What will my skin look like after the treatment?
Immediately after your treatment session, there will be little or nothing to see on the treated skin, however some people do experience mild redness following treatment. At worst, you may have occasional small red bruises (purpura) scattered around the treated area; these often fade within hours but even in the worst case will fade in a few days. On areas of the neck and hands, there is a possibility that small lumps will appear. This is due to your own immune system invoking a natural histamine response, similar to the response that a stinging nettle would provoke, and will settle within 24 hours. You may take anti-histamine treatments, such as Piriton, however, it is better not to do so as the histamine response is associated with the therapeutic effects being sought.
Will my skin feel any different after treatment?
Immediately after treatment, your skin will not feel any different at all but you may experience an intense, itching sensation 30 minutes to an hour after treatment. This is due to the histamine response mentioned above and is usually short lived, lasting a matter of minutes in most cases. Do not scratch the skin. However tempting it may be, try to avoid touching the area at all, as this can serve to prolong the sensation. If your skin is tender due to active break outs, you may experience a reduction in tenderness as soon as one hour after treatment.
Do I have to do anything with my skin on the day of treatment?
Avoid swimming in a public pool for two to three days following treatment. Do not use heavily perfumed skin creams and avoid using perfume for at least two days.
If you wish to apply make up to the treated area, you can do this straight away after the session, but be sure to cleanse the skin gently in the evening to remove all traces before retiring. The following morning, cleanse as usual and apply make up as normal.
If you are using topical vitamin A preparations, these are best avoided for at least 2 days following treatment.
Can I use my glycolic or lactic acid treatment creams after treatment?
Using glycolic acid treatment creams and UVA/UVB sunscreens on a daily basis is the best way to maximise and maintain the improvements gained by NLite laser treatment, but we do suggest that you refrain from using the glycolic acid creams for 48 hours after treatment, in order to allow the skin to settle. It is important, however, to carry on using sun protectors every day.
How soon will I see an improvement?
The treatment works in 3 stages:
On the day of treatment, you should experience a reduction in tenderness. In the days following, most people experience a rapid resolution of existing break outs. In the weeks following treatment, there should be an improvement to the reddened areas due to old lesions and a shallowing effect on any pitted scarring, although it takes a number of treatments to achieve the best results on scarring.
Can I carry on having top up treatments in the future?
Since the NLite is such a low power, low risk laser treatment, there is no reason why clients cannot continue to treat for as long as they like in the future, although this will vary from person to person according to their requirements.
What is the best timing for follow up treatments?
Clinical trails show improvements for up to 3 months after one treatment; however, the treatment is still fairly new and protocols are expected to alter as experience accumulates. Current protocols suggest a three-month interval between treatments but our experience is that, in some cases, better results can be achieved by treating the area more intensively.
More severe acne may require more frequent treatments and localised break outs can be controlled at any time between. Breakouts can be stopped in their tracks if treatment is carried out early. As soon as inflammation begins, a single, local treatment may be used to suppress the inflammatory process.
You will be advised of the options for your specific circumstances during your consultation.
If I continue to have treatment, will it keep my acne under control?
This is a relatively new treatment and long term information is sparse. However we do have a number of clients who have been using the NLite for long-term control for nearly 3 years now and this is proving successful.
There is a great deal of clinical work taking place on this treatment and we expect the protocol to develop as information becomes available. BACK TO TREATMENT PAGE |
