Aftercare

Stay upright for four hours and avoid lying flat or face down. Do not rub, massage or apply pressure to the treated area for 24 hours, including during facials or sleeping on your face.

Avoid strenuous exercise, saunas, steam rooms and hot yoga for 24 hours. Alcohol is best avoided the same evening as it increases bruising.

Small raised bumps at the injection points settle within an hour. The effect begins around day three and is complete by day fourteen. Judge your result at your two-week review, not before.

Expect swelling for 24 to 72 hours, and longer for lips. Sleep with your head slightly elevated for the first two nights and use a cold compress rather than direct ice.

Avoid exercise, alcohol, saunas and facials for 48 hours, and avoid dental treatment for two weeks where possible. Do not massage the area unless specifically instructed to.

Contact us immediately if you develop increasing pain, blanching or mottling of the skin, or a change in vision. These are rare, but they are urgent. Do not wait to see if they settle.

Skin will feel hot and look flushed for 24 to 72 hours. Use only the cleanser and moisturiser advised, and avoid actives (retinoids, acids, vitamin C) for five to seven days.

No makeup for 24 hours, no exercise or sweating for 48 hours, and no swimming pools, saunas or steam rooms for a week.

SPF 50 daily is not optional. Sun exposure in the weeks after resurfacing is the most common cause of pigmentation problems, and it is entirely preventable.

Treated pigmentation will darken before it flakes away over one to two weeks. Do not pick or exfoliate it. Let it shed on its own.

Avoid heat, exercise and hot showers for 48 hours. Keep the area completely out of the sun between sessions and for four weeks afterwards, and use SPF 50 daily.

Blistering is uncommon. If it occurs, keep the area clean and covered, do not burst it, and contact the clinic for review.

Keep the dressing dry and in place for 48 hours. After that, clean gently with soap and water and pat dry rather than rubbing.

Avoid heavy lifting, stretching the area and swimming until sutures are removed. Your suture removal appointment is booked before you leave.

Contact us if you notice increasing redness spreading from the wound, increasing pain after day three, discharge or a fever. These suggest infection and need reviewing promptly.

Call the clinic if you have increasing rather than settling pain, spreading redness, discharge, fever, blanching or mottled skin, or any change in vision. We would far rather see you unnecessarily than late.

Outside opening hours, follow the emergency guidance on your written aftercare sheet. For anything involving vision or severe pain, attend A&E and tell them what treatment you have had.