Stop retinol, vitamin A, glycolic or AHA/BHA acids, exfoliants and scrubs on the area for 5 to 7 days before.
Never stop a prescribed medicine for a cosmetic treatment. If you are on prescribed blood thinners, they stay exactly as your doctor set them unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
Aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil and vitamin E thin the blood too. If you take those by choice rather than on prescription, leaving them for 48 hours before means less bruising. Skip alcohol for 24 hours.
Tell us if you have been on Roaccutane (isotretinoin) in the last 12 months. We usually leave at least 6 months after the last dose.
No waxing, threading or hair removal cream on the area for 72 hours before.
Tell us about any peel, laser, IPL, injectable or previous needling in the area, and when it was. How long we leave between those and needling depends on the treatment and on your skin, so we will work it out with you.
Stay off sunbeds and out of heavy sun for a week before. We cannot needle sunburnt or very irritated skin.
If you get cold sores, tell us before any work around the mouth and ask your GP or pharmacist about an antiviral beforehand.
Come with clean skin and no makeup. Eat beforehand and drink water so you are comfortable.
Aftercare
For the first 24 hours your skin barrier is more sensitive and more easily irritated. Rinse with lukewarm water only, no cleanser, no other products, and keep your hands off your face.
Expect it to look and feel sunburnt: red, warm, tight, a little tender. That usually settles within a few hours to a couple of days.
If it feels hot or tight, a clean cool compress over a few minutes helps. Never put ice straight on the skin.
No makeup for 24 hours. After that keep it simple and use clean brushes.
Fresh pillowcase, clean towels, and wipe your phone screen before it goes near your face. Keep pets off your face while it heals.
No exercise, sauna, steam, spa or hot showers, and nothing that makes you sweat, for 48 hours. Stay out of swimming pools for at least 72 hours.
From the second day, a gentle cleanser and a plain fragrance-free moisturiser. We will tell you which of your own products to go back to, and when.
Leave retinol, vitamin C, acids, exfoliants and scrubs alone for 5 to 7 days, or until your skin has settled and we have said it is fine.
Light flaking or dryness around day 3 to 5 is normal. Do not pick, scrub or peel it. Let it come away on its own.
For the first 24 hours stay out of the sun and cover up rather than reach for sunscreen: shade, a hat, long sleeves. After that, a gentle broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day once your skin can take it. Your skin is far more sun-sensitive now, and sun is what turns ordinary redness into a pigment mark.
Drink water, and sleep with your head slightly raised the first night if you are puffy.
Microneedling works as a course rather than one session. We will space yours out and tell you when to come back.
Get in touch if redness, swelling or discomfort is getting worse rather than better, or if you see blistering, yellow crusting, discharge, spreading warmth or a fever. We will talk it through with you, and we may suggest seeing your GP or pharmacist.
For a reaction that is severe or coming on fast, get urgent medical attention.
This is general guidance. You will get aftercare tailored to you at your appointment. It does not replace medical advice, so if you have a health condition or any concern, please check with your GP.
Questions before you book?
If you are not sure how to prepare, or whether a treatment suits you, just ask. We are happy to talk it through.
