Aftercare for a chemical peel is also important, and proper instructions will be needed for different chemical peels. Always check with a medical professional for the right way to use acids,and its suitability for your skin before application.
TRY: Our 3% Retinol Peel doesn’t require neutralising and is suitable for a self-facial during this circuit breaker period. Tele-consultations are also available for questions on how to use it!
Simple extractions can be done at home. However, if you’re not sure which type of pimple you have or if it can be extracted, potential scarring or even infections can happen!
Extractions require experienced, skilled hands to know which pimple/blackhead can be removed or which is to be left alone. Common mistakes people make when doing extractions at home are:
All these mistakes result in damaging the skin barrier, causing infection and inflammation, making the blemishes worse. Side-effects of improper extractions over a self-facial will likely result in scarring, hyperpigmentation, and spreading of bacteria on the skin.
IF you absolutely have to extract a blemish, please ensure that it is ripe and has pus for extraction. Dab the spot with some alcohol (don’t over do this!) to sterilise it. Use clean hands, cotton buds or an alcohol-sanitised extraction tool to gently ‘tease’ the pus out. Stop applying pressure when you see blood. Disinfect the area thoroughly and apply an antibiotic pimple cream and a pimple patch to help absorb the pus.
There are plenty of online articles, instagram page and stories teaching you how to “DIY” your own face mask or quick beauty “hacks” for a self-facial. These sometimes include using ingredients like:
What is safe to be consumed isn’t necessarily safe for application on the face. As YouTuber LabMuffin has mentioned, aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) doesn’t necessarily have the same effect as salicylic acid for inflamed acne.
Applying lemon to help fade blemishes, when exposed to UV, can end up causing dermatitis instead. Turmeric has excellent antioxidant effects but when applied raw, can cause your skin to turn yellow instead.
We have also seen multiple cases of chemical burns from using essential oils on the face and body for self-remedies. Off the counter products are tested to be safe for your skin, and it would be better off staying away from things meant for consumption.
When in doubt, reach out to your medical professional for advice!
The last and most common mistake that people usually make:layering on too many types of acids at one go.
Facials usually include different products for different steps, to achieve certain effects on the skin. However, many tend to use products ‘that they like’, without considering the suitability of combing them all in a single sitting.
The general rule of thumb would be to use only 1 active product during a home facial. Combining too many active ingredients together risk causing dryness, chemical burns, scarring, hyperpigmentation, and increase skin sensitivity. Certain products also cancel out the effects of each other when applied too quickly.
Here is a list of what you should not combine in the same sitting:
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