Chemical Peel in Porto

A chemical peel is an exfoliation of the skin with fruit acids: alpha and beta hydroxy acids, the same ones found in apples, sugar cane or milk, at professional concentration. They loosen the most superficial layer of the skin, the tired and blotchy one, and let the layer beneath show. At Mirra, in Porto city centre, near Trindade metro station, we do it with the Janssen Cosmetics exfoliation system, always in a series, because a single peel is half a treatment.

Why have your chemical peel in Porto at Mirra

The assessment first. At the first session the aesthetician looks at your skin, asks what you take and what you use at home, and chooses the acid concentration for your skin. More acid is not better: it is more redness for the same result. A well-chosen peel is the one you barely feel and see afterwards.

The series. We recommend four sessions, one a week, and we say so before you start: the result of a chemical peel builds session by session. One session alone leaves the skin fresher for a few days; the series changes tone and texture.

The season. A peel wants less sun. Autumn and winter in Porto are the right time, and we say no to anyone who wants it in July for the beach in August.

The place and the people. The Baixa, Porto’s downtown, near Trindade metro station. Opening hours: Every day, 9am–10pm. The visit includes tea after your treatment and slippers. Arrive 10 minutes early, without make-up. A team of 7 therapists, named further down this page.

How the chemical peel is done

Preparing

A deep cleanse with a mild-acid cleanser, so the skin receives the peel evenly. Protection of the most sensitive areas: around the eyes, the corners of the nose, the lips.

Applying and neutralising

The fruit acid is applied with a brush, at the concentration chosen for you, and left to work for a few minutes while the aesthetician watches the skin. You feel a tingling that warms; it is normal and passes. Then the neutraliser, which stops the acid, and a short massage with a soothing serum.

Calming and protecting

A serum for the eye area, a soothing mask or cream, and finally sunscreen with UVA and UVB filters. You leave with pink skin, as after a windy day, and with instructions for the week.

Benefits

The American Academy of Dermatology lists chemical peels for fine lines, especially around the eyes and mouth, for uneven skin tone and for some types of acne, and describes the result as fewer lines, smoother skin and more even colour.¹ The same source says three to five peels are usually needed, that results are not permanent because the skin keeps ageing, and that daily sunscreen is part of the treatment.² That is exactly what we tell you at the first session.

Afterwards

Sunscreen every day, without exception, throughout the series and in the weeks after. That day, no make-up, sauna, steam room or hard exercise; for the next forty-eight hours, still no sauna or steam room. The skin may flake slightly on the second or third day; do not pick. No acids or retinol at home until the aesthetician says so.

A deep cleansing facial before the series prepares the ground. For a mechanical rather than chemical exfoliation, the diamond peel. For texture and marks with more depth, microneedling, never in the same week. All our facials in Porto are on one page.

1. American Academy of Dermatology. Chemical peels: Overview; Chemical peels: FAQs. aad.org/public/cosmetic/younger-looking/
2. American Academy of Dermatology. Chemical peels: Overview; Chemical peels: FAQs. aad.org/public/cosmetic/younger-looking/