Aftercare

Anti-wrinkle treatment aftercare

Today you may have undergone a treatment in which a tiny amount of a muscle relaxing protein has been injected into muscles to improve appearance. It will usually take between 3 and 10 days to start to see any muscle relaxing effect and 14 days until the full effect has been reached.

What's normal after a procedure?

Injections can cause small amounts of swelling, a temporary bump, redness, bruising, a mild to moderate headache, and sensations such as tingling or mild itching after the treatments. These effects are so common they can be considered a normal part of the process.

The initial effects will show in the first 2-5 days. Peak effect on the muscle is at 14 days, but the result will continue to improve for 4 weeks or more. The benefits start to wear off after 3-4 months on average.

How to protect your results and reduce side effects

Remain upright for 2 hours.
Do small extra contractions of the muscles treated every 20 minutes for the first hour.
When cleansing, avoid pressure and use gentle strokes away from the eyes.
Avoid facial massages or electrical stimulation of the face for the next 2 weeks.
Avoid wearing tight caps or garments in the area that has been injected.
Avoid alcohol and exposure to UV and extreme heat i.e. sauna, steam, sun beds, very hot showers, strenuous exercise etc

Reduce the chance of infection

Do not apply make-up for approximately 6 hours unless it is mineral-based.
Wash your hands immediately post procedure.
Do not touch your face in the areas injected for 6 hours.

When to contact me

If you develop a side effect, such as a dry eye, droopy eyelid, heavy brow.
Any other side effects you think are important.
If you feel distressed or worried in any way.
Routine adjustments can be carried out from day 14 after your procedure.

Dermal Fillers treatment aftercare

If you have undergone a dermal filler treatment, a hyaluronic acid gel was injected into your skin or lips to improve shape, proportion, lines, shadows or wrinkles.

What's normal after a procedure?

Due to the anaesthetic in the gel, you may feel numbness or tingling immediately after the procedure, and have some moderate swelling, redness, bruising and tenderness over areas treated. Some people experience a dull ache, and tenderness over the treated areas which subsides between 48-72 hours. Mild, non-painful swelling can last for up to 2 weeks. Bruising is usually visible initially, then more obvious the next day before fading over 7 to 14 days. A small minority of bruises can last for 4-6 weeks.

How to protect your results and reduce side effects

For 48 hours you should avoid exposure to UV light and heat i.e. sauna, steam, sunbeds, hot showers, strenuous
exercise etc, as this may increase discomfort and swelling.
Keep the area cool with a cold compress, but don’t apply ice which can cause injury.
Try to avoid unnecessary pressure over any areas treated, especially in the first 24 hours.
Avoid facial massages or skin resurfacing until the area has healed fully.

Reduce the chance of infection

Reduce the risk of infection and reaction by not touching the area for 6 hours.
Do not apply make-up over injection points until the day after the procedure.

When to contact me

Serious complications are rare, but it’s vital you seek urgent review if anything like this occurs:

Swelling, puffiness or lumpiness which does not fade in the first week with a gentle massage.
The filler changes texture and becomes hard, nodular or lumpy, especially if there is redness or tenderness after 48 hours. All these symptoms may indicate a need for medical assistance from your clinician or family doctor if you are unable to see us, but please contact us so we can advice.

IMPORTANT: Contact us immediately if you have symptoms of a blocked blood vessel.

If you develop increasing pain near or above the site of injection which is getting worse over time, especially if associated with a pale area of skin indicating a lack of blood flow you should contact us straight away. In rare cases, an urgent reversal or other medical interventions may be required immediately to prevent scarring. If we are unreachable attendance at accident and emergency is advised. Make contact with us soon as possible so we can advise other clinicians to help them.

Chemical Peel aftercare

No sunbeds, or sunbathing for at least two weeks after a peel. Wear an SPF every day after a peel.

Cryotherapy aftercare

Cryotherapy treatments are safe and effective, with excellent results. However, aftercare for the areas treated is also important for achieving the best possible outcome.

There are a few things which can affect the outcome. Generally, the treatment will go smoothly, and there will be no problems.

Expectations

Treatment is usually painless, or with slight discomfort, initially immediately after the treatment has been applied you may get any of the following which will have been explained to you when you signed the consent form.

Redness due to the initial inflammation, this is normal and is part of the healing process. The area may also be slightly raised.
You may get a small dry scab, do not pick or pull the scab. Allow it to come away by itself
Itching may occur, usually within a few minutes of treatment. It usually lasts only a few minutes but may last up to 1⁄2 an hour. It is due to release of histamine, and is totally normal in treatment of this kind
Blisters may form with any treatment to the skin and can happen to anyone. Any blisters which do form, may last just a few hours or a few days dependent on the location that has been treated. Blistering may occur after treatment of any type of lesion. Any blistering will not affect the outcome of the treatment.

Blistering

If blistering does occur, it is regarded as a normal occurrence -

DO NOT pop the blister; it will go down on its own.
Should it burst, use a non-alcoholic wipe to clean the area, and apply a smear of antiseptic cream. It may also be covered with a dressing/plaster.

Following treatment with cryotherapy

Do not:

Scratch or pick the treated area this will cause the area to take longer to heal and may cause damage to the skin
Use scrubs on the area, as this will damage the surface of the skin

General healing expectations

Most healing is straightforward and occurs without problem
Most healing will take place in 4 to 6 weeks, however it may sometimes take longer than this, as all skin varies, and can take longer to regenerate
Any treatments that take longer than 6 weeks to heal may need to be reviewed by your GP or clinic nurse.
If your immune system is compromised, you may still have treatment, BUT healing may take longer, and you may require further treatment.
If the area treated is tanned, the treatment will remove the tanning and the skin will need to repigment to the tanned colour. The small dry crusting that forms should come away after 4 weeks, if not please wait until it has done so before contacting the clinic/salon.
During the healing time you may shower/wash as normal and use your usual cosmetics, including makeup, deodorants and moisturising creams

Individual lesions

SKIN TAGS

These will turn darker from the base and will dry up and fall off as the skin heals beneath them over 1 to 6 weeks.
Larger tags may need a second treatment
If the tag becomes sore or rubs against clothing it may be covered with a dressing or plaster

MILIA

These are generally small superficial cysts filled with keratin they usually flatten and vanish with a single treatment and require no aftercare.
Follow the advice for blisters should one form

PIGMENTATION

The area will often become red and raised and will go down after a few hours. The pigment will then become darker and a dry crust will form.
When the crust falls away the new skin beneath is pink and shiny, this is NOT scarring. It is important at this stage that you use sun block minimum factor 50 to prevent the pigmentation returning

CHERRY ANGIOMA/CAMPBELL DE MORGAN

The area will often become red and raised and will go down after a few hours.
The lesion will shrink away and slowly vanish over 2 to 6 weeks

WARTS AND VERRUCAE

As these are viral infections, they may need more than one treatment to destroy the infected cells
The second treatment can be completed 4 weeks after the first
If you see black spots in the wart or verruca then it is dyeing away and should disappear over the next few weeks
There is no specific aftercare.
Follow the advice for blisters should one form

PIGMENTED MOLES

These may only be treated by a medically qualified practitioner
Following treatment, the mole will darken and crust over
As the fine crust slowly comes away the tissue will shrink and be paler than surrounding
It will slowly blend into the normal pigment colour of the skin over the next few weeks
It is important that you use sun block to prevent the skin from pigmenting dark again

KERATOSIS

These lesions may only be treated by a medically qualifies practitioner
Following treatment, they will crust and darken
As they heal the crusting may come away in patches
The new tissue will come through paler than surroundings and requires sun block to protect from pigmenting darker

Important information

It is important that you use sun block (factor 50) following treatment of any pigmented lesions to prevent them re-pigmenting. Ask your clinic about Cryobloc. You may continue to wash, bathe and shower as normal. Pat the area dry afterwards, do not rub dry. You may continue to use cosmetics and deodorants and perfume as normal. If the treated area is weeping 2 weeks after treatment contact your clinic or salon for advice. If you do not understand any of this information, please ask your clinician/therapist.