Aftercare
To get the best results after your treatment, it’s important to follow all the protocols.
Here’s what you need to know…
Botox
For the best results with Botox®, after treatment you should:
- Exercise the treated muscles by contracting them every 5-10 minutes for the next hour. This will help the Botox® bind more effectively to the appropriate muscles.
- Avoid vigorously massaging the treated area(s) for the next 3 days.
- Avoid facials or massage to the treated area(s) for 3 days.
- To reduce bruising avoid anything that makes your face red and hot such as saunas, intense exercise and excess alcohol for the rest of the day after treatment.
- Avoid brow waxing or tattooing for two weeks if you are having your upper face treated
- You may wear makeup and cleanse your face as normal
- Remember it may take 10-14 days to see your results!
- We will take your ‘after’ photos and assess your results. If you would like to have further treatment, we can do this during the appointment. The follow-up consultation is complimentary; however, we do charge for additional Botox® treatments.
- You should return for further treatment once you start to notice the lines or wrinkles coming back. You can pre-book your next appointment or we can contact you in three months to enquire how you are and remind you to book an appointment!
There have been no serious or long-term side effects found with Botox® in the doses we use.
However, please call us on 0800 267 633 if you have any queries or problems before we see you again.
Dermal Filler
NO dental work for up to one month after any dermal filler treatment
NO skin treatments for up to two weeks after any dermal filler treatment
NO flying internationally within one week of your dermal filler treatment or two weeks for tear troughs
During the first 24-48 hours, you may experience swelling, redness and tenderness in the treated areas. This is normal and will pass quickly. You may feel some lumps for the first few weeks, which soften and integrate into the tissues over time. Please contact us for anything you are not sure about.
The following guidelines are recommended in the first 24-48 hours after your treatment:
- It is best if you can keep the area free of cosmetics and avoid using active skin products containing AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids/Glycolic), BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acids) and Retinoid based products.
- According to international guidelines, makeup should not be applied until the following day after filler. If you need some cover, our team can apply a 100% mineral makeup, we use the Jane Iredale range and always use clean brushes. It helps with healing as well as providing a lovely coverage. This is a great makeup to use every day!
- Apply cool compresses to the treated areas to relieve swelling and any possible bruising. Alternatively, a non-drowsy antihistamine such as Loratadine can be purchased over the counter and is a great alternative
- Avoid strenuous exercise, and extremes of hot (e.g. spa/sauna) and cold (e.g. ice direct to skin) for the rest of the day
- Drink water regularly during the day (approx 6-8 glasses daily)
- You may take Panadol/Panadeine or similar medication if the treated areas are tender. If possible, please avoid anti-inflammatory medicines in the first 2-3 days.
- You may feel some lumps in the treated areas in the first 4-6 weeks until the product settles. This is normal, and the treated areas may feel ‘denser’ than untreated skin on an ongoing basis. If there are any visible lumps, these can often be improved by your clinician at your follow up appointment. Please do not massage these yourself.
- Please attend your follow up appointment 2-6 weeks after your treatment. You will be able to see your ‘before and after’ photos, and we get to see your results!
- Do not have any skin peels or in-clinic facial treatments, facial waxing, IPL or laser treatments for 10-14 days after your dermal filler treatment. Laser resurfacing is best done after the filler has disappeared from your skin.
- Plan for a check-in and possible ‘top-up’ in 6-12 months. Research shows that repeat treatment after 6-12 months can help the results last significantly longer.
Please contact us if you have any concerns (see below) as it could indicate a vascular occlusion/ infection/allergy:
- Pain that would keep you awake at night.
- Red, hot, itchy, tender, swollen area.
- Blanching or white areas on the skin, skin discolouration in a web-like pattern, pustules or pimples
Call us on 0800 267 633 if you have any queries or concerns.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
Patience is required: swelling may be present for 24 to 48 hours. It will go down! Use cool compresses on the treated area to reduce swelling if really necessary. Ideally, it is best to avoid use of anything that reduces the swelling too quickly.
Be very aware of facial hygiene for the next 48 hours:
- Keep the face clean
- Avoid make-up for 24 hours, and then use mineral products
- Avoid activities that may leave your face dirty e.g. gardening
Avoid touching your face for at least two hours to allow injection sites to heal over. If you do need to touch the face, wash your hands before touching injected areas to avoid introducing external infection.
Collagen Induction Therapy (Dermal Rolling, eDermastamp, SkinPen)
Collagen Induction Therapy is best performed in a series of treatments to achieve the maximum cosmetic result. The repair process will extend over a 12-16 week period after the treatment, and collagen is still restructuring up to 18 months after the treatment. Talk to your clinician about the best protocol for your skin. This may vary from weekly treatments to 8 weekly intervals.
- Your skin may feel hot, tight and red/ pinkish, much like moderate to severe sunburn for about 12 to 24 hours after the treatment. Keep your skin moisturized and yourself well hydrated.
- We recommend the use of a Homecare roller in between treatments to enhance the result of your professional treatment.
What to expect after treatment:
- Erythema/ Redness – skin redness will vary between individuals; it may last around 12-24 hours. As the skin heals, the redness will resolve. In some cases it may continue for up to 7 days.
- For the first 24 hours avoid ALL makeup and sunscreen
- For the first 24 hours use Aspect Dr Mild clean and apply Environ après-cit.
- Avoid using AHA/BHA (Lactic, Glycolic, Salicylic acid) Vitamin A (Retinol), Vitamin C or very active ingredients for 24 hours.
- Your clinician will discuss your personalised post-treatment homecare as this ensures continued improvement of your skin. Continue with this homecare 24 hours after treatment with the addition of Rescue Balm
- Avoid extremes of heat (sauna, solarium, excessive sweating, vigorous exercise), or cold for 24-48 hours.
- Hyper-pigmentation – a small number of people may experience a temporary hyper-pigmentation of their skin (especially if the skin is not protected from the sun’s rays). This usually resolves over the next few weeks and may be treated with lightening agents.
- To avoid this as much as possible, care should be taken to avoid intensive sunlight/ UV exposure for 2 weeks. 24 hours post treatment – we recommend the use of sunblock protection with SPF of 15 or more and reapplied 2 hourly.
- Cold sores – if you have history of cold sores, you may experience an outbreak after treatment. In these cases, we will advise/prescribe medication to prevent this for future treatments. Avoid treatment within a month of having a cold sore.
- Bruising – may occur as a result of treatment. It is recommended to stop blood-thinning medication such as Aspirin, anti-inflammatories (e.g. Voltaren and Nurofen), fish oil and green tea should be stopped 1 – 2 weeks before treatment.
- Infection – is a rare occurrence after treatment. Avoid touching your skin for the following 48 hours to avoid irritation and infection. Should infection arise, please contact the clinic immediately for advice.
There are no known serious or long-term side effects found with Dermal Rolling. However, call us on 0800 267 633 if you have any queries or problems before we see you again.
A follow up is advised for documentation purposes. Photos can be taken not less than 3 months after your last treatment.
Derma-Frac
In order to achieve the best results from your DermafracTM treatment we ask that you read and understand the following instructions. Your Skin Specialist/Physician will review the relevant post-treatment protocol with you.
Your recovery time will be influenced by the type of infusion treatment you have received and your individual skin’s response. Your Skin Specialist will have discussed with you the individual time frame you should expect.
STOP, DISCONTINUE OR DO NOT HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TREATMENTS:
- For 24 hours post-treatment
- DO NOT exercise (avoid getting overheated)
- DO NOT bath or shower
- For 1-week post-treatment
- NO exfoliating products (scrubs, AHA’s, BHA’s)
- NO products not recommended by my Skin Specialist
- NO anti-wrinkle injections
- NO prescription topical Retin A
- NO sun exposure to the area treated
- For 2-weeks post-treatment
- NO waxing, bleaching or hair dying
- NO depilatory use in any treated area
- NO electrolysis on any treatment area
- NO IPL/Laser Hair removal treatments
- NO facial treatments of any kind including any AHA, BHA, Vitamin A or TCA treatments
- NO Microdermabrasion
- NO Dermal Fillers
- For 4-weeks post-treatment
- NO IPL/Laser Skin Rejuvenation
- NO TCA Superficial to Deep Peels
- NO Fractional Ablative Laser Resurfacing / Full Ablative Laser Resurfacing
- NO Facelift Surgery
Finally:
-
- DO NOT pick at skin
- Increase water intake to include at least 8 glasses of water per day
- Wear Physical Sun Protection and reapply every 2 hours
- DO NOT use washcloths, or any other type of cloth on skin, instead, apply cleanser to clean hands and foam for application
IPL
Before Treatment
- Discontinue sun tanning and the use of tanning beds and self-tanning creams 4 weeks before and throughout the treatment course
- Always use SPF 15 or greater sunscreen on all exposed treatment areas and re-apply every 2 hours throughout the day
- Inform your practitioner of any reactivity due to home care use
- Prepare skin on topical vitamin A and antioxidants for at least 2-4 weeks prior to skin rejuvenation or vein treatment
- No treatment within 1 month of a cold sore healing
- Pain medication such as paracetamol or ibuprofen may be taken prior to treatment, except vein treatment: paracetamol only
- No smoking for 4-6 hours prior to Red Vein treatment
- No waxing, tweezing or threading for 4 weeks prior to Hair Removal and thereafter
- No other facial treatments 2 weeks pre and post ELOS Plus
Aftercare Instructions:
- Apply cool/ice compresses to treatment areas for 10-15 minutes every hour, until skin temperature has returned to normal
- AVOID SUN EXPOSURE to treated area for the duration of the course of treatment, and apply SPF 30 every day and reapply every 2-3 hours.
- A sunburn like sensation after treatment is normal, so expect some redness to last 2-24 hours
- Mild swelling can occur, and should resolve within 2-3 days. Anti-inflammatory medication can be taken to reduce swelling if necessary.
- Treated areas are more sensitive to heat, so avoid hot showers, Jacuzzis, excessive sweating, vigorous exercise, hot water and saunas for up to 48 hours.
- Avoid exfoliants on the area until has returned to normal (7-10 days)
- DO NOT pick any crusting skin, as this can cause scar tissue to form
- Treated hair may continue to fall out for up to 14 days after treatment.
- If blisters, prolonged irritation, or excessive swelling occurs, contact The Face Place immediately for a follow-up appointment.
- Dark spots may darken over next 3-5 days and complete repair of the skin can take 2-3 weeks.
- It is strongly recommended that clients who have a history of cold sores should be pre-treated with anti-viral to reduce the risk of herpes breakout. The medication should be taken the day prior to and the day after treatment.
- Treatment is required every 4-6 weeks for best results.
- We recommend Rescue Balm for post-treatment, up to 5 days.
- Mild blistering.
Call us on 0800 267 633 if you have any queries or problems.
Microdermaplaning
Possible post-treatment side effects:
- Slight grazing
- Scratches or nicks
- General feeling of increased sensitivity
- A feeling of ‘stubble’ if there are areas of hair that are thicker than the usual fine, downy or ‘vellus’ hair.
Post-care instructions:
- Avoid picking or scratching the skin, especially of grazed or cut areas; this will lead to a prolonged period of healing and may cause infection, marking and/or scarring.
- Avoid excessive heat (hot water, saunas, steam rooms, and heavy exercise) for 24 hours post-treatment or until any of the above side effects have normalized.
- Apply sunscreen every 2 hours.
Call us on 0800 267 633 if you have any queries or problems.
Peel
Possible side effects in the short time post-peel (all are normal and expected reactions to chemical peeling and may last from 1 – 14 days):
- Peeling/flaking/dandruff look on the skin (the majority of peeling occurs on days 2 & 3 but can continue for a week).
- Possible slight swelling and pink looking skin on the day may continue for a few days afterward. If this is or any other post-peel effects are a concern, and you have something special planned in the days following a peel, please advise the therapist as treatment may need to be rescheduled to suit.
- Irritation/itching (Scratching of this skin will lead to areas of grazed, sore skin and should be avoided).
- Possible pimple breakouts.
- Temporary hyperpigmentation / may be areas of dark, necrotic tissue – these will slough off.
- Mild discomfort.
- Temporary dryness and a feeling of tightness.
- Increased redness.
- Topical local infection (very rare – usually caused by scratching or forced skin removal).
- Increase in photosensitivity (easier to get sunburn).
Post Care instructions:
- It is very important to adhere strictly to pre and post-treatment to ensure optimum results.
- Avoid changing your prescribed skincare regime between treatments. This may inhibit results or prolong side effects.
- Avoid additional heat, hot water, saunas, steam rooms, and heavy exercise for 24-48 hrs.
- Do not pick or scratch the skin, this can lead to infection and marking/scarring.
- Do not use additional exfoliating/abrading products to help remove excess peeling for the first 5 days.
- Do not use soap on the skin, only use the post-peel cleanser and products recommended.
- Sun protection is mandatory – reapply every 2 hours.
- Pat skin dry after a shower, do not be tempted to ‘rub’ the wet skin off.
- Use appropriate aftercare as advised by your Medical Skin Therapist (Rescue balm/Redless).
- Avoid Vitamin A, C and other actives for up to 7 days or when the skin has normalized.
- Do not perform heavy exercise for 24-48 hrs.
- Do not sunbathe or use a tanning bed.
- Avoid all other treatments including peels, facials, waxing, hair coloring and all injectable treatments for 2 weeks pre or post peel.
Please call us on 0800 267 633 if you have any queries or problems.
