Laser / IPL Aftercare

| 2 min read

General

• For all laser or intense pulsed light treatments it is essential to protect from sunight for several months after treatment.
• The final results of treatments will take at least a month (and sometimes substantially longer) to become apparent.
• Contact Dr Lynch if you experience significant bruising, swelling, pain or discomfort following the procedure.
• If there is skin breakdown or blistering apply vaseline (from a new pot) regularly to prevent scabbing.

Vascular laser

• After the procedure there will be redness and there may be bruising and swelling. This will usually settle within 1-2 weeks.

Non-ablative fractional laser

• After the procedure the treated area will be red and inflammed - similar to sunburn.
• Redness will usually settle within a couple of days but can take a week or longer to fully resolve.
• There will often be "grid marks" visible after the treatment. These will usually resolve within a couple of weeks.

Pigment laser

• After the procedure the treated lesions will often appear grey/white and there will be surrounding inflammation (redness). Occasionally there may be blistering or crusting.
• Over the next week or so the lesion may become darker before fading over another week or so.

Intense pulsed light

• After the treatment there will be some redness and there may be swelling.
• Pigmented lesions may appear temporarily darker before fading over the next 1-2 weeks.

Carbon dioxide laser

• Immediately following the treatment, the surface of the skin will appear red, swollen and inflamed. Some bleeding and crusting may occur.
• Wash daily with an antibacterial wash such as Dermol 500.
• Apply vaseline (from a new pot) frequently throughout the day to prevent scabbing or crusting.
• Depending upon the nature of the treatment, Dr Lynch may prescribe postoperative antibiotics or antiviral medications.