Chemical Peels
Sydney.
Clinical resurfacing that salon peels cannot deliver. Paramedical chemical peels at MARA.H use professional-strength formulations to accelerate cell turnover, clear congestion, reduce pigmentation, and reveal the clearer, brighter skin that is already underneath — just waiting to surface.
From $298 · Paramedical formulations
What Chemical Peels Treat
Dull & Uneven Skin Tone
Accelerated cell turnover removes the accumulated dead skin cells that cause dullness and uneven tone — revealing the fresher, more luminous skin beneath.
Mild Pigmentation
Regular chemical peels gradually fade mild sun damage, superficial pigmentation, and post-inflammatory marks. For complex melasma, peels work best as a supportive treatment alongside PICOSURE® PRO laser.
Active Acne & Congestion
Salicylic acid peels penetrate deep into pores to dissolve congestion, kill acne bacteria, and regulate sebum production — making them particularly effective for congested, acne-prone skin.
Skin Texture & Fine Lines
By stimulating collagen synthesis and accelerating skin renewal, chemical peels improve skin texture, soften superficial fine lines, and restore a smoother, more refined skin surface over a course of treatments.
Skin Clarity & Luminosity
An ideal skin-quality maintenance treatment — regular peels keep the skin surface clear, bright, and consistently refined, complementing other treatments in your skin program.
PICOSURE® PRO + DMK
For comprehensive skin revision, chemical peels work synergistically with PICOSURE® PRO for deeper pigmentation and with DMK Enzyme Therapy for cellular rebuilding.
Risks, Recovery and Suitability
What most people experience
Stinging, warmth and tightness during application and for a short time afterwards. The skin is usually red and feels tight for the rest of the day. Over the following days it can darken slightly, then flake or peel — most commonly from day two to day five — and feel dry until it settles.
Less common risks you should know about
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the main concern in melanin-rich and Asian skin, particularly after a deeper peel, with sun exposure, or where flaking skin is pulled off rather than left to shed. Loss of pigment leaving pale patches, blistering, crusting, infection and scarring are uncommon but possible. Cold sores can be reactivated in people who get them. Uneven peeling and prolonged redness can occur, and a peel applied to skin whose barrier is already compromised will irritate rather than resurface.
Recovery and what it affects
Plan for a visibly red face on the day and flaking through the middle of the week, and do not book a peel immediately before an event. The detailed timings — makeup, exercise, heat, active skincare, sun protection — are set out in the aftercare section below, and your therapist’s instructions on the day take priority over any general guide.
Results and responses vary
Depth, formulation and how many treatments suit you are decided by your skin, not by a fixed protocol. Congestion, texture, pigment and acne all respond at different rates, and results build across a course rather than after one. Pigmentation conditions such as melasma are managed over time and can return. Some skin needs a period of barrier repair before any peel is appropriate, and that is a legitimate outcome of an assessment.
When this isn’t suitable, or needs assessment first
A peel is not appropriate over active infection, inflamed or broken skin, active eczema or dermatitis in the area, or while taking isotretinoin or within several months of stopping it. Pregnancy or breastfeeding rules out some formulations. Recent sun exposure or tanning, recent waxing or laser treatment, a history of keloid scarring, an active cold sore, and a tendency to pigment after injury all mean we assess before proceeding.
If something doesn’t seem right
Call the clinic on 0468 358 861. Blistering, spreading redness, increasing pain, discharge, fever, or skin that is getting worse rather than settling should be looked at rather than waited out. If it is severe or you are worried, contact your GP or call 000.
After your chemical peel
On the day
Skin looks pink and can feel tight or stinging for the first few days. That is the expected response to a peel, not a sign something has gone wrong. Use only the recovery products your therapist has given you — they lower the risk of infection while the surface is repairing. Where skin feels dry or begins to flake, a petrolatum-based ointment can be used over those patches. Your therapist will tell you on the day when makeup can go back on; the clinic sets this by peel depth rather than by a fixed rule.
Days 2 to 7
Flaking usually begins somewhere between day one and day three and can carry on for around five days. Some people do not flake at all. Both happen, and neither one tells you how the peel worked. Do not pick, pull or scrub anything away — let it come off on its own, because forcing it is what causes scarring and uneven colour. Expect some stinging and redness through the first few days. Most people go to work or school the same day.
Avoid throughout the recovery period
Exfoliating acids, retinol and vitamin C for the first week. Long stretches outdoors for the first week. Swimming, saunas and heavy sweating, including high-intensity training, for 72 hours. Solarium, electrolysis and any light-based treatment including IPL for four weeks.
Sun protection
SPF50+ every day for the first two weeks, reapplied every two hours when you are outdoors, with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to keep direct sun off treated skin. Freshly resurfaced skin takes on pigment more readily than it did before.
When you can resume
| Activity | When |
|---|---|
| The recovery products your therapist gave you | As directed, from the day of treatment |
| Petrolatum-based ointment on dry or flaking patches | As needed |
| Makeup | Your therapist will set this on the day |
| Exfoliating acids, retinol, vitamin C | After 7 days |
| Extended time outdoors | After 7 days |
| Swimming, sauna, heavy sweating | After 72 hours |
| Solarium, electrolysis, IPL or laser | After 4 weeks |
| Your next treatment of any kind | Your therapist will set the interval |
Call us if
Redness that is spreading, increasing pain, blistering, discharge, fever, or anything that is getting worse rather than better. Call the clinic on 0468 358 861 and do not wait for your next appointment to raise it. Outside opening hours, or if it is severe, contact your GP or call 000.
One more thing
Your therapist will give you instructions based on how your skin actually responded on the day. Those take priority over this page.
Chemical Peels FAQ
Ready to reveal your best skin?
Book Your Skin AssessmentComplementary Treatments at MARA.H
Chemical peels often pair with these treatments in our client skin programs — deeper pigmentation correction, cellular rebuilding, and skin-quality boosting.
PICOSURE® PRO
For deeper pigmentation and melasma beyond what peels alone can correct. Peels maintain surface clarity while PICOSURE® PRO targets pigment at depth — the comprehensive skin tone correction protocol.
Learn More → Cellular RebuildingDMK Enzyme Therapy
Where peels resurface from above, DMK rebuilds cellular function from within. Compromised, acne-prone, or barrier-damaged skin often starts with DMK before progressing to resurfacing protocols.
Learn More → Glass Skin BoosterMesotherapy
Freshly resurfaced skin responds beautifully to deep hydration. Mesotherapy delivers hyaluronic acid and vitamins into the mesoderm — amplifying the clarity and glow your peel course reveals.
Learn More →This page provides general information only and does not constitute medical advice. All treatments require an individual consultation to assess suitability. Individual results may vary.