I’m a female with scattered coarse hairs along my chin, jawline, and neck with two areas the size of about a quarter on my chin (one left side one right side) where the hairs are the most concentrated. My skin is very delicate, thin, and slightly oily though pretty much always clear with small pores. I have an olive complexion.
I’ve had about 5 hours of blend done on my chin and neck as well as some treatments here and there on my upper lip. My treatment schedule so far has been about an hour of work done weekly,and my electrologist more or less clears all of the coarse hairs on my chin and neck. After each session, I’ve typically experienced normal swelling the day of, tiny pustules the following evening, and pinprick sized scabs in the next two days. My scabbing has reduced dramatically since my first treatment. Any redness I have experienced post-treatment has also seemed to declined since my first treatment. Overall, I am very happy with work.
However, the texture of my skin has also changed somewhat dramatically. The skin on my chin is very rough unlike the rest of my face. Sometimes it also gets quite flaky a couple of days after treatment. During my last treatment, my electrologist also noticed that it is looking shiny, and it is taking a long time to heal. She seemed mildly concerned. She sold me some a product to put on my face to help with the healing, which I was somewhat skeptical about (but what’s another $70 when I’m paying so much). She also told me my skin will eventually heal – especially once my treatments become more infrequent.
First question – Is this damage irreversible or long-term, and is it a common side effect?
Also, is there anything I can do to help my skin heal or prevent any possible long-term damage? My aftercare routine is minimal – Other than immediately icing my face for 10 minutes, I do not touch my skin post-treatment during the first several hours until I go to bed. Before bed I change my pillow case to a newly cleaned one, and I mix some cool 100% aloe vera gel and about two drops of tea tree oil and spread it on (I continue to do so for the next two nights, sometimes 3). I also avoid the sun entirely the first day. By the second day, I will wash my face like I typically do in the morning with a mild face wash from Kiehls, and I use a very high quality face sunscreen if I plan on being outside. The following day I resume using my typically moisturizer at night, and I continue using sunscreen throughout the week. I wonder if I should discontinue using the tea tree oil since it is drying?