Facial aftercare
Your skin has just been cleansed, exfoliated and worked on properly, so it is more open and more reactive than usual for a day or two. Everything below is about not undoing the hour you just spent.
A little pinkness afterwards is normal and usually settles within a few hours. Occasionally a spot or two surfaces in the following days, particularly after a first deep cleanse — that is congestion coming up rather than the facial causing a breakout.
For the first 24 hours
- Leave your face alone. No picking at anything, however tempting.
- No make-up if you can manage it, and clean brushes before the next time you do.
- Skip the gym, sauna, steam room and hot yoga — heat and sweat on freshly cleansed skin is how spots start.
- No swimming; chlorine will sting.
- Keep hot showers short and keep your face out of the direct stream.
For 48 hours
- Pause retinol, glycolic or salicylic acids, vitamin C and anything scrubby. Go back to them gradually.
- No hair removal on the face — no waxing, threading or epilating.
- No sunbeds. Ever, really, but especially now.
Every day after that
- Sunscreen in the morning, all year round. It is the single thing that protects what you paid for.
- Keep cleansing simple and lukewarm — a hot flannel is not a treatment.
- Drink water, sleep, change your pillowcase twice a week. Boring, and it works.
- Rebook at four to six weeks if you are working on something specific; six to eight weeks for maintenance.
Message me if…
- Redness that has not settled by the next morning.
- Itching, raised bumps or swelling — stop using any new product and message me.
- Anything that feels wrong rather than just unfamiliar. I would far rather you asked.
Get in touch — I would far rather you asked.
Book again: Facials on the menu .