Hydrafacial gone wrong. Any suggestions to get better? (Photo)

Question

Hi i did a hydrafacial for my acne prone skin to get rid of black heads and white heads and after i had finished that’s how my skin looks my face is worse than how it was before , my acnes are more red and bigger the doctor was pulling on my skin so hard so here are the pictures.. is this normal and will get healed , or it’s a disaster that I expect from it to become scars and spots, any suggestion to get better? thanks for helping

Farhan Taghizadeh, MD · Answer

Hello, and thanks for your question.  If you have ongoing acne, it is not uncommon to experience a breakout after your first hydrafacial.  Because the treatment is pulling impurities out of the skin it can take a few treatments for your face to acclimate and get rid of all the junk that can get stuck in the pores.  Because the hydrafacial uses a vacuum and serums, you can have some redness after the procedure.  Please make sure you follow the after care instructions, keep your face clean and hydrated, and check back in with your doctor if the redness doesn't dissipate or gets worse over the next few days.  Best of luck,Dr. T

Elise Grenier, MD · Answer

Hydrafacials are a great way to help with acne prone skin. Your skin will look its BEST the day after the Hydrafacial, so don't worry. The treatment removes excessive layers of skin cell buildup and the debris that clog pores causing black heads, white heads and cystic acne. Using a booster with retinol can help reduce future acne. However, with your skin I would recommend the AviClear laser treatment along with Hydrafacials to treat your acne once and for all. AviClear is equal to, if not better than, Accutane to treat mild, moderate or severe acne. There are no side effects of the laser treatment and you do not need numbing prior to the treatment. It takes 3 sessions, 1 month apart to get a 92% reduction in acne. Furthermore, we are seeing a reduction in acne scaring with the full treatment of 3 sessions. I would recommend this for you the most.

Amy Y. Paul, DO, FAAD · Answer

Thanks for your question.  If this is typical for your acne, I would encourage you to see your board-certified dermatologist for more comprehensive acne treatment.  We love the hydrating facials for our patients on accutane and other drying regimens for acne, but if you are getting deep cystic acne and scarring, no amount of procedures or devices will clear the underlying issue.  You are essentially putting a "band aid" on the problem, which appears to be cystic or inflammatory acne.  Procedures like CO2 laser resurfacing and microneedling are very helpful for acne scarring after the original acne is under medical control, so there is hope for your skin once you get the active acne managed properly.  Please see your dermatologist for assistance, and best of luck!

Ahmed Maki, DO, FACS · Answer

I would give this time; it appears that these photos are taken immediately or shortly after. I think this is simply a time issue and some post-recovery lotions which could help but I cannot imagine that you will have any post facial scarring.  Use the post-recovery lotions/creams and give this time.  Especially with your history of acne, I would imagine that it would in fact look worse before it looks better as the extraction process happens.

Hydrafacial gone wrong. Any suggestions to get better? (Photo)

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Hydrafacial gone wrong. Any suggestions to get better? (Photo)

Answers (4)

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Everything you need to know about HydraFacial

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