Category: Skin | 2-Minute Read
“i've just had An Anti Wrinkle Treatment. What should I nOT do?”
The anti ageing treatment can be quite daunting, not to mention the large volume of information that is thrown your way!
I can completely understand if you don’t remember everything that was said to you about your aftercare advice.
The anti-wrinkle injectable is a safe procedure when carried out appropriately and your Aesthetic Doctor will know what to do in such situations. But these 4 aftercare instructions will help optimise your results and minimise any side effects.
1) Do NOT touch the treated area, have a facial massage or apply any make-up for 24 hours after treatment.
The reason behind this instruction is that the skin puncture wounds where the treatment needles entered the skin will be open for the first 24 hours. As a result, touching these open wounds or applying make up can introduce bacteria to these sites resulting in infection. It is also possible that touching the treated area can push the toxin agent to neighbouring muscles resulting in unwanted reduced activity of surrounding muscles.
I prefer to apply the sunscreen for my clients immediately after treatment so that they don’t need to touch their face that day.
2) Avoid hot showers, saunas, hot tubs and strenuous exercise for 24-48 hours after treatment.
The risk of infection is always of concern however increased blood flow by means of exercise and hot water increases the risk of any redness, or swelling and can increase the spread of the toxin. This can lead to reduced activity and unwanted effects on surrounding muscles.
Strenuous exercise can also increase your metabolism which can increase the break-down of the toxin therefore your treatment results wear off much faster. Moderate, consistent exercise is encouraged rather than vigorous, strenuous exercise.
3) Try to stay upright for 4 hours and sleep with your head slightly raised at night for 24-48 hours.
This technique helps to reduce any post-treatment swelling (if it occurred) and prevents diffusion or spread of the injectable agent to nearby muscles.
4) Avoid caffeine, smoking and alcohol for 24-48 hours pre and post-treatment.
These can affect the results of your treatment in many ways however, primarily they reduce the effect of the treatment.
Caffeine causes dilation of the blood vessels and alcohol thins the blood so these mechanisms increase diffusion which means that the effect on the treated area is less and the effect on the untreated area is more bringing about unwanted side effects including bruising.
Smoking accelerates ageing so there is some evidence that shows that it can increase the metabolism such that the effects of the treatment don’t last as long.
If you have any other questions to add to this list, please let me know in the comments!
"Understanding why the aftercare is important can make it easier to implement."
Choosing the right medical professional is the MOST important decision you need to make, regardless of which treatment solution you opt for.
I really hope this is useful and I would always strongly recommend choosing a medical practitioner that you find reassuring and approachable.
As always,
Prioritise yourselves!
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