PRE-TREATMENT
- Women that are pregnant or nursing should not receive laser resurfacing.
- Avoid ANY sun exposure or use of tanning beds for A MINIMUM OF 4 weeks prior to your appointment. We will not treat “tanned skin”. SPF should be applied a minimum of once per day for the 4 weeks leading up to your appointment if we are treating the face.
- Please avoid using self-tanners for 3 weeks prior to your appointment specifically in the area to be treated. If you have used self tanner outside of the 3 week timeframe we ask that you please exfoliate the area to ensure no remnants of the product are left in the area to be treated. The self tanner could compromise your treatment as the laser cannot distinguish between self tanner and melanin (a common target for all laser wavelengths) therefore the laser may not reach its intended target. More importantly the laser energy could burn the surface of the skin since the laser is targeting the “tanned area” instead of the area intended.
- We ask that if you are currently taking oral antibiotics or steroids that you discontinue the medication for 10 days prior to your appointment.
- If you are currently taking or have taken a medication in the Isotretinoin family, such as Accutane, we ask that you wait at least 6 months before pursuing laser skin resurfacing.
- Please inform us of any tattoos or permanent makeup in the treatment area. We want to be sure to avoid treating near any of this ink as the laser may disturb or discolor the area.
- We always suggest hydrating as much as possible prior to any treatment at Dream Spa Medical. It is a great way to help your body function at its best as well as help to accelerate your healing time and enhance results.
Your provider will help guide you on your current homecare routine and make recommendations on what to avoid. As a general rule, active ingredients such as acids (glycolic, salicylic, etc), retinol products (Rx or over the counter) or topical prescriptions such as antibiotic or steroid creams should be discontinued 10 days prior to your appointment. The exception to this would be if you are using our suggested Environ Vitamin A treatment cream or serum (Youth Essentia A or Skin Essentia A). These products should always be used leading up to your treatment.
- If you are prone to Herpes Labialis outbreak, we suggest pretreating with an Antiviral medication for 2 days prior to your treatment and two days post treatment. Dream Spa Medical is happy to provide you with a prescription assuming that you are a candidate.
Shopping list:
- WHITE vinegar
- 1 gallon Distilled water
- Non woven gauze (soft gauze)
Provided in your Post-Care kit:
- Skinceuticals Gentle Cleanser
- Skinceuticals Hydra Balm
- Skinceuticals Epidermal Repair
- ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica SPF 50
- Sample of ISDIN Skin Drops
- Disposable pillow cases
- Disposable masks
Treatment day:
- Pour out 1 cup of water from jug - add 1 cup of white vinegar- store mixture at room temperature
- Shower, make this a “shampoo” day- it may be a day or two before you want to wash your hair again.
- We ask that you arrive to your appointment with clean, make-up free skin.
- Do not use any toners, serums or moisturizers. We ask that you arrive to your appointment with only SPF applied to your skin.
Post care:
Immediately Post
Your skin will be hot for the first 4 hours after the treatment, then it will become red, dry and look like you have little grids all over it. You may even notice small cracks and oozing. All of these changes are normal. Do not pick or peel your skin.
When you are leaving post treatment to go back outside, you must wear sunscreen and a hat. It is advised that you stay out of the sun completely for 4-6 weeks. You can cause serious damage to the skin if you expose it to sun, post treatment. You must directly avoid the sun for a
minimum of 4 weeks. Apply sunscreen even to go in the car as you can cause hyperpigmentation to the skin if you do not do this.
4 hours Post Treatment and first night
Gently apply a thin layer of SkinCeuticals Hydra Balm to your entire face where it was treated. Re-apply the Hydra Balm every time the treatment area begins to feel dry or cracked. Keeping the skin moist is an essential part of your recovery. You will be provided with disposable pillow cases in your take home kit. These are to be changed every night for the first week. If you are treating a body part it is essential that you wear clean clothing that does not encourage friction to the treatment area.
Be sure you have allowed yourself proper healing time before you put on a mask. If you need to go out and are wearing a mask it is essential that you wear a clean mask or you could risk infection.
Your Provider will be checking in on you within 24 hours of your appointment, but please do not ever hesitate to call with questions or concerns.
The following day:
You will begin your day with a water and vinegar soak. Using the mixture you prepared the day before, you will soak a soft gauze in the solution and allow it to sit on the skin for 5 minutes. This is a natural antibacterial and it will also help to cut the grease from the ointment you have been keeping on your skin. After your vinegar soak, you will GENTLY wash your face with the SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser provided in your take home kit. Do not rub or pick the skin, please only pat your skin very gently. It is best to just use the tips of your fingers to wash until the skin is healed, avoiding face cloths or aggressive scrubbing. Be sure the skin is thoroughly rinsed and then apply your ointment again and keep reapplying all day. As soon as the HydraBalm starts to absorb- apply more!!!!
Repeat the vinegar soak process two more times during a 24 hour period. One of the soaks should be right before bedtime. Continue this process for 5-7 days post treatment. You may discontinue the vinegar soaks when your skin is no longer oozing and/or raw. Your skin should feel dry, irritated and red.
Your provider will be checking in on you the first week via phone call to see how you are doing and if you have any questions.
We provide ISDIN skin drops in your take home kit. This is a safe post procedural makeup that can be worn as early as 3 days post treatment. Regular makeup may be worn once the skin's texture is even again and all of the scabs and flaking are gone. This usually occurs by day 10-14.
After Vinegar soak week is complete:
You will be dry and red for 7-14 days post initial recovery week.
You will begin washing your face 2x day with SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser after which you will apply SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair and ISDIN Erytofona SPF (in the morning) and Epidermal Repair and HydraBalm (in the evening). Repeat this process until your skin is pink and slightly tender.
You will be scheduled for a 2 week in person follow up with your provider. At this point you will be assessed and any additional home care routines will be added and/or adjusted. Your provider will guide you through when it will be best to add in your active skincare.
Your skin will remain pink and slightly tender for 3-4 weeks. Your skin will continue to heal even after the first month. It is imperative that you care for your skin properly. SPF is a MUST. It is for this reason that we provide you with a full size ISDIN SPF. Please utilize this powerful tool to protect your skin and also help maintain your incredible results.
Please remember to:
- Avoid all direct sun exposure for 4-6 weeks. This means that if you will be outside in the sun for more than 10 minutes you will need to reapply sunscreen and wear a hat.
- Avoid swimming or using hot tubs/whirlpools until the scabs are completely healed.
- Discontinue Physical exercise that causes perspiration for at least 7-10 days after treatment as excessive perspiration may disrupt the healing process and cause further irritation to your delicate skin
- Avoid all aesthetic services for at least one month post procedure. We strongly suggest that you get clearance from your provider before proceeding with any type of treatment. We suggest that all injectable procedures be done 2 weeks prior to your treatment day.
Tips
- Sleep with your head slightly elevated (2+ pillows).
- Drink at least your body weight in ounces of water daily.
- Do NOT pick, peel, or scrub slothing skin, it will fall off when it is ready on its own.
- Text/email/call Dream Spa Medical with ANY questions. You will feel better with your concerns addressed immediately.
- No skincare products with active ingredients for 4 weeks. ie: vitamin A or C, retinol, glycolic acid or hydroxy acid.
- Avoid sun exposure, but if you go outside, wear a hat and always wear sunscreen.
- Avoid irritating products such as self tanners for 4-6 weeks.
Healing time frame:
- Days 0-7 : itching, peeling, redness
- Days 7-14: redness
- Days 14-30: pink
When to be concerned:
- Bleeding
- Pain outside of being sore or uncomfortable
- Fever
- Drainage that isn’t a clear straw color
If you are experiencing any symptoms outside of the “Normal” range (those mentioned above) please reach out to Dream Spa Medical immediately so that we can work to remedy any and all issues or simply just be a listening ear to your questions and concerns to ensure that you feel comfortable. If you are experiencing an emergency outside of our open hours, please call our clinical emergency line at 781-222-0176.
At Dream Spa Medical we believe in having open communication and ensuring that your results are exactly as you and your provider expect them to be. For this reason we always schedule our patients that are either new to us or new to this specific treatment with a 2 week in-person follow up. This is a time for you and your provider to discuss your results and future treatments as well as go over any additional questions. The exception to this would be if you and your provider have developed a monthly treatment plan or if you are signed up for a series of pre-planned treatments such as Laser Hair Removal. In this case you will receive communication from Dream Spa Medical within 48 hours checking in on you. If at any point in time on your journey with us you would like to schedule a follow up or speak to your provider about your most recent treatment or progress we are happy to accomodate in person, virtually, by phone or email.
We are always here to ensure that you LOOK BETTER, FEEL BETTER!
