Medical-grade actives change how your skin behaves, and in the first weeks you can feel them working. Most of what you notice is expected and temporary. A small part is not. This guide shows you the difference, and exactly what to do about each.
One full renewal of the skin's surface in young adults. Slower as we age.
2–6 wks
The usual adjustment window while your skin barrier adapts.
12 wks
When results are typically clear. Consistency matters more than strength.
Three possible readingsMost read here
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Three readings
Not every reaction means the same thing.
Almost everything you feel will fall into one of three groups. Knowing which one tells you whether to carry on, turn it down, or stop.
Expected
Adjustment
Your skin is adapting to faster renewal. Uncomfortable at times, but it is the process doing its job.
Dryness and a tight feeling, especially after cleansing
Fine flaking or peeling, often around the nose, mouth and chin
A pink tone where you applied, fading within a few hours
A tingle on application that settles within a few minutes
Small breakouts in your usual areas in the first weeks (purging)
When
Within the first days to two weeks. Usually settles by week four to six.
What to do
Keep going at your current frequency. Moisturise generously and wear SPF 50 every morning.
Dial down
Irritation
Often called over-exfoliation. The dose is ahead of what your barrier can handle right now. Not an allergy, and very manageable if you act on it.
Burning that builds, or lasts longer than about 10 minutes
Skin that feels raw, hot or sunburnt
Stinging when you apply water or a plain moisturiser
Shiny, tight, waxy-looking skin
Redness that is still there the next morning, or sore cracks
When
At any point, usually after stepping up too quickly or layering several exfoliants.
What to do
Pause your actives, repair the barrier, then restart one step lower.
Stop
Possible allergic reaction
Your immune system may be reacting to an ingredient. It is rare, but it needs a clinician to assess it.
Intense, persistent itching
Swelling, especially of the eyelids or lips
Hives or raised welts
Tiny blisters, oozing or crusting
A rash that spreads beyond where you applied
When
Typically 24 to 72 hours after applying, worsening with each use. It can appear even after earlier problem-free use.
What to do
Stop all products, rinse with cool water and contact your practitioner. Don't restart without advice.
Swelling, hives and blisters are never part of adjusting.
If you see any of them, skip straight to the Stop reading.
The first twelve weeks
Discomfort peaks early. Results build underneath.
How your skin feels and what is changing don't move together. The uncomfortable part comes first, which is exactly when people are tempted to stop. Drag through the weeks to see what is happening in your skin.
Week 0Week 16
How it feelsWhat's changing in your skinWhere people are tempted to stop
Illustrative, not measured data. Every skin moves at its own pace: skin that has never been exfoliated often peels more visibly at first, and older skin renews more slowly.
How it feels
Noticeable
What's changing
Building underneath
AdjustmentWEEK 3
In your skin
Surface cells shed faster than usual and the barrier is temporarily more permeable, so moisture escapes more easily.
You may notice
Dryness, tightness, flaking around the nose, mouth and chin, a pink tone, tingling, and possibly purging spots.
What to do
Hold your frequency. Moisturise generously, wear SPF 50 every morning, and leave flakes to shed on their own.
Spot the difference
Same feeling, different meaning.
Most expected reactions have a look-alike that needs attention. Learn the six pairs below and you will be able to read almost anything your skin does.
Peeling or blistering?
Pair 1
Expected
Fine, dry flakes
Papery flakes that lift and shed, mostly around the nose, mouth and chin. The skin underneath is intact.
Stop
Blisters or weeping
Small fluid-filled bumps, oozing or yellow crust. The surface is broken. Stop and contact your practitioner.
Pink tone or spreading rash?
Pair 2
Expected
An even pink tone
Mild pinkness only where you applied, fading within a few hours.
Stop
A spreading rash
Red, blotchy or raised patches that spread beyond where you applied, last for days, or worsen with each use.
A tingle or a burn?
Pair 3
Expected
A tingle that fades
A light tingle or sting on application that settles within a few minutes.
Dial down
A burn that lingers
Burning that builds instead of fading, lasts beyond about 10 minutes, or comes even with water or a plain moisturiser.
Tight or swollen?
Pair 4
Expected
Tight and dry
Skin feels taut, especially after cleansing. A moisturiser relieves it.
Stop
Puffy or swollen
Puffiness, particularly of the eyelids or lips. Swelling is never part of adjusting.
Purging or a new breakout?
Pair 5
Expected
Purging
Small spots where you usually break out, clearing faster than usual. Settles within four to six weeks.
Dial down
A breakout somewhere new
Spots in new areas, an unfamiliar kind of bump, or breakouts still increasing after eight weeks. Ask your practitioner.
A dry itch or an allergic itch?
Pair 6
Expected
A mild, passing itch
An occasional itch as dry skin sheds, relieved by moisturiser. Some actives also itch briefly on application.
Stop
Intense, constant itching
Itching that won't settle, especially with bumps, welts or swelling.
Practise
Read these eight situations.
Choose the reading you would give each one. You'll see the reasoning after every answer.
Situation 1 of 8
Week two of Retinol Serum. The skin around your nose and chin is flaking, and feels tight after cleansing.
Step 1 of 3 · What you notice
The science
Why active ingredients make your skin feel things.
Every sensation in the first weeks has a mechanism behind it. Understanding it makes the adjustment much easier to sit through.
Your outer layer is a wall
The surface of your skin, the stratum corneum, is built like a brick wall. Flattened, dead cells (corneocytes) are the bricks. Fats such as ceramides are the mortar. Protein rivets (corneodesmosomes) hold each brick to the next. Healthy skin sheds its oldest bricks continuously and invisibly.
Acids loosen the rivets
Glycolic and mandelic acid (AHAs) work at the surface. Salicylic acid (a BHA) is oil-soluble, so it also works inside the pore. Both loosen the bonds between dead cells so they shed. If your skin has never been exfoliated, there is more built-up layer to clear, so the first weeks can look flakier.
Retinoids speed up renewal
Retinoids signal living skin cells to renew faster. Until your barrier adapts, more water escapes from the skin, which is why dryness, tightness and peeling come first, and the results follow.
Stinging is nerve endings, not damage
Acids work at a low pH. Nerve endings register that acidity as a tingle, more so while the barrier is temporarily thinner. A tingle that settles is expected. A burn that lingers is a signal to dial down.
Purging brings forward what was forming
Congestion builds under the surface for weeks before you see it. Faster renewal brings those forming spots up sooner, in the places you usually break out. Then they stop coming.
Fresh skin is more sun-sensitive
Exfoliating acids and retinoids leave the surface more vulnerable to UV. Daily SPF 50 protects the new skin and the results, and with AHAs it should continue for at least a week after you stop.
Five things people believe, and what is actually true.
MythRedness means toxins are leaving your skin.
FactSkin doesn't detox through redness. Mild, short-lived pinkness reflects faster renewal and a temporarily sensitive barrier.
MythIf it burns, it's working.
FactResults come from consistent use over weeks, not from discomfort. Lingering burning means the dose is too high for your skin right now.
MythMore peeling means better results.
FactPeeling is a side effect of adjusting, not the goal. Many people get excellent results with very little visible peeling.
MythA breakout in the first weeks means the product isn't for me.
FactSpots in your usual areas during the first four to six weeks are typically purging. New areas or a different kind of bump are a different story.
MythOnce my skin calms down, I should stop to be safe.
FactStopping resets the adjustment and you start again. Dial down instead: lower the frequency, then build back up.
Turn it down, not off
You control the strength.
Most reactions don't mean stopping. They mean adjusting the dose. These are the levers your practitioner works with, and you can use them too. Change a lever to see how the intensity moves.
Relative intensity
A comfortable middle. Hold here for two weeks before you step anything up.
Illustrative. Change one lever at a time, and only once your skin is comfortable at the current setting.
The reset protocol
When you've read dial down, follow these four stages.
Tonight
Pause
Stop all actives: treatment cleansers, gels, Chemical Peel Spray, Excelerate, retinoid and treatment serums.
Keep a gentle cleanse, your moisturiser and SPF 50.
A cool, damp cloth for 5 to 10 minutes eases heat.
Days 1 to 7
Repair
Cleanse in the evening only, with Dermavue or lukewarm water. Rinse with water in the morning.
Moisturise two to three times a day with DermNourish, DermRepair or Enriched.
Avoid scrubs, face brushes and devices, hot water, saunas, waxing and anything new.
Usually day 3 to 7
Ready check
Your moisturiser no longer stings.
Redness has settled.
Skin has felt comfortable for two to three days in a row.
Then
Restart lower
Bring back one active at a time, one step below your previous frequency.
Hold each level for two weeks before stepping up.
Treatment cleansers: wet your face first and rinse within 30 to 60 seconds.
The rinse-off rule
If a gel or Chemical Peel Spray burns past the point of comfort, building instead of easing, rinse it off with cool water and apply your barrier moisturiser. You haven't wasted it: rinsing early simply lowers that night's dose. Try again in two to three days.
Caring for flaking skin
After your evening cleanse, press the microfibre sponge from your pack, or a soft lukewarm face cloth, over the skin and lift it away. Don't rub. Never pull or pick at peeling skin; let it shed when it is ready.
Contact your practitioner if your skin isn't clearly calmer after 5 to 7 days of pausing, if it gets worse, or if anything from the Stop reading appears.
Your introduction calendar
Low and slow, planned for you.
Starting one new active on its own, or restarting after a reset? Choose what you are introducing and your start date, and this builds your first eight weeks. If you have a Dermal Diagnosis plan, its tolerance ramp comes first.
What are you introducing?
Pace
Starting Mon 5 Oct.
Apply that eveningRest night: gentle cleanse, moisturiserFor Retinol Serum, Inflacin Serum, Time Freeze Eye Serum
Step back if you need to. If your skin becomes uncomfortable, return to the previous level for two weeks before trying again.
One new active at a time. If your plan starts several products together, follow its own schedule rather than this one.
SPF 50 every morning, on application nights and rest nights alike.
Your products
What to expect from each active.
Find the products in your plan. Each family of actives has its own typical sensations, and its own rules.
Exfoliating acids
Glycolic and mandelic acid (AHAs), salicylic acid (BHA)
A tingle on application that settles within minutes, mild pinkness, and flaking in the first weeks.
The rules
Evenings, on clean dry skin. Keep away from eyelids and the corners of the nose and lips. Don't layer several exfoliants on one night unless your plan says so.
Can't find yours? Ask your practitioner or our team.
How long will the peeling last?
Usually two to six weeks for the first round, while your skin adapts. It can return briefly each time you step up frequency. If you are still peeling heavily after three months, your routine is probably too strong for your skin; talk to your practitioner.
Should I scrub the flakes off?
No. Scrubbing tears flakes away before they are ready and adds irritation. After your evening cleanse, press a soft, lukewarm face cloth or your microfibre sponge over the skin and lift it away. Let the rest shed on its own.
Can I wear make-up while my skin is peeling?
Yes. Apply moisturiser first so make-up sits smoothly, and remove it gently in the evening, with Dermavue for example, rather than rubbing.
Is it purging, or is the product breaking me out?
Purging happens where you usually break out, starts in the first weeks, and clears faster than your normal breakouts. Spots in new areas, an unfamiliar kind of bump, or breakouts still increasing after eight weeks need your practitioner's eyes.
My skin calmed down after I stopped. Is the product not for me?
Usually it means the dose was ahead of your skin. Restart lower and build up more slowly; most people tolerate active ingredients well once the frequency suits them. The exception is anything from the Stop reading. Don't restart those without advice.
Can I use my actives around my eyes?
Keep exfoliating acids and face serums off your eyelids and away from the corners of your eyes, nose and lips, where skin is thinner and product collects. Use eye-area products only as directed.
Do I really need sunscreen every day?
Yes. Exfoliating acids and retinoids make skin more sensitive to the sun, and UV undoes the work they do. Use SPF 50 every morning, reapply when you are outdoors, and keep using it for at least a week after stopping an AHA.
Can I have waxing, a peel or laser while using actives?
Tell your therapist what you use. Waxing skin that is on retinoids or acids can lift the surface, so pause actives on that area for about a week beforehand. Don't book a professional peel or resurfacing treatment while your skin is irritated.
I'm pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Tell your practitioner before you start. Retinoids are not used during pregnancy, and there is a separate DermExcel pregnancy range. If you are breastfeeding, ask your practitioner which products suit you.
How soon will I see results?
Skin can feel smoother within days. Clearer pores and fewer breakouts usually show from about six to eight weeks, and changes in tone and fine lines over twelve weeks and beyond. Consistency matters more than strength.
When to talk to us
Unsure? Ask.
You never have to decide alone. Your practitioner would much rather hear from you early than have you stop a treatment that's working, or push through one that isn't.
Contact your practitioner within a day if you have
Anything from the Stop reading: swelling, hives, blisters, intense itching or a spreading rash
Signs of infection: yellow crust, pus, increasing pain or a fever
Skin that isn't clearly calmer after 5 to 7 days of pausing
Breakouts in new areas, or still increasing after eight weeks
A pregnancy, a planned pregnancy, or breastfeeding