mia700•23d ago

Warning: I tried a 15% mandelic acid peel on a client with mild rosacea

I had a client in yesterday who wanted to address some texture, and her rosacea was calm, so I thought a gentle mandelic peel would be fine. About 30 minutes after the treatment, she called saying her cheeks were bright red and stinging, way more than usual. I learned that even 'gentle' acids can be a major trigger if the skin barrier is compromised, which hers must have been. Has anyone else had a similar reaction with mandelic acid, and how do you now test for barrier function before a peel?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tyler23d ago

I read a study a while back that said mandelic acid, even at low strengths, can really mess with compromised skin. It's not always about the acid being gentle, but how much water is in the skin at the time. Maybe a better test is to do a small patch behind the ear and wait a full 24 hours, not just check during the appointment. Her reaction sounds exactly like a broken barrier, which is so easy to miss when the skin looks calm on the surface.

wesleyb2023d ago

That study used a 10% solution, right?

evan_green5223d ago

So when you say it's about how much water is in the skin, does that mean dehydrated skin is just way more likely to get wrecked by any acid? That's a scary thought. I always figured if the skin looked okay, it was fine to go ahead. But @the_tyler is right, a broken barrier can totally hide for a bit. Makes you wonder if most patch tests are even done right, you know?