The short answer
What you do in the days after polynucleotide treatment shapes the result. These are the aftercare steps that protect your skin while the treatment takes effect.
Reads with Polynucleotide skin booster
You’ve booked your polynucleotide treatment and are ready for a healthy glow-up. While you’re looking forward to achieving healthier skin with more elasticity, hydration, and smoothness, don’t neglect following some essential aftercare tips.
What you do after your rejuvenation treatment makes a big difference in the results you achieve. In the hours and days following your treatment, it’s a must to be mindful of your diet, activities, and skincare routine to maintain an excellent skin condition and allow the treatment to take effect.
Why Aftercare is Important
Polynucleotide treatment has many benefits, such as rejuvenating and smoothing skin, and it has minimal downtime, allowing you to return to your daily life quickly. However, this doesn’t mean you should forget about aftercare! The activities you’re doing or skincare products you’re using in the days after your treatment could set your skin back and hinder your treatment goals, without you realising it.
After your treatment, it’s common to receive post-treatment instructions that you should follow closely. Benefits of following an effective aftercare regimen include the following:
- It reduces the risk of side effects and complications that can delay your healing.
- It prevents skin irritation that can cause discomfort and exacerbate mild side effects.
- It keeps your skin healthy, allowing the polynucleotides to be more effective.
- It helps you to stick to your treatment schedule without delays due to issues such as skin sensitivity or swelling.
- It helps you to safely and carefully monitor any side effects or complications from the treatment.
Polynucleotide Aftercare Instructions: Top Skin Tips to Follow
After your polynucleotide treatment, you may want to resume your regular skincare routine. There are a few important adjustments to make in the hours and days following the procedure to prevent irritation, redness, and swelling.
Follow a Gentle Skincare Routine
Avoiding harsh or aggressive skincare products is one of the most important tips to follow in the days after your treatment.
- Use skincare products with non-irritating, calming ingredients such as ceramides, which contribute to healthier skin.
- Skip any products containing active skincare ingredients, such as retinol and retinoids, which increase skin sensitivity.
- Delay your regular exfoliation treatments. You don’t want to aggravate your tender, healing skin, so try to be as gentle as possible for a few days until the swelling and redness subsides.
Here are some healthy products to include in your skincare regimen:
- Non-foaming, gentle cleansers. Use one that doesn’t contain strong surfactants, which strip the skin’s natural oils. You should wait a few hours after your procedure to wash your face so that your skin can properly absorb the polynucleotides (these stimulate new elastin and collagen) without being disrupted.
- Hydrating moisturisers with ingredients like hyaluronic acid help your skin lock in moisture and heal.
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen. Always apply sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or higher so that you protect your skin against the sun’s damaging effects. This will prevent skin sensitivity, which is especially important when your skin is vulnerable after treatments.
Don’t Wear Makeup for a Day After Treatment
Although you may want to apply makeup products to your skin immediately, it’s best to avoid doing so for up to 24 hours after your treatment. This helps you to avoid the risk of infection at the injection sites, while allowing your skin to relax and heal without being prodded during makeup application. Remember, your skin might be a bit tender.
When you can wear makeup again, be sure to adopt healthy habits to prevent infection. Use clean makeup brushes and sponges to prevent transferring germs to your skin.
What to Avoid After Polynucleotide Treatment
It’s not just makeup and skincare you need to be wary of during aftercare. Be cautious when taking certain medications, exposing yourself to excessive heat, touching your face frequently, or sleeping with your head flat. Here is a closer look at these tips so you can help your skin heal more quickly.
Stop Taking Blood-Thinning Medications
When you prepared for your treatment, you had to stop taking blood-thinning medications. Don’t resume them immediately afterwards. Since they thin the blood, they increase your risk of bruising and bleeding. Common blood thinners include aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, and Vitamin E. If you’re taking medications like ibuprofen to reduce discomfort, consider using a cool compress on the area instead.
Avoid Drinking Alcohol
Since alcohol dilates the blood vessels, it increases blood flow to the skin, potentially resulting in increased bruising or redness. Avoid consuming alcoholic drinks for about 24 hours after treatment.
Don’t Expose Your Skin to High Temperatures
While you might think working up a sweat at the gym or in the sauna is fine, it’s not recommended. Exposing your skin to high temperatures, such as during intense workouts, when sitting in a sauna or steam room, or when taking a hot shower or bath, can increase blood circulation, which may cause your skin to feel irritated and red. Sweating can also irritate the injection sites. Be sure to wait at least a day or two before engaging in these activities.
Avoid Touching Your Face
Touching or massaging your face after treatment can cause issues such as the following:
- Increased infection risk. If you touch the injection sites, bacteria can be transferred to the skin, potentially slowing wound healing and causing breakouts or infections.
- Product distribution issues. Touching or rubbing your face after treatment can interfere with the deposition of the polynucleotides into the skin, potentially reducing their overall effectiveness.
- Increased bruising and swelling. If your skin is experiencing bruising and swelling from the treatment, excessive touching can exacerbate the issues.
You should avoid touching your face for about a day or two.
Sleep with Your Head Elevated
For the night after your treatment, try to sleep with your head slightly elevated on the pillow to minimise swelling. Elevation moves fluids away from the area of your face that’s healing.
Symptoms to Keep an Eye Out For During Aftercare
You might experience some mild symptoms after polynucleotide treatments. These are normal and will go away quickly.
- Localised redness and swelling: These are mild and will resolve within a few days.
- Small bumps: These are sometimes referred to as “mosquito bites” and appear immediately after the procedure, but they tend to disappear within 1-3 days.
- Bruising: Although mild, bruising can persist for several days. Some facial areas, such as those under the eyes, have thinner skin and may experience more bruising if the product is administered in these areas.
If you’ve followed healthy aftercare tips but your skin is experiencing more intense side effects than expected, such as the following, you should contact your provider.
- Painful swelling or swelling that spreads.
- Redness that spreads, which could be a sign of infection.
- Signs of infection, including heat, fever, and/or pain.
Final Thoughts
After polynucleotide treatment, it is essential to take care of your skin to support proper healing, minimise side effects, and prevent complications. A clear aftercare plan helps you stay on track with your skin’s goals.
Are you interested in revitalising your skin with polynucleotide treatments? Book a consultation with Dr Rakib Uddin at Aesthetic Doctors Australia by visiting this online booking link or calling [0451 670 083](tel:0451 670 083). He’ll help you set up the treatment plan and aftercare routine that fits your skincare goals.
