Reaction to tea tree oil: aftercare

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi everyone,

I had my first electrolysis appointment today with a fantastic professional who treated parts of my face. They were amazing, quick, and good at it! I left the clinic with a bit of swelling and redness, iced it and went about my day sitting at home in solitude. I have a few questions about after care:

It says to clean the area a few times per day with mild soap and water (no perfume). Can I use diluted Castile soap?

And when I put tea tree oil prior to going to bed, I immediately felt a tightness in my treated area, and it felt ALMOST numb. It has been about an hour and it still feels very tight. Is this normal to have this feeling after electrolysis when applying ttoil? I perhaps may have put too much oil on the cotton pad? Is this going to delay my healing or affect anything? Should I stop using tea tree oil or is this a completely normal reaction?

As a side note, I have loved reading the threads on this website, however, it is really frustrating because a lot of the pictures that people posted are no longer clickable/active/ they are alternative websites and no longer have the pictures at that link.

#2

I reacted really badly to tea tree oil (not immediately but over time). I personally would not use it as it is unnecessary and won’t help healing.

You don’t really need anything except both you and your electrologist ensuring the area is clean before treatment and after treatment, keeping it clean with simple soap and water. I would avoid using anything such as moisturiser or other facial products for a few days.

The only thing I used when having long treatments with Josefa was aloe vera gel purely for cooling and soothing purposes.

And I agree with the photo thing! At some point I need to find all our photos and put them in shareable folder and just link directly to that.

#3

When I first started treatment I was using all sorts of oils after treatment, they all seem to dry out my skin, I started using coconut oil (worked great) and didn’t get that ‘dry’ feeling I was getting from the other ‘poncey’ oils.

#4

lol!

Well tea tree is an essential oil and shouldn’t be used without dilution anyway. It’s used for its antibacterial properties. Things have hopefully moved on but when I used to get treatment in the UK, electrologists would wipe some tea tree oil over the area with an aim of lessening the chance of whiteheads etc. This was instead of the far more important, and effective, cleaning the area with soap and water and ensuring the entire working area was as clean and sterile as possible.

Oils like coconut, almond etc are safe (known as ‘carrier oils’) and great for moisturising skin.

#5

If you get blemishes after treatment, I’d say, “OK part of the proces’… Some people have no patience… Jesus I was so desperate at one time I asked my Dr if I could get the skin removed from my chin… He never recommended eleyctrisis… He just smiled at me and said” you’ll have to live with it… He’s a great Dr otherwise… Ha. No really he is…

#6

@stoppit&tidy up:I don’t think I want to use it anymore either. I will talk to my electrologist about it at my next appointment next week.

I have Aloe Vera gel but it has so many extra ingredients, I’m not sure if I even want to put it on my face.

What do you think about diluted Castile soap to cleanse the area? As per my electrologist instructions, I am to start using witch hazel 24 hours after treatment so I have been doing that a couple of times today.

#7

I used to use an Aloe Vera gel which claims to be 99.9% without any issues. The rest of the ingredients were just stabilisers and preservatives. I now have an Aloe plant which I use regularly; I just cut a section of a leaf when I feel a pimple coming up, itchy insect bites, or just apply a layer over my face at night occasionally.

I use witch hazel water as a daily toner and have been for more than 10 years. I have oily skin and it’s refreshing. I don’t see that it would help skin particularly and it is mildly astringent so if anything, I would avoid it for a day or two after treatment.

Introduced to us by Josefa, we use a surgical soap before treatment and a few days after (I dropped everything in my normal skin care routine until my skin calmed down and just generally avoided touching it). I do use castille soap at home and versus a ‘normal’ soap I don’t think it matters which you use (as in, go for it) but it wouldn’t have the same properties as a surgical soap. Do you need it if you are not having long sessions of facial work? Probably not.

#8

Using essential oils, especially tea tree, on irritated or broken skin is a terrible idea. I know some recommend it, but we’ve seen many, many people on this board who complained of “skin reactions” to electrolysis that were actually caused by reactions to tea tree oil or similar. I’m a cosmetologist, not an electrologist, but my skin care training and personal experience with hair removal has led me to recommend the bare minimum after electrolysis: water, bland soap, and the light use of witch hazel. Severely dry, irritated areas prone to scabbing can be coated with a bland moisturizer like Aquaphor or even plain Vaseline, but caution must be observed because in some cases folliculitis can result. CeraVe makes a good, bland body moisturizer that is both heavy enough to prevent scabbing but light enough not to be a grease slick, and that’s my personal choice right now.

#9

100% agree with WeRNotAfraid (should use your real name, by the way, 'cause I never remember who you are).

There is a natural, albeit frustrating, desire “to put something on the skin to make it heal faster!” But this is a common mistake. You can’t make the skin “heal faster!”

Our patients need to remember that electrolysis is a WOUND! Adding materials to a wound generally makes matters worse. Still, it’s impossible to get people to stop “with the products.” (Men are WAY better at “no-products” than women.)

#10

Thank you all for such wonderful replies! It has been 48 hours later and I’m a smidge still swollen and still red and blotchy with some scabs starting to form. All normal things!!

I have ceased the use of tea tree oil. Continued to wash a few times daily with Castile soap. Also used witch hazel after showering to close my pores back up. Also applying cold Aloe Vera gel.

I think the temporary affects of the electrolysis itself is much better than 1)having loads of facial hair and 2) having skin problems created by too many products on open wounds.

Michael, you mention that we try to speed up the healing by applying all of these products. On the other hand, I have received information from my electrologist which specifically states “aftercare.” In this section of the pamphlet, there are many methods to treating the area after it has been treated but there is not mention that it is a choice. So when you are an electrolysis noob, coming in to get treated, you think that the “aftercare” techniques are mandatory. I really didn’t think “leaving well enough alone” was an option.

#11

I’ve done dozens of electrology lectures in many countries. When it comes to the “question & answer” part, the FIRST questions is: “What do you put on the skin afterward to help it heal?” Nobody accepts my answer: nothing.

For electrologists and most cosmetologists (and most women too), the products thing is in the DNA. Most of the time the products are just fine and do no harm; and the skin heals anyway. It’s the harmful products we try to avoid.

But yes, you will get the same product answers from 99.9% of all electrologists; especially true if they sell the products themselves.

The next level of problem-creators are the uber-cleaner/sanitizer types and the “exfoliaters.” As if you can peel the skin like a banana. Yeah, an entire industry is based on this misguided premise.

#12

I’ve tried a few products for aftercare and I would agree that nothing in particular seems to speed up the healing process. I try my best to keep the area as clean as possible while it still feels a bit raw.