Aftercare after your treatment

How should I prepare before any treatment?

Arrive with a clean, makeup-free face, and tell the office about your medicines, supplements, cold sores and any recent illness. Preparation differs by treatment, so use the sheet you are given when you book, and ask if anything is unclear.

Derm Clinic MD's instructions ask you to skip alcohol for 3 days before Botox or Dysport and for 2 days before filler, because alcohol can increase bleeding and bruising. Tell your injector about anything that can prolong bleeding, such as aspirin, ibuprofen or other blood thinners, and about supplements, and ask whether and when to pause any of them. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Laser resurfacing asks for no sun or UV lamps for 6 weeks beforehand.

• Cold sores: if you get them often (the sheet says 2 to 3 outbreaks or more a year), tell the office early. For lip filler, filler around the mouth, or smile and straw line treatment, the sheet asks for 3 days' notice so the office can plan ahead. For Botox, discuss them with the doctor.
• Filler: no dental work for 2 weeks before or after your appointment.
• Illness, rash or blemish in the area: ask to reschedule.
• Laser: the sheet lists pregnancy, breastfeeding and isotretinoin (Accutane) use within the past 2 years as reasons not to have laser resurfacing. Say so if any applies.
• Laser day: arrive with no makeup or lotion on your face or neck, and bring a new, unopened tube of ointment. Review every skin product, including retinol, with the office well ahead of time, and follow the other steps on your sheet.

What should I do after Botox, Dysport or Jeuveau?

Avoid strenuous exercise, heavy lifting and rubbing or massaging the treated area at first, and follow the written instructions the office gives you. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says to wait two hours before strenuous activity (anything that raises your heart rate); the office may ask you to wait longer.

The sheet is titled for Botox and Dysport and does not name Jeuveau, so ask for your instructions if you are having it. The AAD covers botulinum toxin injections in general, says most people return to everyday activities right away, and asks you not to rub or massage injected areas. Results build over the next several days.

• No straining, heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for the time on your written instructions (the AAD says at least two hours). The AAD counts anything that raises your heart rate as strenuous.
• Do not rub or massage the injection sites.
• Ask the office when you may have a facial, peel or microdermabrasion, and when you may wear makeup on or near the sites.
• Skip makeup on or near the sites, preferably until the next day.

What should I do after dermal filler?

Redness, swelling and bruising are common after filler. Derm Clinic MD's sheet says they may last about 24 to 72 hours, and the FDA says many filler side effects take a few days to weeks to resolve. Keep the area clean, avoid touching it for 6 hours, use a cold compress, skip makeup until the next day, and avoid dental work for 2 weeks.

For the first 24 hours, FDA-approved patient labeling for an under-eye filler asks you to minimize strenuous exercise, extensive sun, heat and alcohol. The FDA says some filler problems can appear weeks, months or even years later, sometimes after an illness, vaccination or dental procedure. The FDA lists filler entering a blood vessel as its most concerning risk. The chance is low, but it can cause tissue death, vision loss or stroke, and the effects may be permanent. In that labeling, blood vessel complications generally appeared within 1 week, so be especially alert then, and still call about anything unusual later.

• Do not touch the area for 6 hours, and wash your hands often. After the numbing fades, wash gently with soap and water.
• Cold compress for 5 minutes every hour after treatment.
• Showers are fine, but no baths, pools, lakes, rivers or ocean for 24 hours.
• Tonight: change your pillowcase, keep pets out of bed, keep your hair off your face until tomorrow, and use speakerphone instead of holding the phone to your face.
• No makeup or lip gloss until the next day, then use clean, brand-new products on the injection sites.

What should I do after Sculptra or Radiesse?

Sculptra and Radiesse instructions differ, so follow the sheet for your product. For about 24 hours, avoid or minimize strenuous exercise and extensive sun or heat. Redness, swelling and bruising are common and can last from a few days to 14 days or longer. Lumps can appear weeks to months later, so report them.

The Sculptra patient guide lists ice wrapped in cloth for the first day and massaging the area for 5 minutes, 5 times a day, for 5 days among the instructions your provider will give you. The original 2006 Radiesse patient information says the opposite for the first day: no significant movement or massage of the area, and no makeup. The current Radiesse (+) instructions for use keep only the 24-hour sun and heat advice. Massage only if your injector tells you to.

In the Sculptra guide's postmarketing reports, lumps (nodules) mostly appeared several months after injection, from 1 to 14 months. Some lasted up to 2 years and some needed surgery. Tell any clinician before imaging near the treated area: Radiesse is clearly visible on CT scans and may show on plain X-rays, and Sculptra may be visible on ultrasound and MRI.

• Sculptra: avoid or minimize hard exercise, extensive sun, UV lamps, tanning beds and extreme temperatures for 24 hours.
• Radiesse: avoid extensive sun or heat for about 24 hours. The 2006 patient information also says no makeup and no significant movement or massage for that time.

What should I do after microneedling?

Expect redness like a mild sunburn that usually fades in a few days to a week, and wait 24 hours before makeup, according to the AAD. People with darker skin may see darker shades instead of redness. Follow the aftercare steps and products your office gives you.

The AAD says skin may feel sunburned, with minor discomfort, burning or swelling, and an aftercare cream may be recommended. The FDA lists dryness, tightness, itching, peeling, bruising, bleeding and crusting as common, and pigment changes, herpes cold sore reactivation and infection as less common. It also lists planning to be in the sun in the two weeks after treatment as a reason the procedure may not suit you, so plan your sun protection. If PRF is added to microneedling, ask whether anything changes.

• No makeup for 24 hours.
• Ask which aftercare cream or products to use.
• Protect your skin from the sun.

What should I do after a chemical peel?

Healing depends on peel depth: the AAD lists 1 to 7 days for refreshing (light) peels, 7 to 14 for medium and 14 to 21 for deep. Follow your sheet closely. For sun, the AAD says total avoidance until a medium peel heals, 3 to 6 months after a deep peel, and sunscreen every day once a light peel heals.

After a medium peel, the AAD says skin is red and swollen, swelling can worsen for 48 hours, and blisters can form. It lists an antiviral medication for 10 to 14 days among the at-home steps for medium and deep peels, so ask whether that applies to you. The AAD lists redness that may last for months, temporary darkening, lighter skin after medium and deep peels and, rarely, scarring. It says people with skin of color can develop permanent pigment problems when a peel is done without expertise in darker skin tones, so ask how your provider lowers that risk.

• Moisturize as directed; dry, cracked skin can scar.
• No picking, scratching or rubbing; picking at scabs raises the risk of infection and scarring.
• Daily sunscreen once healed. No tanning beds, which stop skin from healing properly.

What should I do after laser resurfacing?

Derm Clinic MD's laser sheet asks for ointment every 2 to 3 hours for 3 days, no picking, head raised to sleep for the first few nights, and strict sun protection for 4 weeks. It says pain is abnormal and to call right away if you have it. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) says recovery after CO2 laser resurfacing is generally up to two weeks.

The sheet describes a hot, sunburn-like feeling that lasts a few hours to a few days, and says a light fan on the face can ease stinging. Wash with lukewarm water the morning after, use a gentle cleanser after 3 days, and apply moisturizer after each wash. Once healed, use only a plain moisturizer without active ingredients such as retinol or acids. Use only new, unopened products on the treated skin. Avoid hot water and steam starting 24 hours after treatment, mechanical exfoliation for 4 weeks, and dirty or dusty places, painting, hairspray and perfume while the skin heals.

Mineral makeup may start on day 5 per the sheet, but the ASPS says makeup comes once treated areas have healed, so ask first. The ASPS lists cold sore reactivation (especially with laser around the mouth), infection, darker or lighter skin, prolonged redness, small white bumps called milia and, rarely, scarring as complications. See laser resurfacing.

• Use a new, unopened ointment tube every 2 to 3 hours for 3 days.
• Physical sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (SPF 50+) hourly outdoors, and a wide-brimmed hat, for 4 weeks.
• Do not pick at crusts; the ASPS says that can scar.
• Take any prescribed medicines as directed; call before stopping.

What should I do after PRP or PRF on the face or scalp?

Your office will give written steps. The AAD says to expect a little pain, bruising and swelling that tend to go away within a few days, and that the main risk is infection if the blood is not kept sterile. Ask which medicines and supplements to avoid.

Derm Clinic MD's PRP hair page is mostly preparation: gentle shampoo and conditioner only for 5 to 7 days beforehand, and no hair color for 7 days beforehand. For the face, PRP or PRF is sometimes paired with microneedling. The FDA says microneedling devices are not approved to deliver blood products such as PRP into the skin, and that the risks of combining microneedling with other products are not known, so ask what your plan includes and whether the steps above change. See PRP and PRF facials and hair restoration.

• Pain, bruising and swelling at the sites are common and usually settle within a few days.
• Ask about medicines and supplements before and after.

What should I do after a skin booster?

For about 24 hours, minimize strenuous exercise, extensive sun or heat, and alcohol, per FDA-approved Skinvive patient labeling. The newest labeling also says to avoid makeup for 12 hours. Most side effects go away within 30 days, but some last longer, so call if one does.

In the earlier cheek labeling, the usual effects were redness, lumps or bumps, swelling, bruising, tenderness and pain, usually lasting 7 days or less. The 2026 labeling, approved for neck lines, says effects usually last 2 weeks or less and asks you to avoid makeup for 12 hours. In both studies some people had a response that lasted longer than 30 days (9.5% for cheeks, 7.5% for neck). Tell your injector before any laser or peel afterward, because both labels note a possible inflammatory reaction. See skin boosters.

What should I do after a vitamin B12 injection?

Your injector will explain what to expect and give written steps. Allergic reactions have been reported after injected vitamin B12. Call 911 for trouble breathing, wheezing, faintness, swelling of the face, lips or throat, or hives or itching that spread across your body.

The label for cyanocobalamin injection, one common form of injectable B12, lists itching, a short-lived rash and a feeling of swelling of the entire body among reported reactions, and says anaphylactic shock and death have been reported. Ask which form you receive. Tell your injector about any known allergy to vitamin B12 or cobalt, and about Leber's disease (an inherited optic nerve condition), which the label warns about. Gold membership includes a monthly B12 injection; to plan any treatment, book a consultation. See B12 injections.

This page is general education and is not medical advice. It does not replace an in-person consultation. Whether a treatment suits you, and what result is realistic, depends on your health history and an examination. Results vary from person to person.

Derm Clinic MD · Last updated October 2026.