My first treatment we got the dark, coarse hairs with normal flash and my skin responded very well. I had no scabbing and hardly any redness. This second time we got lighter, longer hairs that were of medium sized diameter under my chin with microflash and many whitehead-like postules have appeared. Is this normal? If they do not go away within 5 days will I still be able to treat the same area? (I have an appt on Wed)
I know I’m not supposed to touch the treated areas so I hope they go away soon. Just to test one out I did gently pop just one of them and it looks a lot better and the whitehead squeezed out easily…but should I for sure not try and pop any more of them? I assumed not so I have left all the others alone.
Explain your aftercare routine please. Did you use tea tree oil right after treatment and then at night?
Usually the pustules disappear after you take a shower. They really don’t last long. Yes, do leave them alone. You should be fine by Wednesday.
You’re right, no touching. No makeup for 24 hours. Don’t let the your celly touch the area or any phone - very, very germy. Sleep on a clean pillow case. Don’t exercise and sweat for 24 hours. Use a clean towel. Don’t kiss the dog.
Tea Tree Oil dissolves puss, so it is unlikely that it was used (and if it was, it was not propperly utilized), if a problem with pustules is occurring here.
The pustules cleared up within 2 days (I left them alone), so that was good. I did use tea tree oil not diluted with anything (I haven’t bought the jojoba oil yet). I didn’t use the tea tree oil right when I got home, but I did that night at bedtime. My electrologist puts a lotion on my face after called “Yi-zhiBaume”. It has lavender and camphor in it.
My aftercare routine is:
witch hazel
tea tree oil
aloe
the yi-zhiBaume
I put them on in that order at night and during the day as well if I don’t have to leave the house. If I have to leave the house I don’t use the tea tree oil or aloe during the day and just do witch hazel, then yi-zhiBaume and then OmbraCreme, which she gave me also, that has complete sunblock.
Does that sound ok for a routine? Is tea tree oil ok to use twice a day or should it only be used at night?
I always use a fresh towel and pillow case the 1st night but do they need to be changed each of the 3 nights after treatment?
Oh, alli (sigh). All I can say is, maybe you should try not using cremes. I personally don’t like anything like that.
Aftercare doesn’t have to be fancy. Keep it pure and simple. Dabs of witch hazel during the day, aloe vera clear gel during the day and tea tree oil at night for three days. Change your pillow case once a week. No antibiotic ointments or creme’s necessary. Use a mild soap to wash your face as you usually would. Everytime you touch your face it should be with clean hands and applicators.
Clients who have active oil glands respond very well to a warm towel applied to the skin immediately following treatment.
Also, I don’t apply Yi-zhi Baume to people with active oil glands. Follow Dee’s suggestion above and do not use any cream based products - forgo the Yi-zhi. Its a good product but might not be good for you.
I recall responding to your questions about skincare in the past and I don’t know if you incorporated any of my advice but I will reiterte something: your witch hazel should be free of isopropyl alchohol and ethyl alcohol, preferably use Thayers. Tea tree is okay after that, aloe is okay after that and drop the Yi for now. If you feel tight, get the jojoba oil as that will not congest pores. If you have trouble finding any of these products, you can email me.
But more than anything else, aftercare should include cleansing. Using witch hazel is not cleaning your skin. Dee suggested using a mild cleanser, yes, that is your first step.
AM and PM
cleanse - use mild cleanser
toner - use Thayers
spot treat with tea tree
aloe overall
if you feel tight and dry in certain areas, spot treat with jojoba
AND REMEMBER, DAYTIME ONLY, SHOULD YOU GO OUT, USE AN OIL FREE SUNSCREEN.
After your treatment in the office, request a clean warm towel and use it like a compress.
Thanks Dee and Arlene-- Yes I did inocorporate your advice in the past and I use Thayers witch Hazel. Should I ask my electrologist NOT to apply the Yi-zhi in the office right after treatment as well or will I be ok as long as I don’t use it at home? I sort of feel uncomfortable telling her to not apply something that she advises but will do what is necessary.
Can I just grab a few paper towels from the bathroom and make my own warm compress?
Just tell her you will pass on the Yi because you had pustules the last time. You are allowed to eliminate products that you think might be causing a problem.
Warm paper towel compresses from the bathroom are okay. Adhere to hygenic measures when making them, like wash your hands first with actual soap for 15-20 seconds. What I would do first is take my own ice pack and apply it for no longer than 5 or 10 minutes. Make sure the ice pack is wrapped in a clean waash cloth, gauze or tissue. Then when you get home you can apply warm compresses. Usually ice comes first and then heat, but you can certainly experiment with this to see what works for you.
Oily skin? Don’t ice. (There are some exceptions to this but it applies to those who have a propensity to keloid.)
If you are an oily skin type and you ice, there is a tendency to develop pustules. We want to encourage sebum activity on oily skin types and hence, the warm towel.
Are you saying that 5-10 minutes of ice, a one time act right afte treatment, is truly enough time to discourage sebum activity?? That seems illogical to me. I’m not connecting pustule development associated with icing, a small act with short duration, in my practice. Acne prone clients have a certain inherited bacteria on their skin and that appears to be a more common denominator, along with poor aftercare habits as some causative factors. Your ice comment is interesting and I will have to observe pustule outcome when my oily skin clients leave with their small ice pack that only delivers 5-10 minutes of coolness to relieve initial inflammation and swelling.
Ok- I will experiment. I do have oily skin in the t-zone but dry on cheeks and jawline/other areas often (a true combination skin). The interesting thing is that the pustules were under my chin where it is dry (and a few on my the very bottom of my actual chin which is oily).
Yesterday I had another appt. and I didn’t do the warm compress b/c I hadn’t read the response to my post until today (wasn’t able to get online yesterday and she was very rushed for the next client b/c she was off schedule and had been running late since I got there.The poor woman hardly has time to eat -she’s so busy! She was just chewing a few bites while she cleaned up her station AND chatting hello. She is a true multitasker!)
This time she didn’t use the Yi-Zhi but instead she used the tinted Ombracreme. I got some pustules again but not quite as many. Do I really need sunblock right after treatment if I’m just going to my car and home? It was sunny out but I shouldn’t need it under my chin anyhow I don’t think. I think I will bring my aloe next time and hope I don’t offend.
I did do tea tree oil upon arriving home and at night.I will do a warm compress today.The tea tree oil definitely helped last time.