Sun exposure, smoking, and drinking alcohol can make you look older than you actually are. If you’re looking to rejuvenate and refresh your face but you’re not ready for an invasive anti-aging procedure, you may be a good candidate for a HydraFacial at Southeast Regional Med Spa in Columbus, GA. To help you determine if this treatment is right for you, today, we’re discussing everything you must avoid before and after treatment to be considered a good candidate.
What Should You Avoid Before a HydraFacial?
What To Avoid Six Months Before Your Treatment
Six months before your Hydrafacial treatment, also known as hydradermabrasion, avoid the use of any products that contain Isotretinoin, a derivative of vitamin A. This ingredient is most commonly found in topical acne medications but may be found in other drugs and skin care treatments, as well. If you’re using an acne medication containing this ingredient and you don’t feel you can stop taking it for six months, advise us of this during your initial consultation.
What To Avoid Two Weeks Before Your Treatment
In the 14 days leading up to your treatment session, avoid any laser treatment sessions. It can take several weeks for your skin to recover from this type of treatment and your skin should not be peeling when you come in for your HydraFacial session. For the same reason, you should avoid medium and deep chemical peels in the two weeks leading up to your treatment and wear adequate sunscreen to avoid peeling caused by a sunburn.
The sun protection factor your sunscreen must provide you depends on the amount of melanin in your skin. People with higher levels of melanin in their skin have more natural protection from sun damage and can be protected adequately with a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or 35 sunscreen. People with lower levels of melanin in their skin need at least an SPF of 55 that protects against damage from all three types of the sun’s UV rays. Also, avoid dermal fillers.
What To Avoid One Week Before Your Treatment
Although you can’t receive dermal filler injections within two weeks of your hydradermabrasion session, you can still receive neurotoxic protein injections within eight days of your scheduled appointment. Just avoid neurotoxic protein injections in the seven days leading up to your hydradermabrasion session.
You may also schedule neurotoxic protein injections on the same day as your hydradermabrasion but the injections must be administered after the hydradermabrasion. It is also safe to receive dermal filler injections on the same day as your hydradermabrasion treatment as long as the hydradermabrasion is performed first. Furthermore, it is safe to get a HydraFacial, dermal filler injections, and neurotoxic protein injections on the same day.
What To Avoid Five Days Before Your Treatment
In the five days leading up to your treatment, stop neglecting your skincare routine. It is easy to sleep in and ignore the need to take care of your skin before a long day at work. However, during the five days leading up to your hydradermabrasion session, it is absolutely imperative that you stick to a skincare routine designed to help you achieve your aesthetic goals. For example, you should focus on moisturizing your skin and keeping it clean and free from irritation.
What To Avoid 48 Hours Before Your Treatment
In the two days leading up to your treatment session, do not use any exfoliating treatments. This includes both chemical exfoliating treatments like light chemical peels, and physical exfoliation treatments like dermaplaning. Such treatments require recovery and your face would hurt during treatment if you tried to get a hydradermabrasion shortly after an exfoliating treatment.
Furthermore, hydradermabrasions exfoliate your skin so scheduling one just a couple of days after another exfoliating treatment would be redundant. If you feel your skin could benefit from both hydradermabrasion and a light chemical peel, schedule your peel two to four weeks after your hydradermabrasion session. You may be so satisfied by how much your skin has improved after hydradermabrasion you may decide you don’t need a peel.
What To Avoid the Day of Your Treatment
If possible, avoid shaving on the day of your treatment. If you have to shave on the day of your treatment, make sure you shave at least three or four hours before your appointment. To mitigate the risk of skin irritation, use a sharp, clean razor and shaving cream.
If you have sensitive skin, you may also want to moisturize your skin after you shave. Just be aware we will remove any cosmetics from your face, including lotion, when we clean your skin before treatment. We recommend that you come in without cosmetics on your face, like makeup or lotion. If you come in wearing cosmetics, we will remove them when we sanitize your skin to prepare for your session.
What Should You Avoid After a Treatment Session?
What To Avoid During the First 24 Hours Following Your Treatment
During the first 24 hours following your treatment, do your best to avoid heat. Rather than taking a steaming-hot shower, opt for a tepid shower. You should also avoid steam rooms, dry saunas and steaming-hot food, like soup. Finally, avoid vigorous exercise for the first 24 hours following your treatment session.
We strongly encourage you to not apply any cosmetics, like makeup, to your face. If you can’t go back to work without makeup on, make sure it is gentle and will not irritate your skin. When you take it off before bed, do so gently. Do not wash your face until the day after your treatment. When you wash your face, use a gentle, hypoallergenic facial wash.
What To Avoid During the First 48 Hours Following Your Treatment
In the first 48 hours following your treatment, avoid using any medications, including topical medications, that include tretinoin or Retin-A. Over-the-counter acne medications should also be avoided. You should also avoid waxing or using depilatories during this time. Furthermore, you should avoid any exfoliating treatment, including physical exfoliation. Most forms of chemical exfoliation should be avoided for two weeks which we will discuss in more detail shortly.
What To Avoid During the First 72 Hours Following Your Treatment
During the first three days following your treatment session, avoid tanning beds. Tanning beds expose you to heat, which must be avoided during the first 24 hours following your treatment, and UV rays, which must be avoided during the first five days following your treatment. This treatment rejuvenates your skin by removing the top layers of dead skin cells that make your skin look dull or ruddy and unhealthy.
It reveals the healthy skin cells underneath that have not yet been damaged by UV rays. However, these skin cells that have never seen the light of day are extremely sensitive to UV rays. They haven’t had the opportunity to build up any resilience. Tanning during the first 72 hours following your treatment will damage your fresh skin cells and negate some of the effects of treatment.
What To Avoid During the First Five Days Following Your Hydradermabrasion Session
During the first five days following your hydradermabrasion session, continue to avoid UV damage. It is strongly recommended that you continue to avoid tanning beds. This is particularly true if you have very pale skin. The paler your skin is naturally, the more susceptible you are to UV damage. Regardless of whether you choose to tan, you need to wear adequate sunscreen.
Tanning beds aren’t the only place you are exposed to UV rays. You are even at risk of UV damage when you are driving your car or sitting in an office with a window. UV light passes through glass and has the potential to damage your skin. Although, the risk of skin damage is lower when you are indoors getting indirect sunlight. Your risk of UV damage is the highest between 10 AM and 2 PM and very high between 2 PM and 4 PM.
How to Protect Your Skin From UV Rays
To protect your skin from UV rays, you need to wear sunscreen. However, you can’t just apply any sunscreen in the morning and think you will be protected all day. To get the most protection, you must reapply your sunscreen every four hours. It is also important to understand you can’t just buy any sunscreen from the grocery store. You need a broad-spectrum sunscreen. This type of sunscreen will protect your skin from UVC damage.
Furthermore, the broad-spectrum sunscreen you purchase must offer an adequate sun protection factor (SPF) for your skin. Remember, if you have pale skin, purchase the broad-spectrum sunscreen with the highest SPF you can find. If you can’t find anything with an SPF of at least 55, go somewhere else. If you have dark skin, you can be protected adequately if your sunscreen has an SPF of 30 or 35 as long as it protects against harm from UVC rays.
What To Avoid During the First Two Weeks Following Your Hydradermabrasion Session
During the first 14 days following your hydradermabrasion session, any laser treatments or medium or deep chemical peels. Remember, hydradermabrasion removes the top layers of your skin. This skin is extremely sensitive. Getting medium or deep chemical peels or laser treatments will only harm, rather than help, your skin. Furthermore, such intense treatments are not necessary as they accomplish the same thing as hydradermabrasion treatments accomplish.
You would just be resurfacing your skin again. However, you don’t need two resurfacing treatments within two weeks. It takes 27 days for the skin cells on your face to die so you really don’t need a laser treatment or chemical peel within the first month of your hydradermabrasion session.
What To Do Before Your Hydradermabrasion Session
Before your hydradermabrasion session, come in for an initial consultation to ensure you are a good candidate for this rejuvenating treatment. If this treatment is appropriate for you, let your supervisor know you may need to take a long lunch on the day of your appointment. Sessions should only take around half of an hour if only your face is being treated but could take longer if your neck and chest are also being treated.
The Key Takeaway
Avoid anything before and after hydrafacial treatment that could elevate your blood pressure, make you too hot, thin your blood, or irritate your skin. If you are confident you can adhere to all of the preparation and post-treatment care steps, you may be a good candidate for this anti-aging treatment. Visit us at Southeast Regional Med Spa in Columbus, GA to find out for sure and learn about other ways you can keep your skin young, vibrant, and hydrated.
