has not started yet. Do not try to speed it up.
• Apply the post-peel protectant morning and evening.
• SPF 50 every morning without exception, even indoors. UV during the peel process sharply raises the risk of pigmentation, most of all in Fitzpatrick III to VI.
• No retinoids, no acids, no actives.
• No makeup for the first 24 hours. Mineral makeup is fine after that.

Days 3 to 5, the visible phase

• Peeling begins, usually around the mouth and chin, then spreads. It looks worse before it looks better, and that is the treatment working.
• Do not pick or pull at peeling skin. This is the most important instruction of the whole protocol. Removing skin before it is ready breaks the barrier and raises the risk of scarring and pigmentation, particularly in Fitzpatrick IV to VI.
• Apply the protectant generously. It makes the flaking more manageable and keeps the barrier covered.
• SPF 50 every single morning.
• Plan around this window socially rather than hoping it passes quickly.
• No facial treatments, no exfoliants, no actives.
• Drink water. Hydration helps the shedding process.

Days 6 to 7

• Peeling should be mostly or fully finished by the end of day seven. The new skin looks brighter and more even.
• Some dryness or mild sensitivity can linger. Keep using the protectant until it settles.
• SPF 50 stays essential. New skin is especially vulnerable to UV.
• Do not restart retinoids or actives before day seven, and only if the skin feels fully healed.

Day 7 onwards

• Reintroduce retinoids and actives gradually, every other night for the first week back.
• If you were using a melanin-inhibiting topical before the peel, resume it at day seven. This is what holds the result and prevents pigment rebounding.
• Avoid direct sun on the treated area for at least four weeks. Outdoors, SPF 50 plus a hat.
• Daily SPF 50 from here on is not aftercare, it is what protects the result long term.
• In a series, the next session is scheduled four to six weeks after peeling finishes, and six weeks minimum for Fitzpatrick V and VI.