Your skin care routine after laser treatments has an enormous impact upon your results. While you may feel like just getting on with things and going back to your old routine, following just a few rules for post-laser skin care can go a long way.
What You Need to do After Your Laser Treatments:
Keep your skin clean–After your skin has been ‘lasered’, it is more important than ever to ensure that it stays clean. Gently wash your face with water and a mild cleanser twice a day. Avoid using regular skin care products with harsh acids and retinoids (ask your doctor which are acceptable if you’re unsure), leave off the make-up until your skin is completely healed, and sleep with your face on a fresh, clean pillowcase.
Sun protection is everything–The sun proves the biggest threat to skin after laser treatments and can actually cause your skin to become more damaged than it was pre-treatment and to develop dark spots. Dermatologists generally suggest that the optimal time to do any laser treatment is winter, because during the winter months, people are generally less likely to spend time in the sun unprotected. No matter what season you opt for laser treatments, stay out of the sun’s direct rays and use sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection even when you are in the shade.
Moisturize regularly–Without proper moisture, your skin will heal at a much slower rate and may even scab after laser treatments. Apply moisturizer heavily to the treated area of the skin for several days following treatment. If you are not prescribed a specific moisturizing product, most simple moisturizers are acceptable, or ask your doctor to help you find the perfect skin hydration solution.
Wait to exfoliate–Immediately after laser treatments, your skin may be sensitive and easily irritated. Avoid exfoliation until at least two weeks after your treatment. Then perform a gentle, manual skin exfoliation to help wipe away all the additional transitional skin cells and reveal smooth, non-flaky skin.
Take care of your skin after laser treatment in order to optimize your results! To learn more about our laser treatments and recommended post-laser routines, or to schedule a consultation with one of our skin care experts, call (480) 513-2888, or book your appointment online.
