The power is in your hands! In-clinic treatments are a great way to make big improvements to your skin, and when you invest that time, energy, and money into your skin, of course you want the results to last. Last week our blog dealt with how you can use your post-clinic results as a jumping off point to push your skin to the next level. Today, we’re talking about the little errors that will have a detrimental effect with our DON’T list. So here you’ll find the most common mistakes that could undo the work of your pro and send your skin off track after treatment.
What NOT to do
- Skip Sunscreen
After an in-clinic treatment like a chemical peel or IPL for example, the skin is even more sensitive to day light (yes, even in cooler months) than normal. Which means if you skip sunscreen your skin will be at risk of damage to the moisture barrier. While discolouration and premature lines might not show immediately, you can bet that deep down your exposed skin will be ageing at a much faster rate. Our sunscreens are gentle enough to use in the hours following your treatment but pack a protective punch with broad spectrum SPF 40 and a formula packed with antioxidants, speaking of which . . .
- Go forth without antioxidants
Antioxidants like vitamin C, resveratrol, and grape seed extract work to deflect damaging free radicals from attacking the skin. Everyday pollution, debris, sunlight, cold winds, and more will cause damage to the lower layers of the skin, particularly when it is healing after a treatment. This is a major part of how our skin ages, it’s similar to what happens to a skinless apple left exposed in the air. If we cover the apple with antioxidants, it slows the rate that it wrinkles and browns, cover our skin with antioxidants and we’re protecting it from the same thing. A daily antioxidant serum such as our EverActive works like this to support your skin and prevent the damage that leads to the signs of ageing.
- Pick your skin
Arguably the most difficult one to stick to! Following a chemical peel or other in-clinic treatment you might find you have a few dry, flaky, or peeling bits of skin in the first 7-10 days. Picking them off is not recommended as DRUM ROLL you sometimes pull off healthy living tissue alongside dead stuff – it’s like a wool jumper, pull one thread and the whole thing could unravel! For the best results your skin needs to grow back in a slow, steady process of repair and regeneration. If you constantly pick it, the skin will create a layer to protect itself, but without the architecture underneath. This leads to scarring, skin dents and post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation, so no more picking!
- Forget to cleanse
Remember those free radicals that your antioxidant skincare is protecting you from? Well, if you don’t cleanse, they will start attacking which will lead to premature ageing (your antioxidant shield can only do so much after a full day’s work). Skin also excretes oil and excess oil in the skin feeds negative bacteria which leads to breakouts, so don’t even think about skipping your morning or evening cleanse. It’s simply not worth undoing all the good work of your treatment.
- Go straight to the gym
Immediately coming out of the treatment your skin will be in an inflammatory state because most treatments cause controlled injury that the body repairs and, in this repair, we see the benefit. Your skin might look fine with just a touch of redness, but don’t be fooled! Underneath at the lower layers your skin is working ultra-hard, and your body is working to heal. Going to the gym might seem like a healthy choice, but after a treatment sweating, hot showers and saunas are only going to aggravate the skin. Support and respect your skin after treatment by having some downtime so it has a chance to fulfill your expectations.
- Immediately use actives
Similarly, using actives on skin that is trying to heal is going to be detrimental. Instead of powering skin up, the actives can irritate. Our Post Procedure Kit contains SensiCalm, Recovery Balm and Sheer Hydration Broad Spectrum SPF 40 AKA everything that your skin needs in the hours and days following a treatment. Follow your pro’s advice and use only this on your skin for the first 5-7 days after your in-clinic visit.
In the weeks after your in-clinic treatment your skin will continue to improve as it heals. Follow our advice in our Results on Repeat and you can continue this upward trend, so when you go to your next treatment your results will be EVEN better. Get in touch with your pro to make it a reality.