Caring for your results

Do

• Stay upright for about 4 hours after treatment, avoid lying down or napping.
• Gently exercise the treated muscles (frowning, raising eyebrows) for the first hour or so; this is commonly recommended to help the product settle into the muscle.
• Apply a cold pack if there's swelling or bruising at the injection sites.
• Give it time: full results typically take 7 to 14 days to show, so it's normal to see little change right away.
• Keep the 2-week follow-up if one's scheduled, in case a touch-up is needed.

Don't

• Don't rub, massage, or apply pressure to the treated area for 24 hours, this can spread the product to nearby muscles and cause unintended effects.
• Avoid strenuous exercise or vigorous workouts for 24 hours; increased blood flow can raise the risk of bruising or migration.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before and after treatment, it increases bruising risk.
• Avoid facials, saunas, hot tubs, and extended sun or heat exposure for 24 hours.
• Hold off on other facial treatments (microneedling, laser, chemical peels) in the treated area for about 2 weeks.
• Avoid tight headwear or anything that presses on the treated area for a few hours.
• Don't stop any prescribed medication (including blood thinners) without checking with the prescribing provider first, but if it's optional, avoiding aspirin or ibuprofen for a day or two around treatment can reduce bruising.

Do

• Apply a cold compress intermittently for the first 24 to 48 hours to help with swelling and bruising.
• Keep your head elevated, especially when sleeping, for the first 24 to 48 hours.
• Stay hydrated in the days following treatment.
• Expect some swelling and bruising; final results typically settle over about 2 weeks as any swelling resolves.
• Contact your provider right away if you notice unusual or increasing pain, or if the skin becomes unusually pale, white, or dusky in color. These can be signs of a rare but serious vascular complication and should never wait for a follow-up appointment.

Don't

• Avoid strenuous exercise for 24 to 48 hours; it can increase swelling and bruising.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before and after treatment.
• Avoid touching, rubbing, or applying pressure to the treated area unless your provider specifically instructs you to massage it (some filler placements call for gentle massage, most don't by default).
• Avoid extended sun, heat, saunas, or hot yoga for 24 to 48 hours.
• Hold off on other facial treatments (facials, microneedling, laser) in the treated area for about 2 weeks.
• Avoid dental work or cleanings for about 2 weeks if possible, particularly after lip filler, as a precaution against infection risk near the injection sites.
• If it's optional, avoiding aspirin or ibuprofen for a day or two around treatment can reduce bruising; never stop a prescribed medication without checking with the prescribing provider first.

Do

• Expect significant swelling, this is a normal and expected part of how Kybella works (it triggers an inflammatory response that breaks down fat cells). Swelling often peaks around 2 to 3 days and can last 2 to 4 weeks, sometimes longer after later sessions in a series.
• Apply a cold compress for comfort during the first 24 to 48 hours.
• Sleep with your head elevated for the first few days to help manage swelling.
• Use a chin strap or compression garment if your provider recommends one.
• Take acetaminophen if needed for discomfort (preferred over NSAIDs, which can increase bruising), per your provider's guidance.
• Expect temporary numbness, firmness, or tenderness in the treated area for several weeks; this is also normal.
• Understand that optimal results usually take a series of treatments, commonly 2 to 4 sessions spaced about 6 weeks apart, not a single visit.
• Contact your provider right away if you notice difficulty swallowing or breathing, or a noticeably uneven smile. These are rare but can signal excessive swelling or nerve involvement and shouldn't wait for a follow-up.

Don't

• Avoid strenuous exercise for at least 24 to 48 hours.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 to 48 hours; it can increase swelling and bruising.
• Avoid massaging or applying excessive pressure to the treated area.
• Avoid extended sun, heat, or sauna exposure for a few days.
• Don't schedule your next Kybella session before your provider's recommended interval, typically at least 4 to 6 weeks, so the inflammatory response from the last session can fully resolve.
• Don't be alarmed by swelling and bruising that's more pronounced or longer-lasting than what you'd expect from filler or neurotoxin, that's expected here. Do be alarmed by trouble swallowing, breathing, or facial asymmetry, and call your provider immediately if either happens.

Do

• Massage the treated area exactly as your provider instructs, commonly the "5-5-5 rule": 5 minutes, 5 times a day, for 5 days after treatment. This is the single most important aftercare step for Sculptra specifically, it evenly distributes the product and significantly lowers the risk of lumps or nodules forming under the skin.
• Apply a cold compress for comfort during the first 24 to 48 hours.
• Expect some immediate fullness right after treatment, this is mostly from the injection fluid and typically resolves within a few days. It is not the actual result.
• Understand that real results build gradually over weeks to months, as your body produces new collagen in response to treatment; visible improvement can take 6 to 12 weeks or longer to fully develop.
• Plan for a series: Sculptra is usually done over 2 to 3 sessions spaced about 4 to 6 weeks apart, not a single visit.
• Contact your provider if you notice a firm lump or nodule under the skin in the weeks after treatment; it's uncommon when the massage protocol is followed but worth reporting if it happens.

Don't

• Don't skip the massage schedule. This is the one treatment on this list where massage is required rather than avoided, worth calling out clearly so it doesn't get confused with the filler or Kybella instructions.
• Avoid strenuous exercise for 24 to 48 hours.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 to 48 hours.
• Avoid extended sun, heat, or sauna exposure for a few days.
• Hold off on other facial treatments in the area for about 2 weeks.
• If it's optional, avoiding aspirin or ibuprofen for a day or two around treatment can reduce bruising; don't stop a prescribed medication without checking with the prescribing provider first.
• Don't judge results early. Since Sculptra works gradually and in a series, it's normal not to see a dramatic change after the first session.

Do

• Sleep on your back with your head elevated for about 1 to 2 weeks. This is a longer, stricter version of the "keep upright" instruction from the other treatments, sleeping on your side or stomach can shift or pull the threads before they've set.
• Apply a cold compress around, not directly on, the entry points for comfort during the first 24 to 48 hours.
• Keep facial movement gentle and minimal for the first few days; some pulling sensation or mild visible puckering along the thread path is normal early on and usually settles as swelling resolves.
• Support your face gently with your hands when getting up from lying down, rather than letting skin drag.
• Contact your provider if you notice a thread tip poking through the skin, or signs of infection like increasing redness, warmth, or pus at an entry point.

Don't

• Avoid opening your mouth wide, big yawns, big laughs, or chewing tough or hard foods for about 1 to 2 weeks. This matters more for threads than any other treatment on this list, since jaw movement can dislodge threads placed in the lower face.
• Avoid facials, facial massage, or any strong pressure or rubbing on the treated area for about 4 weeks, notably longer than the 2-week window used for fillers and Kybella.
• Avoid strenuous exercise for about 1 to 2 weeks.
• Avoid dental work for about 4 weeks if threads were placed near the lower face or jaw.
• Avoid saunas, hot yoga, or extended heat and sun exposure for 1 to 2 weeks.
• Hold off on other facial treatments (laser, microneedling, facials) in the area for about 4 to 6 weeks.
• If it's optional, avoid alcohol, aspirin, or ibuprofen around treatment to limit bruising; never stop a prescribed medication without checking with the prescribing provider first.

Do

• Keep the treated skin clean using a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser.
• Apply whatever post-procedure serum, balm, or moisturizer your provider recommends; this is a skin treatment, not an injectable, so the right products matter more here than in anything else on this list.
• Apply broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily once your skin can tolerate it, and stay diligent about sun protection for several weeks afterward. New skin is especially vulnerable to sun damage and pigmentation issues right after treatment.
• Expect redness, swelling, and a rough, sandpaper-like texture for 3 to 5 days, along with a fine grid pattern or pinpoint scabbing from the needles. This is normal and will flake off on its own.
• Expect results to build gradually over weeks to months as collagen remodels, and understand that a series (often 3 sessions, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart) is commonly recommended.

Don't

• Don't touch, pick, or scratch at the treated skin. Let any pinpoint scabbing or flaking shed naturally, picking increases the risk of scarring or infection.
• Avoid makeup for at least 24 hours; the micro-channels created by the treatment are essentially open skin during that window.
• Avoid direct sun and tanning beds for at least 1 to 2 weeks, this matters more here than after an injectable, since freshly treated skin is more prone to pigmentation changes.
• Avoid strenuous exercise, sweating, saunas, hot tubs, and steam rooms for 3 to 5 days; sweat can irritate open micro-channels.
• Avoid active skincare ingredients, retinoids, glycolic or salicylic acid, vitamin C, and exfoliants, for about 5 to 7 days while the skin barrier recovers.
• Avoid very hot water or hot showers directly on the treated area for a couple of days.
• Hold off on other facial treatments (peels, laser, additional microneedling) in the area for about 4 weeks.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 to 48 hours, it can increase redness and swelling.
• Contact your provider if you notice spreading redness, increasing pain, pus, or fever, standard signs of infection that should never wait for a follow-up.

Do

• Apply a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer and any post-treatment balm or serum your provider recommends.
• Apply broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily and stay diligent about sun protection, at least 2 weeks for Halo, 1 to 2 weeks for BBL or IPL alone. Treated skin is highly sun-sensitive right after any of these, and sun exposure can cause pigment changes.
• Expect pigmented spots to look darker, often called "bronzing" or "frosting," in the first few days. This is normal, it's treated pigment rising to the surface before flaking off naturally over about a week.
• Expect redness and swelling, but know the intensity differs: Halo has an ablative component and typically brings more visible downtime (a sandpaper-like texture, more noticeable bronzing and peeling) than BBL or IPL, which tend toward milder redness that clears in a day or two.
• Let any flaking or peeling shed on its own over about a week.

Don't

• Don't pick, scratch, or manually peel treated skin. Picking increases the risk of scarring or uneven pigment, let it shed naturally.
• Avoid direct sun and tanning beds for at least 2 weeks after Halo, 1 to 2 weeks after BBL or IPL.
• Avoid makeup for at least 24 hours, longer if your provider recommends it for Halo specifically.
• Avoid strenuous exercise, sweating, saunas, hot tubs, and steam rooms for 3 to 5 days.
• Avoid active skincare ingredients (retinoids, exfoliating acids, vitamin C) for about a week or until the skin has visibly healed.
• Avoid very hot water on the treated area for a couple of days.
• Hold off on other facial treatments (peels, microneedling, additional laser) in the area for about 4 weeks.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 to 48 hours.
• Contact your provider if you notice blistering beyond what was discussed at your visit, increasing pain, or other signs of infection.

Do

• Leave the PRP on your skin for as long as your provider instructs, often 6 to 8 hours or more, without washing your face or applying other products. This is the one instruction unique to this treatment: the PRP needs time to absorb through the micro-channels created by the needling.
• Once cleared to wash, use a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser and a hydrating, fragrance-free moisturizer.
• Apply broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily and stay diligent about sun protection for at least 1 to 2 weeks.
• Expect redness similar to a mild sunburn for 24 to 72 hours, and some minor pinpoint bleeding or oozing right after treatment; both are normal.
• Plan for a series, often 3 sessions spaced about 4 to 6 weeks apart, for the best collagen-building results.

Don't

• Don't wash your face, apply makeup, or touch the treated area during the PRP absorption window your provider specifies.
• Don't pick or scratch at the skin as it heals.
• Avoid makeup for at least 24 hours after that initial window has passed.
• Avoid direct sun and tanning beds for at least 1 to 2 weeks.
• Avoid strenuous exercise, sweating, saunas, hot tubs, and steam rooms for 3 to 5 days.
• Avoid active skincare ingredients (retinoids, exfoliating acids, vitamin C) for about 5 to 7 days.
• Avoid very hot water on the treated area for a couple of days.
• Hold off on other facial treatments (peels, laser, additional microneedling) in the area for about 4 weeks.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 to 48 hours.
• Contact your provider if you notice spreading redness, increasing pain, pus, or fever.

Do

• Wear compression stockings or garments exactly as your provider directs, often for several days up to a couple of weeks. This is the single most important aftercare step for sclerotherapy, it supports the treated veins as they heal and lowers the risk of complications.
• Walk and stay lightly active starting the same day. This is the one treatment on this list where movement is encouraged rather than restricted, walking promotes healthy circulation and actually helps prevent blood clots.
• Elevate your legs when sitting or lying down when you can.
• Expect bruising, redness, or slightly raised areas at injection sites, typically fading over 1 to 2 weeks.
• Expect results to take time, treated veins usually fade over 3 to 6 weeks, longer for larger veins, and more than one session is often needed.
• Apply sunscreen to treated areas if they'll be exposed to sun, to prevent the skin over the veins from staining or darkening.

Don't

• Avoid prolonged sitting or standing for the first 24 to 48 hours; get up and move periodically instead.
• Avoid strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, or intense workouts for about 1 to 2 weeks, light walking is the exception and should continue.
• Avoid hot baths, saunas, hot tubs, and direct sun exposure on treated areas for about 1 to 2 weeks. Heat causes veins to dilate, which works against the treatment.
• Don't remove compression garments earlier than instructed, even if they're uncomfortable.
• If it's optional, avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, or other blood thinners around treatment; never stop a prescribed medication without checking with the prescribing provider first.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 to 48 hours.
• Seek medical attention right away, not just a follow-up call, if you notice significant swelling, warmth, redness, or pain in the calf. These can be signs of a blood clot and should be treated as urgent.