microneedling aftercare: the first 48 hours

The two days after microneedling are quieter than most people expect, and easier to get right if you know what is normal. This is the general shape. Your own aftercare, written for what you actually had, goes home with you and takes precedence over anything here.

the first evening

Skin usually looks flushed, a little like it has caught the sun, and can feel warm or tight. This settles on its own; for many people it has softened noticeably by the next morning.

Keep the evening simple: no makeup on treated skin, no hot bath or sauna, no hard exercise, and only what Pelin has told you to apply.

day one and day two

• Cleanse gently, with cool water and clean hands, and skip anything that scrubs, peels or tingles.
• Sun protection matters more than usual. Treated skin is more sensitive to light for a while, even on a grey Richmond day.
• Leave your skin alone. The urge to check it in every mirror is normal; touching it is not helpful.
• Drink water, sleep, and let the two days pass. This is the part people find hardest and it is the part that matters.

when to write

Your written aftercare says what to expect. Anything that does not match it is worth a message, however small it seems, and you will hear back from Pelin herself. The same goes for anything that simply worries you.

what comes after the 48 hours

Skin does its real work in the weeks that follow, not the hours. That is why the follow-up exists: Pelin checks in to see how you are getting on, and the plan is revisited from there. As with any treatment, results vary from person to person.

If you have not had the treatment yet and are reading ahead, the skin treatments page explains how the consultation decides whether it belongs in your plan at all.