Microneedling aftercare
Redness like mild sunburn for a day or two, then dryness. Nothing on your skin but what I gave you.
Microneedling makes thousands of controlled channels in the skin, so it rebuilds collagen over the following weeks. For the first day those channels are open, which is the whole reason for putting nothing on your face.
What you see this week is the healing. What the treatment is aimed at happens over the next six.
The short version
Nothing on your skin for 24 hours except what I’ve given you.
Redness like mild sunburn for a day or two is the treatment, not a reaction.
No make-up, no gym, no heat until tomorrow.
Hour by hour
The first 72 hours
Skin doesn’t run to a timetable, so read these as the usual shape rather than a promise. Yours may be quieter or slower.
0 - 24
hours
First 24 hours
What you may notice
Hot, red and tight, much like mild sunburn. Often stronger in the evening than it was in the room.
Some swelling by morning, particularly across the forehead and under the eyes.
Pinpoint marks where the needle went in.
What to do
Hands off entirely. Nothing but the post-treatment serum and moisturiser I gave you.
Sleep propped on an extra pillow if you swell easily.
Water, and no exercise at all today.
24 - 48
hours
24 to 48 hours
What you may notice
Redness fading to a flush. Swelling settling.
Skin tight, dry and slightly rough, like very fine sandpaper.
What to do
You can cleanse very gently now: lukewarm water, a plain cleanser, fingertips.
Moisturise often. Mineral SPF from this point on.
Mineral make-up is fine after 24 hours if you have to be somewhere. Forty-eight is better.
48 - 72
hours
48 to 72 hours
What you may notice
Dryness turns to a light flaking around day three.
Skin can look worse on day three than day one. It’s on its way, not going backwards.
What to do
Keep moisturising past the point where it feels necessary.
No exfoliation of any kind, physical or chemical.
Gentle exercise is fine again.
Not yet
Leave alone
Timings are the cautious end of the range on purpose. Waiting a day longer than you needed to costs nothing. The other way round is what leaves a mark. If you’re not sure, I’m always happy to guide you.
- Make-up
- 24 hours, ideally 48
- Touching your face with unwashed hands
- 72 hours
- Retinoids, acids, vitamin C, exfoliants
- 5 to 7 days
- Gym, sauna, steam, hot yoga, hot showers
- 48 hours
- Swimming pools and the sea
- 72 hours
- Alcohol. It prolongs the redness.
- 24 hours
- Waxing, threading, laser, IPL
- 14 days
- Direct sun, with SPF 50 daily regardless
- 2 weeks
Safety
Contact me if
None of these are common, and none of them mean something has gone badly wrong. They mean I’d rather see it than hear about it in six weeks.
Redness or swelling getting worse after 48 hours rather than settling.
Yellow crusting, pus, or warmth spreading outwards. Infection is uncommon, but it needs seeing quickly.
Pain that increases instead of easing.
A cold sore starting.
A raised, itchy reaction across the treated area.
This page is general guidance for people I have already treated. It does not replace what I said in the room, and it is not medical advice. If you feel unwell, or something is worsening quickly, contact NHS 111 or your GP rather than waiting for me.
What happens next
Your next appointment
A course of three to six, four weeks apart. Collagen builds slowly. What your skin looks like at six weeks tells you far more than at six days. If you have an event coming, the last session should sit at least four weeks before it.