I have light Olive skin and I am between skin type 3-4. I have very thick hair and get ingrown or irritated hairs very easily. I had my first LHR treatment last monday. I believe the laser was the “Palomar Starlight fractional”. I do not know the settings that were used at the moment. I had the front of my neck done. For the first two days my neck was perfectly fine, almost no irritation. Starting the third day my neck began to look red and more irritated. By thursday night it started to get bad. Now my neck looks like this
Just taken
My skin is very red and has kind of an acne look to it. A lot of the pores have been filling with puss. I have been washing very gently, and have been applying “aveeno 1% hydrocortisone”. Mistake?
Any help or recomendations will be greatly appreciated
The hydrocortisone is not a mistake. It’s good. But, you have pus, go get some Neosporin or Polysporin, squeeze a dab on your clean fingers, then a dab of the hydrocortisone. Mix them together with your fingers, or in your palm, then wipe that on in a thin but complete layer. Can I ask a question? Did you shave closely in those areas before the treatment? Those areas are usually hard to shave cleanly because of the growth direction change. Stubble, however slight, may have caused more heat than usual to build up there. In my opinion? With good aftercare it’s all under control. Nothing to worry about. You just need to watch that pus and other hair coming in irritating it or ingrowing. Get the neosporin or polysporin on it. Possibly ice it for fifteen minutes to get the irritation manageable.
Neosporin is okay if you are not allergic to it (a lot of people are). I personally like tea tree oil for night time use. Use it at night time, as it has a smell that some people don’t like. Don’t want rumors spreading around the office about you if you wear during the day. Dip a cotton swab into the bottle and dab it on the angry areas. Don’t use too much. It can be purchased at Walmart for $5.00 and can be found near the first aid section. It’s always in a little brown bottle. Just a dab, remember.
Perhaps your shirt collar irritated your newly treated area? Clothes can do that, you know.
Thank you so much for your replies. It is just kind of scary, my skin has never looked like this ever before in my life. I didnt even go out this weekend because of this.
I did shave the night before treatment (sunday night). And yes it is a difficult area to shave, that is why i want to get it treated. I will try the ice as soon as i get home. And then apply neosp. mixed with hyrdocort.??
I am not allergic to neosporin, and i am familiar with tea tree oil. Infact the soap i am using to clean that area is tea tree oil soap. And yes it could have been my collared shirt, so should i stay away from clothing that will touch or rub my neck area?
Would it help to pull out the hair?
Once again thank u so much
i would pure aloe vera or witch hazel. both are cheap and not oily. hair will shed on its own within 3 weeks. yes, don’t wear anything that rubs on the area for a week at least after the treatment.
Do not use neosporin. A significant number of people are allergic to it and one can develop allergies at any time. So the fact that you were not allergic the last time you used it is no guarantee. Plus there is no proof that it will have much effect on preventing an infection.
The most important thing is to keep the area clean and moist. In fact, aquaphor or vasoline is perfect. Aloe vera is OK but unnecessary. Mixing a moisturizer with a little bit of hydrocortisone as discussed by Mantaray is fine. If the area gets swollen or gets worse, then you need to be seen by a physician, preferably a dermatologist, to rule out a staph infection. But that is very unlikely.
Use Neosporin or polysporin, in thin layer amounts mixed with the Hydrocortisone, which you already have. The two mixtogether well. Becoming allergic to anything on the spur of the moment is extremely highly unlikely. It’s like saying stop crossing the street because you might get hit by a car. You have pus, that’s a sign of the body warding off germs, the body could use some help in this matter, and that’s what the sporins do, they protect from infection. They are widely used daily by huge amounts of the population with no problems.
Time to pile on and confuse you more and no offense to our dear Mantaray and sslhr, because I love and respect 'em!!! BUT… petroleum based products like Vaseline can be pore cloggers, so…avoid them. Polysporin would be better than Neosporin because Neomycin is left out of the mix with Polysporin.
Simple and pure is better. I vote for aloe vera gel 100% (the clear stuff)and witch hazel to calm, soothe and moisturize the area and tea tree oil at night for the pus (bacterial anti-viral properties). Now, good luck deciding who is right!
i’ve personally used all of the above and find witch hazel to be best, followed by pure aloe vera (yes, the clear stuff in the sunblock section of the drugstore). haha. lots of advice here for you! let us know what happens.
Just out of curiosity, what is your medical background?
First, there is such a thing as delayed hypersensitivity reaction, furthermore, people can become sensitized to a drug at any point. Just because you put a medication on last time doesn’t mean you won’t react this time. My memory is that about 5-15% of the population is allergic or develops allergic reactions to the compounds in topical polyantibiotics.
Second, pus by and of itself has nothing to do with being infectious. Pus is the breakdown of white cells secondary to inflammation. An infectious process (bacteria) can be the cause but is often not the cause. The white bumps that people get routinely after laser hair removal, for example, are not infectious.
Do a survey of dematologists. You will find few who advocate using any topical antibiotic for routine cuts and scrapes. Or for that matter for cellulitis or superficial staph infections. The typical response will be to treat with oral antibiotics if necessary, otherwise, just keep it clean and moist.
I don’t want my electrolysis cients using polysporin or neosporin.
I have seen more than a few clients have mild to bad reactions and the common denominator has been the use of these kinds of medicants. Of course, one client blamed me for administering poor electrolysis, but after reviewing her aftercare with me, it was discovered that Neosporin ointment was used. She was mad at me for a while, but has returned all the wiser and now follows the written instructions I gave her initially. Guess what? She heals beautifully. Simple and pure is best.
