Apply ice or cold packs to the treatment area for the 10 to 15 min every hour for the next 4 hours, as needed. areas twice a day until healed.
Cold compress or ice pack can be used to provide comfort. If you experience redness, swelling or general discomfort you can take an OTC pain reliever, Benadryl or other similar antihistamine.
Sleep on an extra pillow at night to help reduce the swelling for the first four days after the procedure. Apply a cool compress or a wrapped ice pack for 15 minutes every one to two hours as needed, during the first 24 to 48 hours.
Common Side Effects of IPL
1. Redness and swelling: The heat from the IPL can cause your skin to look a little flushed and feel slightly swollen. It's usually nothing to worry about and tends to fade within a few hours or days.
A mild swelling and/or redness may accompany this, but usually resolved in 2 to 3 days. Apply ice or cold packs to the treatment area for the 10 to 15 min every hour for the next 4 hours, as needed. areas twice a day until healed. Bathe or shower as usual.
Most patients experience some redness and swelling for a few days after the procedure, and full healing may take 1-2 weeks. How does a vascular laser work?
BRUISING AND SWELLING: Redness and oozing will be most noticeable on days 2-3. Swelling should be at a maximum on days 2 to 4 and start to decrease after this. You may also have some bruising. This is normal and should resolve over 7-10 days.
Right After Treatment: Mitigate Swelling and Redness
Most people will experience some redness, swelling, or stinging on the face. An ice pack or cool wet cloth can be applied on the skin to relieve these side effects. An over-the-counter pain reliever can be useful to reduce swelling and alleviate more severe pain.
Your skin may feel slightly sunburned in the hours following treatment. You can use aloe vera or Aquaphor to calm symptoms. If your skin feels itchy, an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream may help. For the next 24 hours after treatment, you should avoid strenuous activity or intense exercise.
Antihistamines block the release of histamine within the skin, which seems to be the trigger for swelling in most people. Symptoms usually start to settle within one to two hours after taking antihistamines and it is best to take them on a regular basis rather than when symptoms appear.
Use a gentle, perfume-free moisturiser several times a day to keep your skin moisturised as part of your aftercare for IPL. Stay hydrated. Just as moisturising outside is key to hair removal aftercare, so is moisturising inside. Staying hydrated will help maintain your skin's natural oils after your IPL treatment.
Overusing an IPL device is a major no-no. It can lead to side effects that range from minor irritation to long-term skin damage.
The immediate post laser treatment consists of covering the lasered skin with Vaseline (Aquaphor or whatever the specific product you are instructed to use) and using cold packs for discomfort and swelling. The best treatment to be comfortable is to apply cold compresses to the treated areas of the face.
The short answer is Yes. The treated area may experience some reddening and swelling. After treatment, you can apply Vaseline, after-sun cream, or aloe Vera gel to the treated area for soothing skin. The area might need to be soothed by applying an ice pack when you use old laser technology.
The best way to help speed up shedding after your laser hair removal treatment is by gentle exfoliation once or twice a week once you start to see signs of your hair starting to shed.
Occasionally you may experience swelling or bruising and this can last anything from 1-2 days up to 1-2 weeks. If you experience swelling, it is usually worse one to two days following treatment. If it follows a treatment to a facial area, sleeping with your head raised on pillows will minimise its appearance.
Ways to Speed Healing:
Soak the treated skin with a plain white vinegar solution at least 4 to 8 times each day. You can't soak too much. Soaking reduces redness and speeds healing! Do not pick, rub, scrub, or irritate your skin while it is healing.
Searching for over-the-counter products meant for dry, sensitive skin will be a good place to start finding the right moisturizer for you. Drugstore brands such as CeraVe, Cetaphil, Eucerin, and Neutrogena make gentle, hydrating moisturizers that can be used after laser treatments.
However, some side effects cannot be avoided, meaning you may experience redness, irritation, and swelling – all of which are natural processes. The severity of the swelling involved depends on your skin and the depth of the treatment performed, but it should subside within one to two weeks.
As a general rule, the smaller the capillaries, the quicker they are to clear up. Typically, you won't start seeing results until two to four weeks after the first treatment, as it can take the body's lymphatic system that long to remove the dead material.