Stop retinols, tretinoin, or any vitamin A derivatives should also be ceased at least 2 weeks prior to treatment.

Anti-viral medication may be prescribed if you have past history of cold sores. Your doctor may prescribe these to you even if you don’t have a history of cold sores.

What does treatment involve?
Usually treatment takes around 20 – 30 minute for a full face and 10 – 15 minute for peri-oral (around mouth) or peri-orbital (around eyes) only. You will need to arrive at least one hour earlier to the treatment time to have local anesthetic cream applied to your face.

Nerve blocks may be administered to your face to temporarily numb the face for treatment. You may also be given an oral sedative to help you relax during the treatment.

What happens after treatment?
Your face will appear red and swollen immediately after treatment. Over the next few days, the treated areas will then bronze and eventually peel off. It is very important that you treat your face very delicately for at least 10 days. You will not be able to wash your face for 24 hours. Vaseline is usually applied to the face twice a day until the peeling process is complete. You will also need to use diluted vinegar to dab or spray on your face to reduce any itchiness that might be present.

Depending on the energy of the treatment performed, you may not be able to wear make up for 3 to 10 days. Sun protection is essential after treatment. Daily sunscreen use is important, and direct sunlight should be avoided.

Am I a suitable candidate for Plasma skin rejuvenation?
Plasma skin rejuvenation is suitable for skin affected by sun damage, wrinkles (especially around the mouth and eyes), enlarged pores, acne scarring, and superficial pigmentation. It does not treat active acne, capillaries, Rosacea, or deep hormonal pigmentation. These conditions are best treated with the other lasers found at The Victorian Cosmetic Institute.

It can be used to treat most skin types although those with darker skin types may not be suitable.

It is not advisable in those who are pregnant, breast feeding, immunodeficient, have abnormal bleeding conditions, lupus or any other auto-immune conditions, or have had treatment with Roaccutane in the past year. A history of keiloid (thick/raised) scarring, psoriasis or vitiligo, treatment with blooding thinning medication e.g. warfarin, treatment with gold therapy for rheumatoid arthritis precludes treatment also.

What if I don’t want too much downtime after my treatment?
Plasma skin rejuvenation can be performed at either high or low energy levels. Lower energy treatments do not penetrate as deep, and improve skin tone and color. Generally, more than one treatment is required at 3 weekly intervals to achieve similar results to a single high energy treatment. The recovery time is much shorter than high energy treatments. Higher energy treatments penetrate deeper into the skin and induce a powerful induction of collagen remodeling and tightening. There is significantly more downtime, but the results from one treatment are more substantial

Compared to traditional resurfacing techniques, the possibility of adverse side effects is minimal. Problems such as hypo pigmentation (loss of pigmentation) have not been recorded so far. Hyper pigmentation (areas of increased pigmentation) is possible, but unlikely. Scabbing and scarring are even less common. It can, however, trigger cold sore break outs and thus All patients are required to commence anti-viral medication prior to and after treatment (for one week).