Chemical Peel Aftercare Sheet - Editable Canva Template for Clinics

"Don't pick it" is the whole product — but it has to be said properly.

Every pigmentation problem and every scar that follows a peel starts the same way: a client standing at a mirror on day three, pulling at a loose edge of skin. Telling them not to at the end of the appointment doesn't work. Telling them why — that picking is what causes the dark patches they came in to fix — does.

This sheet also handles the other two things clients get wrong about peels: that peeling isn't a measure of success, and that skin often looks worse in the first week before it looks better.

What's on it

• What to do: how long to leave the skin unwashed, gentle cleansing with lukewarm water only, no scrubs, cloths or exfoliants, using only the products you've recommended until peeling finishes, 48 hours off exercise, sweating, saunas, steam and swimming, seven days clear of retinol, vitamin C, AHAs, BHAs and benzoyl peroxide, and SPF 50+ every morning with no direct sun for two weeks.
• The instruction that matters most: do not pick, pull or peel flaking skin, with the reason attached.
• What is normal: redness and tightness on day one, skin looking dry and slightly darker or duller from day two, flaking from day two or three and usually finished by day five to seven, and congestion surfacing in the first week.
• When to contact you straight away: a clearly marked panel covering blistering, weeping or skin that looks burnt, spreading redness, heat or pus, a cold sore developing, pain that increases rather than settles, and skin that hasn't settled after ten days.
• Your contact details, after-hours number and emergency instruction.
• A next-steps table: treatment date, review, next peel due, and recommended products.