A cosmetologist has an hour. You have the rest of the month. What you do with it decides how much of the appointment survives.
The week before
Stop retinol and strong acids three to five days ahead unless you have been told otherwise. Skin that is already irritated cannot take a professional strength safely, and the usual outcome is that the treatment has to be made weaker than it should be.
No waxing, no hair removal cream and no other treatment on the same area in that week. Come with clean skin and say what you have been using — including what you started three days ago. It changes what can be done.
The first two days after
Cleanse gently, moisturise, protect. Nothing else. No acids, no retinol, no scrubs, no sauna, no swimming pool, no hard training on the day.
If the skin feels tight or looks pink, that is usually the treatment working rather than a problem. If it hurts, or blisters, or swells, tell us — do not wait to see.
The two weeks after
Sunscreen every morning without exception. This is the single thing most likely to undo the appointment, and it undoes it quietly, as pigment that shows up weeks later.
Bring actives back one at a time, starting about a week in, and start lower than where you left off.
Why the products matter here
Ranges such as inspira and pHformula make preparation and recovery products for exactly this window, and it is the one moment where buying what the studio uses genuinely pays — not because it is the same brand, but because a barrier rebuilding after a peel wants a simple, calm product rather than an ambitious one.
Ask at the appointment. The answer takes a minute and saves the result.