Sculptra

Pre-care is important to get the skin at optimal condition for color deposit, keep you comfortable during the procedure, and reduce potential swelling and bruising after your appointment.

GENERAL FOR ALL PROCEDURES:

•Do not drink alcohol or excessive caffeine 24 hrs before and 24 hrs after your treatment. Both alcohol and caffeine are blood thinners and can result in poor pigment retention. 

•Do not book any major events (wedding, vacation, social event) during the 2 weeks after the procedure, a little peeling or flaking will occur. 

•You should not wear any makeup, creams or sunscreen on the procedure area until fully healed and no sign of scab. 

•Avoid facials, chemical peels, or microdermabrasion for 4 weeks prior to appointment and 2 weeks following procedure. 

•Absolutely no anti-aging or anti-acne products on or around the procedure area for two weeks prior to your appointment as they contain active ingredients that should be avoided pre + post procedure. 

•The procedure area must be free of all irritations including ingrown hairs, rashes, blemishes, eczema, psoriasis ect.

•Avoid sweating, sun, gardening, any recreational swimming, pools, hot tubs, tanning booths and all creams around the brow area for two weeks after procedure. Please plan accordingly. 

•Although there is no medical evidence that tattooing would have an effect on an unborn child, we don't know for sure. There is a miniscule risk of infection but the increase in natal hormones significantly affects pigment retention, so we prefer to have you come in after the baby is born and you are no longer nursing.

•Avoid supplements with blood thinning effects. Supplements that have blood thinning effects include dong quai, fish oil, garlic, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, green tea, red clover and vitamin E, and should be discontinued 7 days prior to getting a cosmetic tattoo. These supplements may increase bleeding especially if you’re taking blood thinning medications such as warfarin or non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs resulting in poor pigment retention. 

•Avoid any blood thinning medications. A number of medications make your blood less likely to clot (“thinner”) like aspirin, Midol, Excedrin, and NSAIDs ( Advil, Motrin, Naproxen, Aleve). These medications should be discontinued 7 days prior and 1 day following your appointment. If you need to take something for pain opt for Tylenol (acetaminophen). Coumadin and Plavix also have blood thinning effects but it is not recommended to discontinue them due to their medical necessity. You should be aware of an increased risk of bruising if you’re taking them. 

FOR BROW PROCEDURES:

It's beneficial to come to your appointment with your brows grown out. It's beneficial to see how your hair grows naturally to inform the design process, and we can clean them up at your appointment. If you would like to clean them up or tint them beforehand, please do so 7 days prior to your appointment. 

•If you normally pencil or color in your brows, please pencil them in how you like them. The area will be properly cleaned and re-drawn but this provides a general idea of the shape you would like.

•If you do not pencil in your brows, you can bring reference photos of brows you like but it is not necessary. 

•You must stop using Retin A, Retinal, or Renova around your brow area 14 days prior to procedure. You must stop using Accutane six months prior to procedure.

•Inform your technician of how often you use any of these products before your appointment. 

•Botox, Fillers or Dysport must be done at least 14 days prior to your appointment. It takes 2 weeks to settle in the skin. Receiving either within 14 days of your appointment will result in being sent home and asked to reschedule. 

FOR EYELINER PROCEDURES:

•Do not come to your appointment wearing contact lenses. If you need glasses to drive home bring them to the appointment. 

•Lash extensions cannot be worn during eyeliner procedures. Make sure your lash set is completely removed prior to your appointment.  You will have a follow up appointment 4-6 weeks after the initial appointment so it is best to plan to go without lash extensions for two months total.

•If you use Latisse or other lash-growth serums, discontinue them four weeks prior to your appointment.

FOR LIP PROCEDURES:

 •Due to the delicate nature of lips it is advised to avoid all alcohol consumption for 48 hours prior to your appointment to reduce swelling. You can also prepare for the appointment by taking Arnica tablets starting 24 hours before your appointment time.

•If you are prone to oral cold sores it is advised to start oral anti-virals three to 5 days before the appointment and continue them for three to five days after to prevent an outbreak. If you need our CNP to call in a prescription please let us know at least 5 business days prior to your appointment.

AT LEAST 2-4 WEEKS BEFORE:

• If you plan on getting fillers it MUST be done at least 2 weeks before because of swelling and bruising or at least 4 weeks after lip fillers for lip blush
• At least 4 weeks to discontinue use of retinol
• At least one year for accutane

AT LEAST 1 WEEK BEFORE:

• HYDRATE! drink lots of water as this will help reduce dryness on your lips
• If you have severe dry, flaky lips gently exfoliate nightly for at least 2 weeks with a gentle lip scrub 1-2 times a week followed by a lip treatment.

Suggestion: Take arnica pills a week to a few days before to help reduce inflammation, swelling and bruising before session and after.

48 HOURS BEFORE:

The following will make your lips more tender and likely to bleed more so it'll thin your blood, so they need to be avoided till after procedure

• No Alcohol
• No Caffeine
• No Aspirin, ibuprofen
• No Caffeine (coffee and tea)
• No Fish oil
• No Niacin
• No Vitamin E

NIGHT BEFORE:

• Exfoliate and add lip treatment to hydrate lips
• Avoid oils on lips as it will clog pores reducing pigment retention

AFTERCARE: BROWS

The day of your appointment, follow the procedure below once per hour until you go to bed.  The morning after your appointment follow the procedure below in the morning upon waking, once during the middle of the day, and once before bed. 

1. Wash hands

2. Apply a small amount of Cetaphil, baby shampoo, or other non-scented, non-antibacterial soap into fingertips and gently rub together OUTSIDE OF SHOWER.

3. Wash gently in the direction of hair. It’s a few LIGHT swipes, Just to help remove excess oil and lymph.

4. Rinse Thoroughly! Cup your hands together with water and rinse to make sure all soap is removed. Do NOT scrub.

5. Pat dry and clean with a paper towel.

6. Apply balm. A rice grain amount will be enough for both brows. 

•Do not perform intense exercise or sweat heavily for 10 days following treatment. 

•Do not apply make up, cleansers or strong skin care products on the area for two weeks until the shedding of the skin is finished and no sign of scab. 

•Light flaking and shedding might occur after the first 10 days of healing with ointment. Let scabs flake naturally and do not peel or scratch at the area.

•Do not book Facials or Peels for 4 weeks following your procedure. You must wait a minimum of 14 days after your appointment to receive Botox, Fillers or Dysport. 

•Stay out of the sun, gardening, tanning booths, sauna, steam room, pools, hot tubs, recreational water activities and direct contact with animals on procedure area until healed and no sign of scab (about 10 - 14 days).

•Avoid direct water pressure on the tattoo in the shower until you are fully healed and there is no sign of scab. Try to keep the area as dry as possible, aside from washing, for the first 10 days.

•Sun exposure, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, bleaching products, Retin A, dyes or tinting will fade the tattoo over the years. Use sun protection whenever possible to help color last. 

•Contact your doctor immediately if the procedure area shows any symptoms or sign of infection, including,  but not limited to red streaks going from the procedure site towards the heart, elevated body temperature, or purulent drainage from the procedure site. Small amount of lymph for the first few hours is normal.

•Do not pick or scratch at scabs, let brows heal naturally. 

•If eyes and/or brows are sore or swollen you may apply a cold compress. The area may appear more swollen the next morning, this is normal and will subside throughout the day. 

 ***FOR OILY SKIN: between applications of balm, once balm has fully absorbed the blot treated area with blotting papers (make sure your blotting papers do not contain any acids).

AFTERCARE: EYELINER AND LASH ENHANCEMENT  

Your eyes may feel like you have been crying for several hours.  They will be sensitive. With a clean moist Q-Tip, (not your fingers) apply a thin layer of A&D Ointment to the treatment area a few times a day. Less is better. You may also use an eye rinse or drops the first day.  Do not let the color dry out.

You may experience some swelling the day of your procedure. This is normal and may be treated with an ice pack for 5-10 min. It’s OK to shower as normal - water will not hurt your permanent cosmetics.

Do not use mascara or any other eye makeup for 3 days. After 3 days, use a new tube of mascara to avoid secondary infection. Use a gentle eye makeup remover.

As the eyes begin to heal, some flaking will occur.  This flaking is normal and to be expected.  Do not pick or try to peel this skin off. When the flaking completes, you view the color from under the skin.  Most clients will see about 30-50% less color after healing is completed the first session.  All the fine detail work and finishing touches are done in the second session. At that time you may wish to darken or thicken your eyeliner.  I always say “the second, or follow up visit, is when the magic happens.”

Although this is permanent the color will fade over time. Fading is dependent on your skin’s age and its ability to retain color. Darker colors will last longer than lighter ones. 

AFTERCARE: LIPS

Failure to follow your aftercare can cause weak retention and possible infection. Protect your investment

IMMEDIATELY AFTER SESSION TILL ABOUT 6 DAYS AFTER:

• Some swelling and bruising can happen. This is completely normal and will gradually go down within a few hours to about 48 hours.
• You can take Advil/ Ibuprofen to help right after a session along with an ice-pack at home to minimize any swelling that may have occurred.
• First 24 hours blot lips with cotton round & green soap provided. Apply ointment right after every time.
• Avoid hot food for 72 hours, especially hot drinks, soup, anything with steam.
• Avoid brushing teeth for 24 hours and opt for mouth wash ... this will help pigment in the center of the lips to stay.
• Drink through a straw and avoid spicy and salty foods for 7 days.
• Continue taking any antiviral medicine if you are prone to cold sore for at least 5 days or as suggested by your doctor.
• Avoid physical contact on lips for a total of 7 days.
• Keep applying ointment and or aquaphor with Q-Tip provided by your artist regularly for 7 days. Don’t use anything else. Apply a thicker layer before bedtime.
• Color is more vibrant immediately after and will soften up to 40%-60% (this will depend on natural pigment of lips, color choice, aftercare)

AROUND DAY 3-10:

• Lips will begin to peel, depending on each individual.
• No scrubbing - Do not rub, wipe, or scratch the area. Use a gentle patting motion ONLY when applying ointment.
• Do not peel or pick at the crust, this could cause pigment loss, scarring, and delayed healing.
• Do not apply ANY topical cosmetics over the area while healing.

APPROXIMATELY 11 DAYS to 6 WEEKS AFTER:

• Lip color will look like they all disappeared and nothing took. Trust the journey! Our skin puts a layer of skin over as it is healing and begins to reappear.
• Full healing takes approximately 6-8 weeks.
• Touch-up is not mandatory but most clients will want to schedule a touch up in order to give you the perfect lip blush!

Please do not hesitate to call the office with any questions or concerns at 567-560-5558.