Contra-Indications

A chemical peel facial aims to improve the condition and appearance of the skin. Treatments should NEVER be carried out over areas of skin that appear sore or infected. The skin may react adversely to the treatment and the risk of cross infection is high. If a treatment is carried out over infected skin the infection could spread to other areas of the clients face or to the therapist

Prior to performing a treatment you must always do a skin analysis. There are two main reasons-

To check for contra-indications that may prevent or restrict your treatment.
To work out the best treatment plan for the client to meet their expectations.

Contra-indications are broken down into two categories-

Prevent- this means they are often contagious and a treatment cannot be performed.
Restricts- this means that you can still do a treatment but adjustments will need to be made to the ‘standard’ treatment routine.

Common Contra-indications

Contra – indications	Description/Characteristics	RED Prevents	AMBER Restrict	GREEN Treat
Cancer	Disease (6 months after treatment has finished)	X
Circulatory Diseases	Coronary artery disease Heart failure.	X
Unidentified lumps or swelling	Lumps or swelling that have not been diagnosed by a medical professional	X
Open cuts / abrasions	Break in the skin		X
Acne	Bacterial Infection, can spread. Remove heads from pustules.	X
Sebaceous Cysts	Round, nodular lesion with smooth shiny surface which develops from the sebaceous gland.	X
Boils	A boil begins as a small inflamed nodule which forms a pocket of bacteria around the base of a hair follicle or a break in the skin. Local injury or lowered constitutional resistance may encourage their development.	X
Impetigo	Superficial contagious inflammatory disease caused by streptococcal and staphylococcal bacteria. It is commonly seen on the face and around the ears and shows as weeping blisters which dry to form honey coloured crusts. Bacteria is easily transmitted by dirty fingernails and towels	X
Conjunctivitis	A boil begins as a small inflamed nodule which forms a pocket of bacteria around the base of the eye. In this condition the inner eyelid and eyeball appear red and sore and there may be a pus like discharge from the eye. The infection spreads by contact with the secretions from the eye of the infected person.	X
Herpes Simplex	Herpes Simplex is normally found on the face and around the lips. It begins as an itching sensation, followed by erythema and a group of small blisters which then weep and form crusts.	X	X
Recent scar Tissue Hypotrophic scar			X	6 months old + X
Ringworm	Begins as small red papules that gradually increase in size to form a ring. Affected areas on the body vary in severity from mild scaling to inflamed itchy area. Fungal infection.	X
Infestations Scabies Lice	A contagious parasitic skin condition caused by the female mite who burrows into the horny layer of the skin where she lays eggs. The first noticeable symptoms of this is severe itching which worsens at night. Papules, pustules and crusted lesions by develop.	X
Sunburn	Radiation burns to the skin that will appear red and possibly blistered	X
Pregnancy Breast feeding	All trimesters	X
Auto immune disease	An autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body.	X
Shingles	Herpes zoster Viral infection	X
Laser IPL treatments	Lasers therapies that can- Resurface the skin (ablative laser) Tattoo removal Hair removal		X
Psoriasis/eczema	A chronic inflammatory skin condition. Psoriasis may be recognised as the development of well-defined red plaques, varying in size and shaped, covered by white or silvery scales Any area of the body may be affected but the most common site are face, elbows, knees, nails, chest and abdomen. It can also affect the scalp. Psoriasis is aggravated by stress and trauma but is improved by exposure to sunlight.		X
Acne drugs Roaccutane, Tretinoin, Retin-A	6 – 12 months post G.P referral	X
Waxing treatments	Hair that has been removed, at the root, using a heated wax. 2-3 days prior to treatment		X
Overly thin/delicate skin Hypersensitive skin	Often ageing or sensitive skin Do a patch test		X
Previous facial exfoliation treatments	Micro-dermabrasion Chemical peels Dermaplaning		X
Self-tanning				X Spray or manual 7 days either side
High/low blood pressure	Controlled by medication		X
Dermatitis	Dermatitis literally means inflammation of the skin. Contact dermatitis is caused by a primary irritant which causes the skin to become red, dry and inflamed. Substances which are likely to cause this reaction include acids, alkalis, perfumes, solvent, lanolin, detergent and nickels. There may be skin infection too.		X
Moles, skin tags	Projection coming from the skin		X
Mild bruising	Visible damage to the tissues under the skin.		X
Botox/fillers			X 2 weeks
Hypertrophic disorders	A blue-black nodule which increases in size, shape and colour and is most commonly found on the head, neck and trunk.	X
Topical retinoids in skin care	4-7 days		X
Anti-coagulants	Including warfarin, fish oils, aspirin and ibuprofen – extended recovery will be required and where possible patients may want to reduce anti-coagulant medication 2- 4 days prior to treatment but will need to check with GP.		X
Previous history of anaphylaxis shock	Extreme allergic reaction Especially nuts with mandelic acid	X

If ever in doubt don’t do a treatment.