Acne.org Products
Immediately after treatment:
- During and immediately after treatment, you will likely experience mild-to-moderate pain.
- No special dressings are necessary after cryotherapy and intralesional corticosteroids.
- After treatment, it is important to avoid sun exposure and apply sunscreen.
Days and weeks after treatment:
- The treated scar should be washed daily until it heals to prevent infection. In some cases, your doctor may recommend applying an antibiotic ointment and a sterile gauze to the scar for about 10 days as a further measure against infection.
Longer term:
- Spider veins may occur and can be long term.
- Some patients experience skin darkening (hyperpigmentation). This side effect normally gradually disappears within 2 months to one year.
- Skin lightening may also occur, and can be long term.
- It is important to use sunscreen whenever the skin is exposed to the sun until you are completely finished with all of your treatment sessions and your skin has healed from your final treatment session.
- Skin thinning (atrophy) is another potential long-term side effect and may take 1 year or more to disappear, and in some cases may be permanent.
- Unfortunately, raised and keloid scars can sometimes recur (come back) after treatment. Keloid scars are particularly likely to recur.