Warning: Limited Aftercare = Infection

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
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Just a warning to everyone on the need to be extremely diligent in your aftercare and in checking the cleanliness of your electrologist techniques…

Last Thursday I went in for a short treatment on my chin/neck area. That night I did the witch hazel, tea tree oil aftercare. BUT I also touched the area a few times (did not wash hands first) b/c I was amazed at the lack of swelling and redness. With my prior electrologist the area she treated would be bumpy, red, etc…

Skipped the aftercare on Friday b/c I was out of town and did not have my products with me. Plus I touched the area once or twice with unwashed hands checking for bumps.

On Saturday I continued the aftercare but a small whitehead had already popped up on my chin. I popped it (did NOT wash hands first).

On Sunday, the whitehead was gone but I had a red bump on my chin that continued to hurt…

On Monday, woke up to a swolled chin. Put on undiluted tea tree oil on the spot throughout the day

By Monday the swelling increased…the whole side of my face is throbbing and in PAIN.

Tuesday - went to the doctor and he said it was EXTREMELY infected and persribed me antibiotics. In the meantime I need to keep applying a warm compress to the area to draw out the puss. The whitehead spot returned and I just need to wait for it to pop on its own.

Actually, I was not going to even take the antibiotic and just let it heal on its own. But when I went to my job’s nurse she advised me to take the antibiotic b/c it looked bad!!!

Currently is VERY uncomfortable. It hurts, burns, throbs. I feel it from my chin to my jaw, up to my ear. I have a headache. It’s swelled up 3x the size of my chin. Its HARD, and there is ALOT of puss in there. I"m just waiting for it to pop…it popped a bit but only a few drops of puss came out. When it really pops it will POP and all that stuff will drain out. ewwww.

I have pics but don’t know how to attach them directly into the post. Do I have to post them on a website first?

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Thanks for stressing the importance of proper hygiene. Good hygiene applies anytime the skin barrier is compromised no matter what the cause. Handwashing is very important in our daily lives whether we are having electrolysis or not.

I’m curious if your doctor took a culture of the wound? MRSA is a problem within our communities. Have you ever heard about MRSA? Google this if you have not. Is this the first time you ever had a skin reaction like this?

I must stress again - this is not a normal reaction that occurs after electrolysis. I’m wondering if this could be something more because this kind of reaction is pretty dramatic.

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No culture taken. The ‘doctor’ just prescribed me some antibiotics(amoxicillan/clav) and a cream that is used to treat impetego(a bacterial infection).

Unfortunely I was so far from home I ended up going to one of those Care Centers which I believe are more of the newer doctors in training. I really didn’t care much for the one that examined me. He looked at it from a distance. Never touched it, never asked me how I felt, needed to look in his prescription book to see if he perscribing the right thing, etc…maybe I need to pay a visit to a better doctor.

I have heard about MRSA b/c it was on the news quite a bit(last year I believe). But I’ll look into it some more.

I have NEVER had a reaction like this. And I agree that this is pretty dramatic. I mean my chin swelled up to the size of a golf ball!! The puss is slowly dripping out. The last bit that came out actually had a long hair inside of it! What does mean? Could a hair have broken off causing the infection?