Is there a better way to prevent whiteheads forming after electrolysis? I’ve been developing a lot of them on my chin after my electrolysis session. I avoid touching the treated areas with my hands (except for when I’m applying tea tree oil to the treated areas), and I use TTO several times a day for 3 days post-treatment. Whiteheads still appear (it’s been 2 weeks since I was last treated and there’s still white heads that keep popping up). I’ve been using stuff my dermatologist gave me (clindamycin phosphate) for breakouts but I use that stuff after 3 days of TTO. Is there any other way to prevent whiteheads from breaking out after electrolysis? They only seem to show up in areas I have treated.
Hi Brenton. Firstly, did you discuss this with your electrologist? What did she/he say?
A whitehead looks like a tiny grain of sand that is actually dried oil trapped under the skin. Is this what you are seeing?
Do you have oily skin? It could be, since the sebaceous glands are connected to the hair follicle, those glands might be stimulated during or shortly after your treatment. Are you physically active following a treatment - sweat a lot? Sometimes the treated area is irritated by the sweat and you might see pustules.
Since products are not working for you, we can try to troubleshoot so that the “whiteheads” as you refer to them, are prevented.
Can you provide a photo?
Use clindamycin everyday and not just 3 days later. I like to think it’s much more antibacterial than TTO can be. Also try adding panoxyl wash to your regimen if you skin can tolerate it.
This is what it looks like (2 weeks after treatment). It’s gone down a bit since I’ve been using the clindamycin for a couple days now. At least I assumed this is a whitehead:
I haven’t had an opportunity to discuss this with her because she’s a good 2 hours away, but I also experienced this with another electrologist so I just kind of assumed it was normal. These ones are more noticeable (because they are on my chin vs. my neck the other electrologist did), so I wanted to see if this was really common for everyone else or if I’m doing something wrong. I’m going back in tomorrow actually, so I can also talk to her about it.
Normally my skin isn’t oily. It has been very hot here (So. Cal in summer time – it was 102F here yesterday), but the only physical activity I do is walking from place to place on my university’s campus, though it’s a big campus.
I wasn’t sure if clindamycin would be too rough on my skin right after electrolysis treatment. My skin can normally tolerate pretty harsh things though so maybe I’ll try that next time.
Those are pustules.
Oh interesting… never heard of that term before. Is that normal? I don’t remember reading much about them on this forum before. I’ll keep applying the clidamycin as it seems to be helping.
Pustules happen sometimes, but they usually clear up when one takes a warm shower. Do show your electrologist your reaction.
If you were using the tea tree oil more than once a day, then you were overdoing it with the TTO. If you use the TTO at bedtime only for three nights, with the purest aloe vera gel over top of that, I don’t think you would have such a prolonged episode with redness and pustules. The TTO should be used SPARENLY. Red, angry skin is the result of using TTO incorrectly. To boot, you started using clindamycin. Perhaps you made the skin reaction worse than it needed to be had you followed a different course? The skin doesn’t need a lot of medicants after electrolysis. For most, a mild soap and water is sufficient. For others, it is helpful to go a little further with TTO and aloe. Your electrologist may have other ideas and that is why you should let her know. She may choose to change her strategy for you, which is another reason to inform her. This reaction is not want we normally like to see, so it would be worth figuring out the best way to minimize further reactions.
Hi Brenton. I suggest you try something that might help prevent them in the first place however I am going to presume that the area is being prepped and cleaned properly and that you are not touching the area.
Immediately after electrolysis, apply a warm compress to the area.
Do not apply anything cold or cooling.
This is not a general suggestion; this is just a suggestion for tissue that
reacts like yours.
Let me know if this prevents the pustules from developing. Also, what is the electrolysis prep. and aftercare? Would you know what is currently being used on your skin while at your appointment?
I’ll talk to her about this. She told me I should use TTO (or witch hazel? I forget which, but the stuff I have is what a different electrologist gave me – a mix of water, aloe, TTO, witch hazel, and a couple other things), and she told me I should use that stuff 3-4 times a day for 3 days. I didn’t start using clindamycin until after those 3 days and I only put it on the pustules as a spot treatment. She told me not to wash the treated area for the first 24 hours after treatment.
It just seems like this area has stayed red longer than any other area I have had treated. She did tell me that the reactions will be less and less as we go (she said the first time on the chin is the worse because of how much hair there is). I’ll definitely talk to her and show her
Arlene: For a warm compress, would a paper towel soaked with warm water work? I believe for the prep she rubbed witch hazel over the areas to be treated, and then she worked on me while wearing gloves. For the after care, she told me that witch hazel or tea tree oil 3-4 times per day for 3 days is good.
I am a little confused.
The TTO you were using was diluted?
Well it is not working so, get your own 100% pure TTO manufactured in Australia. Make sure it is packaged in an amber colored glass bottle and also buy a bottle of medicated Thayers witch hazel.
Regarding the warm compress: Paper towel is okay but you want several paper towels to hold the heat for a few minutes.
Prep. is usually something that sanitizes the area better than witch hazel. Therefore, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide is often used.
Witch hazel is often the chosen aftercare.
To be honest, I’m not sure, but it must’ve been diluted. The electrologist who gave it to me said it’s a mix of water, aloe, tto, witch hazel, and some other things I can’t remember off the top of my head. I’m also wondering if I’m accidentally touching my chin without realizing it. The electrologist also said I could use hydrogen peroxide (at least 3 times per day) for 24 hours.
Pustules like that end up becoming whiteheads (with the ‘seed’) on my face.
Seriously, consider ditching the tea tree oil. I see absolutely no need for using it. It may have antiseptic properties, but the last thing one wants after wreaking havoc on the skin. TTO is really drying (my skin was terrible for up to a week after finishing with TTO use!) and it’s estrogenic too. Those are 2 reasons why one should not apply it all over a body part on a daily basis.
I normally wash the treated areas with a mild antiseptic soap, as it is neither drying nor as pungent as tea tree oil. I then moisturise with e45 cream or olive/coconut oil. Coconut oil is amazing for skin. Pure Vitamin E in liquid form is great too. That’s ALL YOU NEED - yes, 2 products!!! Plus it’s WAY cheaper.
I only use witch hazel if my skin is really itchy and the cooling sensation (and rubbing it in with a cotton pad!) can be soothing. It’s not necessary to bother with aloe vera either if you apply it straight after your treatment - the witch hazel ends up ‘feeling’ the same on your skin, ie. cooling. Coconut oil is better than any of these products!
Before applying any product to a post-treatment “thing” … well, it’s probably a good idea to decide what the “thing” actually is … before slathering on “this or that” for no apparent reason. So, what is a pustule that forms after electrolysis?
It’s mostly dead tissue and dead “white blood cells.” Usually, someone who knows nothing about “pustules” would have a tendency to clean them out … AND, they would be RIGHT! Get a washcloth in the shower and press and gently rub to clean out the JUNK! The junk only delays the healing. If you see some blood, don’t panic … the body LIKES nice fresh blood: you know the “immune system?”
I’m not a fan of regular applications of anything post treatment, but I do like Hibiclens for a nice final wash (and pre-wash before electrolysis). Afterward, just leave the poor skin alone and don’t further insult it by putting anything on. (The more fiddling you do the more potential problems.) My most successful clients do absolutely nothing to their skin after a treatment … oh; they allow nature to do its thing.
Pustules? Clean them out and leave the skin alone! Plain soap and water is fine. Why does this have to be so complicated?
I must say that I would question any pre-mix product of Aloe, TTO,WH, and H2O, as the benefits of using Aloe are best realized with the aloe being as fresh as possible (straight from the plant within 15 mins of cutting would be best). Degredation from not being refridgerated, or being made “shelf stable” would seriously deminish the potency, and thus reason for using it in the first place. Next up, the TTO would speed the degradation of the Aloe in a mixture (while it would help the desired healing reaction if layered on the skin with Aloe on top of tto). Since Aloe degrades into water, adding extra water seems undesireable.
While I would not be opposed to someone layering these things post treatment, I would say that it seems to be more than what might be needed, and I certainly would not want a pre-mix, and if it were pre-mixed, I would want to delete the water, and mix it fresh each day, and refridgerate it when not actually dabbing the potion on the desired applicator.
By the way, the reason for any of this is to speed the healing time, because clients want to look like they did nothing to their faces as soon as possible. If that is not a priority, doing nothing works just fine.
I agree with everything you’ve said, including instinctively getting the ‘junk’ out. 99% of (spotty) teenagers do just that without asking about TTO etc!
I think in general, most electrologists advocate TTO, Witchazel, Aloe and maybe one or two other things. Some advocate it for the first few days or week after the electrolysis treatment, but again, it’s unnecessary. Just keeping the skin clean and moisturising - aka a normal bath time / post make-up removing routine - is sufficient. My skin is no worse for it, in fact, it’s better for not using TTO.
You cannot speed the healing time. (Full healing takes 18 months, no matter what you do.) You might mask the process, but that could technically slow the process. Just get on with your life and don’t fuss.
I’m not opposed to the “stuff” because people WANT to do it and they certainly will! Just be careful (and Vitamin E is NOT recommended.)
Smurf, sometimes it is necessary and highly helpful to use TTO.
Some skin types do very well, excellently well, with a tea tree oil / aloe vera gel routine, when they follow exact instructions on how to do this. When this regime is not used, I hear more complaints about white pustules and scab formation for certain skin types. When the client takes the advice, with detailed instructions, they are happily surprised by the healing outcome.
KEY WORDS: Some Skin Types
Ooh, should specify - I meant coconut oil and vitamin E is great in general for the skin. I’ve never used Vit E post-electrolysis, so I certainly shall not now.
Are oils in general bad post-electrolysis? I didn’t want to use anything filled with chemicals and perfumes and I’ve been told that I need to moisturise more as my dry skin doesn’t make electrolysis any easier. I imagine they are for acne/pus filled spots, albeit I don’t know the science behind it, so are they to be avoided?
Dee - any particular skin types?
the proper use for vitamin E post electrolysis is via the internal route. I don’t advocate applying “vitamin e oil” directly on the skin. Most vitamin E oil is powdered vitamin E mixed in olive oil or some other inexpensive oil. This attracts dirt and invites bacteria to multiply.
As for the other subject, most people find that dispersal of necrotic tissue leads to a lack of reason for the body to use other less cosmetically attractive routes for such dispersal (for example, formation of pustuls comedones echars or massive scaling & shedding of the skin)
Of course some people know this and just argue the point just for sport.