Aftercare is where results are either protected or quietly undone. The good news is that the skin doesn't want more from you after a procedure — it wants less, done consistently.
The instinct after a treatment is to reach for every serum you own. Resist it. Healing skin does best on a short, gentle routine: a mild cleanser without acids or retinoids, a bland moisturizer, and whatever ointment your physician has prescribed.
Use cool or lukewarm water — hot water stresses healing skin. Blot dry rather than rubbing, and never pick or peel flaking skin, however tempting.
If you take one thing from this page, take this. Once your skin has healed, daily broad-spectrum sunscreen is not optional — it is the single most important factor in protecting your result and preventing pigmentation changes.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher every day, reapplied every two hours while you're outdoors, alongside sun-protective clothing and shade. Mineral formulations with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are often better tolerated on sensitive post-procedure skin.
Depending on the procedure and your skin type, this heightened protection may need to continue for months, not weeks.
Retinoids and glycolic acid are excellent for skin — and genuinely irritating to skin that is still healing. After laser resurfacing, they are typically reintroduced somewhere around four to six weeks, but the timing is a medical decision, not a calendar one.
Vitamin C can sting on freshly healed skin. Scrubs, cleansing brushes, fragrances, and essential oils add friction and irritation you don't need. Reintroduce one product at a time so you can tell what your skin is reacting to.
Facials, chemical peels, and additional procedures layered onto healing skin overload it and can interfere with recovery. Makeup is usually held for the first stretch after resurfacing — commonly around ten days, and at minimum the first 48 hours — until your physician clears it.
Give the skin time to rebuild before you ask anything else of it.
Between visits, what protects your investment is unglamorous and daily: sun protection, adequate hydration, sleep, not smoking, and a simple evidence-based routine you'll genuinely keep up.
These compound. A patient with modest treatments and excellent daily habits often looks better over five years than one with aggressive treatments and none.
Your aftercare should be written for your skin and your procedure. Ask us for yours in writing — and call if anything about your healing concerns you.
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