Peels and Exercise, Retin A / Tretinoin: From Our Mailbag

posted in: Peels, Q&A, Skincare tips

Question: Can I workout after a fruit acid gel peel with kojic acid? If so, how soon after the application?

Also, I currently use prescribed Retin A, Tretinoin, how soon may I continue my nightly treatment after applying the peel?

Answer: Yes! You can definitely workout after applying the peel, and of course washing it off thoroughly with cool water. Your skin may be more prone to redness after the peel, so you may look REALLY red after working up a sweat at the gym. But it’s not unsafe, you just might look more red than usual.

We recommend using peels at night however, since skin can be more sensitive to UV rays after application, and using sunscreen daily is highly recommended. Sunscreen protects the new skin you’ve brought to the surface, and you don’t want UV rays penetrating deeper and damaging the new layers.

Regarding Retin A, I have to recommend that you consult your dermatologist or doctor, since we don’t recommend those products to be used at the same time.

2 Responses

  1. Karen
    | Reply

    I’m a 39 yr old AFrican American female with med complextion. I have always had blackhead. Big and sometimes deep ones in my cheeks and chin. And will also get pustules at times. As of late I started to develop a hormonal type acne that flares when my estrogen drops. ( hysterectomy so I take I’m estrogen monthly) I have finally got the painful bumps calm down but the blackhead of course still remain. My current regimen is dermalogica cleanser and I wash it off with cetaphil foam cleanser. I also use aczone and retin a 1 percent at times. I recent used the Olay lactic acid kit but did not use the scrub as it seems to break me out. So I just put the lactic acid on and left it for a long time as it is very low grade. I did notice I was lighter n a little smoother. Which lead me to believe that maybe i need a peel. I’m really afraid to break out though. And not sure which to use to start. I do know I would want the one that would deliver the quickest noticeable results. And it seems like this would give quicker results than my retin a 1 percent. It doesn’t seem to brighten my skin and give it the glow that lactic acid seem to give so quickly. I was Interest in the fruit acid peel but usually when I have used a glycolic wash I break out. So I’m not sure. I would appreciate the advice. Thanks

    • Joanna
      | Reply

      Since you have had good results with using a Lactic Acid product in the past, I would recommend starting with the Lactic Acid 10% Gel Peel – it is a low percentage, which is key for not irritating acne-prone skin and causing more breakouts. Although, I would give your doctor or nurse who prescribed the retin A a call first, just to make sure it’s OK to use a 10% Lactic Peel at the same time.

      I would say start at the lowest amount of time on the Lactic Acid Peel – leave it for one minute, then rinse with cool water. Wait a day, and see how your skin reacts. If it’s ok, then you can continue adding time you leave the peel on (slowly building up, but to a max of 10 minutes) and how often you use it. Slowly is better, in this case, you wouldn’t want to shock skin that sounds like is very sensitive, and cause any scarring.

      Best of luck!

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