With the holidays approaching in a few short months, you may be wondering when’s the best time for scheduling aesthetic treatments. You should always try to err on the side of caution and book aesthetic treatments with enough wiggle room for downtime, possible touchups, and minimum result time in mind. This is especially true for events with fixed dates, such as the holiday season, a wedding, or a reunion.
Injectable Treatments (Neurotoxins, Fillers, Skin Booster Injections)
Neurotoxin injectable treatments like Botox, Dysport, Jeuveau, or Xeomin take up to two weeks to be fully effective for reducing facial wrinkles. In large muscle areas like the traps (shoulders), masseters (jawline), or calves, it can take even longer to be evident, like 3-4 weeks.
Dermal filler treatments take several days to weeks to settle and for post-treatment swelling to go away. Treatment with dermal fillers should be thought of as a marathon, not a sprint, so desired results may not be achievable in one treatment. This is because treated areas generally need time to acclimate filler volume; larger amounts of filler may need to be spread across multiple appointments. If touch ups or subsequent treatments are necessary, they generally need to be scheduled a minimum of 2 weeks after an initial appointment.
Skin booster injections may come with minor scabbing if the entire face is treated.
All injectable treatments come with risk of bruising or swelling for several days to weeks after treatment. Bruising is especially likely with long term use of blood thinners, baby aspirin, or fish oil supplementation.
Because of all these factors, we recommend getting skin booster injections a minimum of 3 weeks – 1 month in advance, neurotoxin treatments a minimum of 1-2 months in advance, and dermal filler treatments a minimum of 2-3 months in advance.
Energy-Based Treatments (Thermage, Ultherapy, HIFU, Radiofrequency Skin Tightening, etc.)
While energy-based skin treatments are generally minimally-invasive, they do require time in order to build collagen and lift and tighten skin. Skin will continue to improve several months after treatment, which is why it is critical to schedule these treatments in advance. Some people may even choose to do repeat treatments after a few months on local areas that need further improvement. While these treatments generally have minimal downtime, there may be some swelling or welting post-Ultherapy treatment for several days. It is recommended to schedule these types of treatments 2-5 months in advance.
Microneedling (Morpheus8, Genius)
Microneedling treatments offer the best rejuvenation results after a few treatments. There is downtime of a few days for swelling and scabbing to improve post-treatment, especially with RF microneedling treatments like Genius or Morpheus8. Skin will continue to improve for 90 days or more post-treatment, which again means that time is necessary for the best results to be evident. Try to schedule your microneedling treatments so your last session falls a minimum of 2-3 months in advance.
Laser Treatments
Because laser treatments vary so widely in terms of laser type, intensity, and purpose, different treatments will necessitate different scheduling requirements. Understand that the more ablative a laser treatment, the longer the downtime and recovery process. Many laser treatments also require several treatments, such as in the case of laser hair removal, treatment of pigmentation, and especially the treatment of texture, pores, or acne scarring. Most laser treatments come with at least a few days of downtime. This can include anything from redness, irritation, peeling/flaking, scabbing, swelling, discomfort, or even bleeding/oozing in the case of more intense laser treatments.
When in doubt, schedule earlier! For a minimally invasive treatment like Pico laser toning, try to treat your latest appointment at the very least 2 weeks in advance. For a laser treatment like LaseMD Ultra, Fraxel, or a fractionated Pico laser treatment, try to schedule your last appointment at least 2 months in advance. For more intense laser treatments, try to schedule 3-5 months in advance. For very ablative CO2 laser or any very strong laser treatment that can cause lingering hyperpigmentation, it’s best to treat 6 months – 1 year in advance.
DSC Laser & Skin Care Center
www.dscbeauty.com
(626)285-0800
info@dscbeauty.com
889 S. San Gabriel Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776
