I am 100% for this thread!
I’m only four treatments in, and so am still working out what’s best for me (have very sensitive, slow-to-heal skin, prone to irritation and ingrowns).
In my case, I had a not-so-great reaction to the first treatment (at very high setting). For that and the second treatment, used witch hazel and aloe. Didn’t help much in terms of soothing, nor of dealing with increasingly obnoxious ingrowns.
- Two days before treatment:
Electro advised using a mild exfoliating (glycolic) facial mask on ingrowns once a week, a couple of days before treatment. Haven’t tried this yet.
- Immediately after treatment:
Electro applies witch hazel. At night, I might wash with gentle soap (Dove), and put Polysporin on.
- Day after treatment, and the next two – evenings:
I adapted the home-grown tend skin recipe (well documented on this site).
Four tablets of effervescent aspirin**
One + 1/2 tablespoons water
Three tablespoons rubbing alcohol, stirred well.
I let the mixture (solution?) hang out for a bit before using it. I pour it in a water bottle and have enough for the two + 1/2 days after treatment that I’d think is the time you’d want to use it. (Areas covered: face, neck chest, treasure trail). Applied at night, with a cotton ball.
- Day after treatment, and the next two – mornings: if skin is very sensitive – raw, raised, sore – Polysporin. If skin’s all right – reddish pin pricks – I’ll use a 5% benzoyl peroxide cream because it’s actually a very good antibacterial agent. (Found that little nugget on the tsroadmap site, btw.)
**Many effervescent aspirin tablets contain sodium bicarbonate, which can help to soften, soothe and disinfect skin… No flavoured stuff, though, why mess around…
Good results with this so far – the skin over the ingrowns is starting to release a bit, and it looks like they’ll be primed for the electro to take care of them. I’d tried to gently scratch (and then, in frustration) squeeze them open on my own with, predictably, a worse situation than I’d started. Non-ingrown areas look better too. I think it’s the anti-inflammatory action of the aspirin that’s helping so much.
(That and the fact that my electro turned down the settings after the first treatment, when I was so eager to get the nasty things gone, I tolerated an (apparently) unusually high setting. No idea if or how this might affect results, but you’ve got to live decently during the time it will take, I think…)
NB: Tsroadmap advises that the benzoyl peroxide bit might be too irritating for some. I find I can handle it, just not the same day as the treatment.