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Light Therapy Pre & Post Care

Dear $(Contact.FirstName),

We are looking forward to seeing you for your upcoming visit in our Medi Spa! Our highly-trained team is looking forward to providing you with an exceptional treatment experience. In order to help you maximize your treatment results and minimize any potential unwanted side effects, we are including a list of treatment instructions to follow for before and after your treatment. Please contact our staff if you have any questions or concerns.

Pre-Treatment Instructions:

3-6 Weeks Before

  • Pre-treatment topical medications. For certain skin types it may be necessary to pre-treat with Retin-A and Hydroquinone for 4-6 weeks prior to scheduled treatment.
  • No sun exposure, tanning beds or self-tanning products. Avoid tanning for 3 weeks prior to procedure and for 3 months after the IPL procedure. If tanned or sunburned procedure may be canceled for your safety.
  • Avoid harsh skincare products. Avoid products or treatments that irritate the skin for two weeks prior to treatment, such as chemical peels, waxing, and chemical depilatories.
  • Tell your provider if you are prone to cold sores. If you are prone to cold sores you will be placed on an anti-viral medication. Please take medication as instructed and complete entire course.

3 Days Before

  • Temporarily stop all strong topical skincare products. Skincare products including: Retin-A, retinoids, topical antibiotics, exfoliants, hydroquinone, and benzyl peroxide should be stopped about 3 days prior to treatment. Use only mild soap and sunscreen. If you have been on antibiotics oral/topical up to 7 days prior to therapy please inform ourstaff. Day of Procedure
  • Bring a wide brim hat to wear on the day of your procedure. Please arrive with fully cleansed skin: no makeup, moisturizers, perfume, cologne, sunscreen or any other products on the skin.
  • Notify us of any medication allergies, PREGNANCY OR NURSING.
  • Do not shave the treated area the day of or the day before the procedure to avoid irritation. Make sure the skin is shaved and hairless but do it at least 3 days before.

Post-Treatment Instructions:

WHAT TO EXPECT

DAY 1

It is normal and expected for your skin to feel red, sunburn, tight, dry, swollen, and sensitive to the touch. You may also experience some stinging. Drink plenty of water, avoid makeup and use only recommended skincare products. Stay away from exfoliants or glycolic acids that are present in other cleansers as these can make your skin very dry after the procedure.

DAY 2

May feel the same as Day 1. Skin feels dry, tight, irritated and the discoloration and freckles may appear darker. Continue using the post-treatment skin hydrating products. You may use make-up but only water-based powders and be very gentle.

DAY 3-7

Spots may start to get darker and to flake. Do not pick at the areas. Continue applying posttreatment hydration products. Avoid sun exposure. Wear sunscreen and hats for sun protection.

DAY 8

We may ask you to start using the Hydroquinone &/or steroid creams. Continue using sunscreen and wear hats for sun protection. You may return to your normal skincare routine. The skin should be completely healed. Vitamin A containing products can be restarted.

  • Use mild cleansers and moisturizers.
  • Avoid Aspirin, Ibuprofen, alcohol, heavy exertion and activities which may cause flushing for 2 days after treatment
  • Avoid harsh topical products such as retinols and glycolic acid products for one week after.
  • Avoid direct sunlight on the treated area and use a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen of SPF 30 or greater for 4 -6 weeks after your treatment.
  • Expect your skin to appear pink (resembling mild sunburn) for a few hours after treatment.
  • You can apply cool compresses after treatment.
  • Make-up may be applied to cover redness as needed.
  • Your skin may be temperature sensitive for several days after treatment.
  • Brown spots and freckles will appear darker while healing.
  • It will take 4-6 weeks to see the full result and 2-3 treatments may be required to achieve an optimum result.
  • The sessions are designed to provide no downtime, however, occasionally you may find that your cheeks and under eye areas are slightly puffy after treatment. You may use cold compresses (5 minutes on and 10 minutes off) several times an hour to help ease both redness and swelling.
  • Sleeping with your head elevated for the first night will also help decrease any swelling you may experience.
  • Blistering and crusting are rare; however, if these do occur a thin layer of over-the-counter antibiotic ointment such as Polysporin® can be applied 2-3 times a day for 3 days. Please call us if you experience either of these uncommon reactions.
  • Hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin color) can occur in some skin types.

If you have any questions or concerns please call our staff.