Irritated skin after an intensive procedure is a common side effect of several procedures. And while it may be worth the effort (no pain, no gain right?) irritated skin is no fun. The quicker your skin heals, the sooner you can put on your best look and take on the world.
How you take care of your skin after an intensive procedure will make the difference between a quick recovery and longer-lasting benefits. Or uncomfortable, irritated skin for longer.
The good news is that it’s easy to learn how to calm down irritated skin and you’ll learn everything you need to know right here in this guide.
What Are Intensive Procedures
Some people don’t even realise the procedure they just had was intensive. Mostly because it’s a common 'taken-for-granted skincare practice - like waxing the body. The problem is, when you take a procedure for granted, you may not treat your skin carefully before, or after your treatment, which can cause you problems with irritated skin such as redness, scratches and sores from itching, bumps, and dryness.
Since you likely went for a skin treatment to enhance your skin rather than jeopardise it, it’s best to know what an intensive procedure is. So that you can take the time to read the advice, prepare for your treatment accordingly and manage your skin post-treatment like a pro.
Intensive procedures can include:
- Waxing
- Threading
- Epilating
- Exfoliating
- Cryotherapy
- Chemical treatments
- Microdermabrasion
- Micro-needling
Many other types of intensive procedures would be carried out by a Dermatologist or Aesthetician (Beautician) too. New procedures debut frequently, so be sure to check with your Aesthetician to determine whether the treatment you’re having is an intensive or invasive procedure.
Intensive procedures are the kind of procedures that disturb the skin in some way and as part of the process, which requires time post-procedure to heal. Once healed, the skin will improve or move closer to whatever skin goals you were attempting to fix through the procedure.
The thing is, we can often cause skin irritation to linger longer than necessary. So the first step in calming down your skin has to be to determine the cause.
Step 1: Determine The Cause
Knowing the reasons why your skin is irritated is vital to stop the source of irritation and determine the correct course of action.
Sometimes, the cause of excessive skin irritation after an intensive procedure can be our own doing. We may have done something post-procedure, or even during a DIY procedure that has enhanced the irritation. And unfortunately, some situations can lead to infection. So we need to understand what we might be doing wrong so that we can stop right away.
Applying fake-tan, immediately after a waxing session is an example. Wearing too-tight clothes on a hot day and causing excessive perspiration (and bacteria) is another one. Or applying body lotion only to find that your irritation worsens - thanks to the chemicals in the formula’s you’re applying to your skin.
The biggest thing you need to establish is: did you follow the package instructions or the Aesthitians instructions before, during and after your treatment?
If you didn’t, you need to figure out what you did or didn’t do differently. If you did something different, stop doing it right away and follow the guidance from the product or therapist.
Next, you should think about whether you applied any lotions and potions pre or post-procedure and if you did, consider taking a cool shower to wash off any residue immediately.
Step 2: Avoid Irritants For 48 Hours
You may be surprised to see how many irritants there are for anybody who has just experienced an intensive procedure. There are a lot, and you should avoid them, at least for 48 hours, even better, for 72 hours.
Here’s the list:
Don’t
- Apply oils, butters and creams to exposed skin.
- Expose your irritated skin to sunshine
- Use exfoliating products.
- Wear tight-fitting clothes.
- Take hot showers
- Touch the exposed area with unclean hands.
- Expose any raw skin such as cuts, grazes, and fresh burns etc. to intensive procedures.
Do
- Remember, your skin needs to be clean - to avoid infection.
- Exfoliate your skin before waxing or epilating - to avoid in-growing hairs
- Avoid the sun
Aside from knowing the do’s and don’ts when it comes to calming down your skin, you’ll also need to know how to cool down skin too, which is the next step.
Step 3: Learn How To Cool Down Skin
The first step in managing any type of skin irritant is to cool down the skin. This applies to cooling down face skin or the body. It’s the single most important factor to help reduce irritants, redness and swelling. You should focus on cooling down your skin at the first sign of irritation, and continue to keep your skin cool until you can restore peace.
Here’s how you cool down face skin and body skin:
- Avoid hot showers and sunshine. Or anything else that can heat the skin.
- Take cold showers or cool showers while you are experiencing irritated skin.
- Use ice globes to keep the irritated skin cool. Learn how to do this in the next section.
- Wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing until the skin is calm.
Ice globes are the best tool for applying ice to the body, as you’ll see in the next section, it’s clean, hygienic and oh, so handy.
How To Cool Down Skin With Ice Globes
Ice globes are handy tools for cooling down the skin, place them in the freezer for ten to fifteen minutes, and you have the equivalent of ice, but more hygienic and with less mess. And of course, they have many other advantages too, like instant facial exfoliation, headache and migraine relief, massage and reducing inflammation.
To use an ice globe when cooling the skin, follow these simple steps:
- Place your clean ice globes in the freezer for ten to fifteen minutes.
- Once cold, apply the ice globe in gentle circular motions over the irritated skin.
- Repeat as frequently as possible.
Ice globes contain an anti-freeze formula which means that you have no smear marks over your makeup or dripping water all over your furniture. The glass is strong and durable, and easy to keep clean, which makes them the most hygienic option for cooling down face skin.
The benefits of using an ice globe on the face are many:
They act as a cold compress to constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling.
- They numb the painful sensation.
- An ice globe is a non-invasive form of cryotherapy it’s excellent for skincare even when there is no irritant.
- You can heal your irritated skin, without applying any oils or lotions, reducing the risk of infection.
- They are hygienic, clean and easy to use.
- Apply ice globes over makeup without ruining your look.
Now you know how to calm down your skin, in general, you are good to go. You can apply this rule to any type of skin irritation. However, if you want to solve a specific problem and would like more information keep on reading to discover how to treat some of the most common intensive procedures that can irritate the skin afterwards.
Wax Perfect: How To Calm Down Skin After Waxing
Yank out hair from any part of your body by force and the surrounding skin will protest. That’s why you often experience bumps, redness, inflammation and burning sensations after waxing. The best way to deal with this is to understand how to calm down skin after waxing before you pull one more hair out of your body.
In these times, you’ll need to cool down your skin in more ways than one. And understanding how to take care of your stressed-out pores will make all the difference between calm, peaceful skin post-wax or a ravaging war. We suggest you aim for the latter.
Here’s how to do just that.
Immediately after waxing:
- Cool down your skin using the instructions featured above.
- Say no to hot baths or showers for a few hours.
- Avoid tight-fitting clothes, for the next two days to avoid friction and further skin irritation.
- Don’t apply lotions, creams or oils for at least 48 hours post-wax.
- Try to stay cool to avoid excessive perspiration which can cause further irritation.
Between waxes: You run the risk of experiencing embedded or ingrown hairs, so it’s important to exfoliate your skin regularly. One of the best ways to do this is by using a dry brush followed by cryotherapy with an ice globe or a cold shower - the ice globes are way more comfortable!
Making an effort to exfoliate between waxes will maintain your original wax and make your next waxing session easier.
How To Calm Down Skin After Epilation
Epilation can cause inflammation, redness, irritation and embedded or ingrown hairs. And if you don’t want to be that person who thinks that epilation is more hassle than it’s worth then we suggest you take a few precautionary measures to keep the skin calm, cool and smooth.
To handle bumps on the skin, try applying Benadryl or Calamine lotion with an ice globe. And if you notice a mild infection, gently dab on some tea tree oil or witch hazel. Apply using a clean cotton swab over the infected area.
How To Calm Down Skin After Threading
Similar to waxing, threading removes hair at the root which stresses the skin and opens up the pores causing irritation. However, there’s a difference between calming down irritated skin on your face versus the skin on your body.
To reduce irritation after threading, you need to focus on closing the pores and constricting the blood vessels to avoid swelling, infection and irritation. The best way to do this is by applying ice over the area using circular motions.
Support your efforts by applying some antibacterial apple cider vinegar over the irritated area to calm the skin, prevent it from burning and avoid infection.
How To Calm Down Skin After Eyebrow Waxing
Threading isn’t the only cause for irritated skin. Eyebrow waxing can bring its share of problems too. The go-to cure to cool down face skin is always ice first. Massage ice globes gently over the irritated area to soothe the area promptly, and while you’re there, massage your whole face too for an extra level of pampering.
Applying astringents like witch hazel to the irritated area will further reduce the redness.
It’s really quite easy to calm down your skin after intensive procedures, all it needs is a little foresight, some patience and the right tools to accomplish, glowing, gorgeous skin all over your body.