First time poster here - I’ve been getting treatment at About Face, Glasgow, UK. I was having electrolysis but after 5 sessions with little results (and some increase in redness on the treated areas) decided to switch to IPL/VPL. I had a good experience the first session with about 20% reduction in hair, though very patchy. I just had my second session of IPL and I’m experiencing a crazy amount of yellow fluid secretion within 24 hours of the session.
They are still sort of leaking 24 hours later but are beginning to congeal. From looking around online it looks like this is blood serum coming to the fore which may indicate possible scarring. I didn’t have this issue the first session; but had redness and minor scabbing 24 hours later and was gone within a couple of weeks.
Any advice on how to treat this? Online general advice seems to be to leave alone and hope that the crusts will fall off soon without scarring but I’m absolutely terrified I am doing this wrong. I won’t be using this electrolysist again as the first one was far better, but the clinic seems to assign them pretty much at random based on availability.
Replying to add: I spoke to a member of staff at the clinic who said to treat it with a warm compress but I worry this will dislodge the serum crusts and cause more scarring.
Hey, thanks for sharing your experience that looks really uncomfortable.
I’ve seen similar reactions in forums when people had IPL on sensitive areas like the face. The yellow crusting seems alarming, but it might just be how some skin types react under stress, especially post-treatment.
I’m not a medical professional, but reading general IPL aftercare helped me understand what’s normal and what’s not. This article gave me some context on what to expect after IPL and how varied the skin’s response can be:
Wishing you a smooth recovery glad you’re documenting it, it’ll definitely help others too.
Thanks for your post. We understand your concern and, as advised when you spoke to us, the best treatment is a warm compress. It will eventually lead to the crust falling away - that’s what it should do - and, so long as you follow your aftercare carefully, there will be no scarring.
While this is not a common reaction to IPL it’s not unheard of when the hair is very dense and dark. You will find as your treatment progresses and the hair reduces there will be less reaction.
If you have a preferred therapist, you only have to ask - if you don’t specify who you would like your treatment with, then of course we will give you an appointment with whoever is available at the time closest to the time you ask for.
You mention little in the way of results after 5 sessions of electrolysis - that is to be expected. Neither the electrolysis nor the electrolysist is at fault. A strong, dense hair growth requires extensive treatment with electrolysis. This is all explained at consultation and is also mentioned in the literature given out to you at your first appointment but we understand it can be difficult to take it all in and remember it. Please just ask us anything you’re not sure about.
We hope you will persevere with your treatment - it’s a big commitment and takes some time but it’s so worth it in the long run.
Please don’t hesitate to come back to us for any further advice. It’s really us who are in the best position to give you advice, as we have provided your treatment and are familiar with your skin.
Incidentally, you couldn’t have been in better hands than you were with the therapist you saw last - she has 25 years of experience and always provides the highest standard of treatment. However, if you would feel more comfortable with someone else, again just say who you’d like your appointment with.
We wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon.
