Whether you’re headed to your dermatologist’s office to try injectable fillers for the first time or to diminish long-standing skin discoloration with a chemical peel, the process doesn’t end when you leave the exam room.

“Properly caring for your skin after an in-office procedure is really important,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “After-care helps your skin recover from the procedure, and using the right products can also complement your results and help maintain them between treatments.”

To help you get the most out of your in-office treatments, we’re answering frequently asked questions about caring for your skin after popular cosmetic procedures, including:

• What is post-procedure skin care?
• How should I care for my skin after injectables?
• How should I care for my skin after a chemical peel?
• What home care regimens can I try for post-procedure skin?

The Best Post-Procedure Skin Care

What exactly post-procedure skin care entails really depends on what kind of cosmetic procedure you’re planning to get—caring for your skin after a laser treatment, for example, may look different than post-procedure skin care after a round of dermal fillers.

Regardless of what kind of in-office procedure you’re planning to get, it’s a great opportunity to reboot your skin care routine and stock your bathroom cabinet with skin care products that will support your post-procedure skin and help enhance and maintain your results.

“I also like to remind my patients that the best post-procedure skin care regimens have one thing in common: sunscreen,” says Dr. Schlessinger. “Don’t be tempted to skip your sunscreen after an in-office procedure. Using a high-quality broad-spectrum sunscreen is as important as ever.”

Caring for Post-Procedure Skin After Injectables

When it comes to injectables, there are two categories that most in-office procedures fall into: wrinkle relaxers, which help improve the appearance of expression lines and crow’s feet, and dermal fillers, which can help address loss of volume in the face, such as hollow-looking under eyes or cheeks.

“After injectables, you can wash your face gently, but avoid massaging your face or scheduling any other treatments, such as a facial or chemical peel,” Dr. Schlessinger says. “You can safely use your favorite hyaluronic acid serum for added hydration, but I typically recommend my patients take a break on facial treatments with exfoliating actives such as retinol, AHA and BHA for a couple days.”

You might experience some redness at the injection site, but don’t reach for your makeup bag just yet. Dr. Schlessinger recommends avoiding makeup immediately after your appointment for fillers or wrinkle relaxers. “Reason being, injections do leave tiny needle punctures in your skin, and you want to avoid transferring bacteria from makeup brushes into those punctures and potentially causing an infection,” Dr. Schlessinger says. “These kinds of infections are unlikely, but holding off a few hours before applying makeup can give your skin the time it needs to heal.”

Of course, you can and should protect your skin from the sun after receiving injectables, Dr. Schlessinger says, so reach for your favorite sunscreen and reapply it regularly to prevent sun damage.

Caring for Post-Procedure Skin After a Chemical Peel

Getting a chemical peel at your dermatologist’s office can help improve signs of aging, such as age spots, hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. Chemical peels can also help with acne and scarring too.

After a chemical peel, your skin might look red or swollen, and healing time really depends on the intensity of the peel procedure you received. “For superficial peels, healing time can range from a day to a week or so,” Dr. Schlessinger says. “After a chemical peel, your skin will be especially vulnerable to skin damage from the sun. I recommend my patients avoid sun exposure after a peel, and if you must go out in the sun, I recommend applying a mineral-based sunscreen thoroughly before you do.”

After any traces of redness or irritation have resolved, you can help maintain results between peels by using skin care products with brightening and exfoliating benefits. Facial serums containing vitamin C and cleansers or exfoliating treatments with an AHA, such as glycolic acid, are great options.

Introducing SkinCeuticals Post-Procedure Kits

SkinCeuticals has created two new post-procedure systems specifically designed to provide you with the best post-procedure skin care. These kits round up everything you need all in one box, so it’s ready to use when you get home from your appointment. Here’s the lowdown on both of SkinCeuticals post-procedure kits and how they can help repair your skin fast post-procedure.

SkinCeuticals Post-Injectable System

This three-piece post-procedure kit was designed to help maintain your results between injectable appointments by improving facial plumpness and firmness.

It contains SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier Hydrating Serum, which has been clinically proven to improve the appearance of facial plumpness by 23% and the appearance of firmness by 11%. It combines hydrating hyaluronic acid with licorice root, proxylane and purple rice, three ingredients that help support your skin’s hydration levels.

“Because facial fillers use hyaluronic acid to make your skin appear firmer and plumper, using a serum with these active ingredients that help preserve hyaluronic acid levels in your skin is an effective way to prolong your results,” Dr. Schlessinger says.

This post-injectable kit also contains SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Antioxidant Serum and SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 to help prevent future environmental damage to your skin. CE Ferulic is a potent antioxidant serum that contains pure vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid, which work in tandem to protect your skin against the oxidative stress that causes signs of aging. SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense Mineral Sunscreen has an all-mineral formula with a lightweight, fluid texture that will look virtually undetectable on post-procedure skin, so you can be protected against the sun’s damaging rays without a cakey finish or white cast distracting from your procedure’s results.

SkinCeuticals Post-Chemical Peel System

This four-piece kit helps enhance the results of an in-office chemical peel so that you keep your skin looking smooth and bright in between treatments.

The first step is SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleanser Gel, a daily facial cleanser that has been clinically proven to complement and maintain results between chemical peels. This cleanser gently exfoliates skin using 8% glycolic acid and 1% phytic acid to help improve skin texture and tone while increasing brightness.

Next up are two facial treatments that will continue to support your post-procedure skin. SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF Antioxidant Vitamin C Discoloration Serum, a daily antioxidant serum that combines 10% vitamin C with 2% phloretin and 0.5% ferulic acid to help neutralize damaging free radicals that can cause premature signs of aging, such as discoloration, fine lines and wrinkles. Together, these ingredients also help improve the appearance of skin discoloration as well. Next up is the SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight Exfoliating Treatment. You can start using this a night cream every other evening and work up to nightly use. It combines 10% glycolic acid and 2% phytic acid, which together work to improve your skin’s texture and radiance, with a triple-action soothing complex to help support a healthy skin barrier.

Last but not least, because your post-procedure skin is especially vulnerable to sun damage after a chemical peel, SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 will come in handy. Because some chemical sunscreens could potentially irritate post-procedure skin, going with an all-mineral formula like this one with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide is a gentle option without sacrificing high-quality, broad-spectrum sun protection.

Are you curious about chemical peels? You can learn about the chemical peel process, results and recovery in our recent blog post.