LASER & MICRONEEDLING | PRE & POST TREATMENT CARE INSTRUCTIONS
MSU Aesthetic & Laser Treatment Center’s pre- & post- care instructions are intended to help guide you through a quick recovery process, ensure proper skin healing, and maximize results for your customized treatment plan.
PRE-TREATMENT INSTRUCTIONS
4–6 Weeks Leading up to Treatment
- If you have purchased product to prep your skin for treatment day: Now is the time to start! Follow the instructions as recommended by your medical aesthetician.
- Start limiting sun exposure: 30 minutes or less per day plus a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, daily. Our team at MSU Aesthetic & Laser Treatment Center can provide recommendations on medical-grade sunscreens specifically chosen for your skin type.
2 Weeks Leading up to Treatment
- Drink plenty of water: Your skin is the largest organ of the body and the last to receive water. Hydrated skin heals more quickly and helps prevent unnecessary complications during the recovery process.
- Avoid sun exposure: Stay out of the sun and apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher daily. Skin carries active melanocytes that can become targeted during light and heat-based treatments, resulting in uneven skin coloration, burning, blistering, or scarring.
- Medication changes or changes to medical history: If you have started taking new medication, prescription antibiotics, or if there have been changes in your medical history, be sure to inform the office or your medical aesthetician as soon as possible to rule out possible side effects such as photosensitivity, bruising, or delayed healing.
2 Days Leading up to Treatment
- Discontinue use of harsh skin ingredients: Discontinue prescription strength retinols, acne creams, facial scrubs, or hydroquinone.
- If prone to cold sores or herpes simplex: Start taking prescription oral medication as directed by your general practitioner or primary care doctor.
- If facial or body hair is present in the treatment zone: Shave or clip hair down to a ¼ inch length to ensure proper contact between the handpiece your medical aesthetician will use, and the skin being targeted.
Day Of Treatment
- Avoid irritants: Perfumes, lotions, deodorant, and makeup in the treatment zone must be removed.
- Wear hair back: Use a headband or hair tie to keep the treatment zone clear and to keep numbing cream and ultrasound gel out of your hair.
- If discussed ahead of time with your medical aesthetician: Over-the-counter Tylenol can be taken prior to your appointment.
- Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing: We provide medical gowns if needed but you may want to bring a clean, loose-fitting hat to wear out of the office to avoid direct sun exposure following your procedure.
- Plan to arrive early to your appointment: Paperwork, VISIA photos, or treatment questions can be addressed prior to your appointment time. If utilizing topical numbing agents, 30 minutes to 1 hour is needed for topical numbing to be fully effective.
- Click here to learn more about topical numbing application and numbing times per treatment.
POST-TREATMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Immediately Post-Treatment
- Refrain from touching the treatment zone for four hours: If necessary, use clean, dry hands, and avoid applying anything to the treatment zone until your four-hour window has passed.
- Redness, swelling, and a “sunburn sensation”: Skin reactions are to be expected and depending on the treatment, will resolve anywhere from a few hours up to two weeks post procedure. This response is necessary to stimulate new collagen production and skin growth. The amount of redness and swelling will vary per individual and could look different at each appointment.
- Disinfect surfaces: Use 70% rubbing alcohol to disinfect your phone, glasses, sunglasses, or earbuds before touching them to treatment zones on the face.
- Darker pigment: Pigmented areas may appear darker following your procedure. This will resolve over time and will fade as the skin heals.
4 – 6 Hours Post-Treatment
- Continue to drink plenty of water!
- Follow your post care instructions: The post-treatment skin care routine your medial aesthetician has discussed or provided for you may be used 4 hours following your treatment.
- Twice a day, use a gentle hydrating cleanser with lukewarm water to gently wash treatment zone using just your hands. Pat dry with a clean towel.
- Avoid washcloths, loofahs, and dirty towels which can harbor bacteria.
- Follow with a mild moisturizer.
- Apply an SPF recommended by your medical aesthetician in the morning, even if staying indoors.
- Avoid using harsh skin ingredients: Continue to avoid prescription strength retinols, acne creams, facial scrubs, or hydroquinone.
- Continue to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing: If the treatment zone is on the face, wear a loose-fitting hat when going outside.
- Sleeping slightly elevated: Prevent excess swelling in areas of the face and around the eyes by sleeping slightly elevated or in a reclining chair. Sleeping on your back with pillows on either side of you can also help prevent you from rolling onto your side.
- Use mild detergents: use a clean pillowcase and mild detergents this week when sleeping and resting.
48 Hours Post-Treatment
- Continue taking oral anti-viral medication for cold sores as directed: if prescribed.
- Avoid strenuous activity: Avoid exercise, swimming, sweating, outdoor activities, and heated rooms.
- Avoid shaving in the treatment zone.
- For general post treatment discomfort: Over-the-counter oral pain reliever, such as Extra Strength Tylenol, or Advil, might be recommended. See our comfort aids tab for reference.
- MENDs (microscopic epidermal necrotic debris): may appear a few days following HALO, MOXI, or microneedling procedures. This is a necessary part of the healing process where the treated tissue works its way out of your body as new, fresh skin is regenerated. During this time, your skin may feel dry and rough to the touch. Keep skin moisturized with the products your medical aesthetician has given or recommended to you, and refrain from picking or scrubbing these areas as it may result in scarring or hypopigmentation.
Days 2 – 10 Post-Treatment
- Remember that you have had a medical- grade skin resurfacing procedure performed that requires time to recover.
- Sometimes skin healing can feel itchy: Avoid scratching the treatment zone to prevent complications such as skin trauma, scars, and inflammation. Over-the-counter Benadryl (50mg every 6 hours if needed) can be taken but may cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate machinery when taking Benadryl.
- Results can continue to progress: For 90 days after your treatment, you can continue to see improvement.
- Until you feel that your skin is fully recovered: Continue to follow your medical aesthetician’s instructions and utilize the tips above as a guide.
- The most important tip to remember: Be gentle on your skin and continue to follow the after-care steps to the best of your ability.
- Re-introduce: Makeup, lotions, prescription strength creams etc. may be reintroduced gently and gradually after skin appears to be fully recovered.
- Your skin may be more sensitive than it was prior to your treatment.
Caution: Possible Side Effects
Some treatment options at MSU Aesthetic & Laser Treatment Center create microscopic, open wounds in your skin that may become infected if not taken care of properly.
For signs of infection, contact our office immediately: Signs of infection may look like any of the following symptoms:
- Blistering
- Broken skin
- Drainage
- Pus
- Fever
- Extreme itching
- Increased warmth at or around the treatment area after 24 hours.
Call us at 517-267-2497 or Text us at 517-705-3020 and we will get back with you as soon as possible! For more invasive procedures, your medical aesthetician may have provided an email or alternate phone number for weekends or outside business hours in case of emergencies.