THE DAYS BEFORE
A treatment begins before you arrive.
There is not much to do before a visit, and none of it is difficult. This page sets out what to prepare, what to pause, and what to tell us in advance. It supplements the instructions given at your consultation.
If anything here applies to you, tell us rather than waiting for the day. We would rather move an appointment than work on skin that is not ready, and there is no charge for moving one.
THE WEEK BEFORE
The skin where we are working should be intact and settled — no sunburn, no open or healing wound, no active breakout at the site.
If you are unwell, tell us. Fever, infection, or anything you are currently being treated for is a reason to move the appointment rather than push through.
If you have had dental work, a vaccination, or another facial treatment recently — or have one coming up — tell us when.
If you have an occasion coming up, tell us how far away it is. It changes what is sensible to do, and when.
ON THE DAY
Come without makeup. The face has to be seen and cleaned as it is.
There is street parking on the block and a private paid lot beside the building. Allow 15 minutes for parking.
BY TREATMENT
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Bruising is the usual cost of an injection, and how much of it there is depends partly on what is in your system.
Fish oil, vitamin E, and some over-the-counter anti-inflammatories thin the blood slightly and can make bruising more likely. If you take any of them and are able to pause them, roughly a week ahead is the usual window.
If anything you take is prescribed, do not stop it. Tell us instead. That decision belongs with the person who prescribed it, not with us and not with a web page.
Skip alcohol the night before and the day of.
Tell us: if you bruise easily or have bruised badly from an injection before; if you have had dental work in the last two weeks or have any planned in the next two; if you have an occasion inside the next month.
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Less to prepare than filler, on the same principle — anything that thins the blood makes a small injection-site bruise more likely.
Skip alcohol the night before and the day of.
Tell us: if you have had a vaccination recently or have one planned, and if you have an occasion inside the next month. The effect develops over one to seven days and settles at about two weeks, so timing matters.
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Sun is the main one. Skin that has been burned or heavily exposed recently does not take needling well, and we will not work on it. Give it time and tell us.
Retinoids, exfoliating acids, and other actives usually pause for a few days beforehand — how many depends on what you use and how strong it is. Tell us what is in your routine and we will tell you when to stop.
No waxing, depilatories, or other hair removal at the treatment site in the days before.
Tell us: if you get cold sores. Needling can bring one on, and it is better handled before than after.
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PRP is drawn from your own blood, so a draw is part of the appointment. Eat beforehand and drink water through the day — a draw on an empty stomach is a harder draw.
PDGF (Ariessence®) is produced in a lab and requires no draw. Nothing additional applies.
Tell us: if you have had difficulty with a blood draw before, or tend to feel faint during one.
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Sun again, and more strictly. Recently burned or heavily exposed skin does not take a peel, and depth is matched to skin in a known state.
Retinoids, exfoliating acids, and other actives pause beforehand. Tell us what you use and we will tell you when to stop.
No waxing, depilatories, or other hair removal at the treatment site in the days before.
Tell us: if you get cold sores, if you scar or pigment unusually, or if you have taken isotretinoin in the last year.
THE DAYS BEFORE
WHEN TO REACH US
Tell us before the day, and we'll move the appointment if any of these are true:
Sunburn or heavy sun exposure where we would be working
An open or healing wound or an active breakout at the site
A cold sore anywhere on the face
Fever, infection, or an illness you are being treated for
Dental work in the last two weeks for anything injected
A vaccination in the last two weeks
There is no charge for moving an appointment, not for these and not for anything else. A message the evening before is worth more than an apology in the chair.
HOW TO REACH US
Reply to your confirmation email.