Congratulations on taking a step towards skin improvement. Below is some information for you as you heal from your ablative laser treatment.
Post – treatment instructions
Typical course after your treatment
Full field resurfacing +/- Profrac
DAY 0
Day of treatment. You will have a severe sunburn feeling, swelling and redness If you have also had profractional laser as well as full field resurfacing, you may have some bleeding and oozing.
DAY 1
You will attend the clinic today and will be cleaned and ointment will be reapplied
DAY 3
Attend clinic for LED
You may be starting to slough skin today or tomorrow
DAY 4
Phone call from clinic. You will be getting very tired of the process by this day, but hang in there, you are so close 🙂
You may be starting to slough skin today
Day 5
Attend clinic for LED
You will probably be sloughing skin today
Day 6
You should be healed or very close to it today and you may be able to start wearing makeup
PROFRAC ONLY
DAY 0
Day of treatment. You will have a severe sunburn feeling and swelling. You may have some bleeding and oozing
DAY 1
You will attend the clinic today and will be cleaned and ointment will be reapplied.
You may have under eye swelling and puffiness
DAY 3
Attend clinic for LED
DAY 4
You should be healed or very close to it today and you may be able to start wearing makeup
How to Care For Your Face After Ablative Laser
- If you have a history of cold sores, take your antivirals as prescribed by your doctor
- Apply Pawpaw ointment or Vaseline ointment to treated areas 3-4 times a day or more if needed to maintain continuous layer on skin for the first 3 days. Be sure to thoroughly wash your hands prior to touching your face.
- Do not apply ANY other creams, ointments or products of any kind on face until you are told it is ok to do so.
- Do not pick, rub, scrub or irritate your skin in anyway while healing.
- You can leave the pawpaw or Vaseline ointment on and soak the treated area with a clean soft cloth and the following solution: 1 teaspoon of plain white vinegar to 2 cups of water. This solution may be mixed ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Washing at least twice daily with a mild non- soap cleanser can be done in place of soaks.
- Apply a layer of Pawpaw ointment or Vaseline to the treated area immediately after soaking. If the skin gets dry or scabbed you need to soak it more often.
- Skin may be red for the first 3-7 days or longer and then turn a darker as the skin begins to slough (peel)
- The skin will usually start sloughing on day 3 or 4. Do not pick at it but allow skin to slough off on its own.
- Oedema (swelling) may also occur. Sleeping on 2 pillows with your head elevated helps.
- It is ok to shower but do not let the shampoo or hair products get on your face. Do a soak after the shower followed by pawpaw or Vaseline.
- It is normal for skin to feel “sunburned” or “tight”. Itchiness is common
- Panadol may be used if needed
- Do not expose your skin to the sun. remember UVA light passes through house and car windows. Use of sunscreen with SPF 50 is crucial after sloughing to maintain results and help prevent post inflammatory pigmentation (darker areas)
- Make up may be worn after majority of the skin has sloughed, usually day 4 with fractional and day 6 with full field resurfacing.
- You can resume use of regular cleansers/ moisturisers after sloughing is complete.
- An increased sensitivity or irritation to anything that comes in contact with your skin such as detergents, fabric softeners in pillows, sheets and clothes may occur.
- A small breakout is not uncommon and is usually self limiting
- If you experience itching, an over the counter antihistamine may be helpful
Please call the office 9331 5005 or email the clinic on info@themanseclinic if you experience increased pain, drainage, severe redness or fever, increased itching, the appearance of a cold sore, blister or a similar sensation, or if at any time you feel you are not healing normally.
FAQs
- How many treatments should I have?
The answer to this depends on your aims. For acne scarring and severe wrinkling, multiple treatments will be required. For fractionated treatments, multiple treatments are required as only around 10% of the surface area of the skin is treated in 1 session.
For fractionated ablative laser, typically 2-6 treatments are recommended. For laser resurfacing 1-3 treatments are recommended
- How often should I have maintenance ablative laser?
Once you initial treatment series is performed, in an ideal world, the patient should have ablative laser once yearly.
- What other non invasive treatments could I consider to maintain my skin throughout the year?
This really comes down to what you want to improve.
For improving pigment and sun damage, our most popular treatment is BBL
For improving redness and capillaries our most popular treatments are laser genesis and vascular laser.
For general and regular skin maintenance, anti-ageing, pigmentation and improving skin quality our most popular treatment is The Manse Glow
which is a combination treament of laser toning, a chemical peel and an LED light.
For more invasive treatments, we also offer Plasma lift.
If you would like a plan to address your skin issues, please call 93315005 and make an appointment with our therapists