What Should I Expect From Active And Deep FX Are Milia Common?

We were one of the first offices in the country to use the Active and Deep FX lasers and milia are fairly rare if you use the right post care ointment. Immediately after the procedure the skin will be very hot for about 2-4 hours. The skin may ooze for about 24 to 48 in any areas that have been treated with the Deep FX.

You should cover the treated area with an occlusive ointment like Silkses (less milia and acne) or Auqaphor. You may notice mild to significant swelling, especially around the eyes. The more aggressive the treatment, the greater the swelling is likely to be. In many cases we put our patients on prednisone (oral steroids) to help decrease this swelling. Most swelling starts to significantly improve by about day 3. During this time you can wash your face with Aquanil (cuts the grease of the ointment well) and/or one tbsp plain white vinegar to 1-2 cups cold water. The water/vinegar combination is weak ascetic acid and will act as an antibiotic and sooth the skin.

You may also notice some minor itching, if itching is more than mild and not controlled with Benadryl, Claritin or Zyrtec call you doctor as this can be a sign of dermatitis or infections. If you have a history of cold sores you should be taking an antiviral such as Valtrex or Acyclovir. Some patients do get breakouts after a few days of having the occlusive ointment on their skin. This is also were the milia can come into play.

Somewhere between day 5 and 7 you should be able to start back with mineral make-up and stop the topical ointment. After a week or so the Active FX areas will look pretty normal but you will likely be pink in the areas of the Deep FX for at least two or three more weeks depending on how aggressive your provider does the procedure.