What to watch for while travelling after a treatment
Aftercare advice usually assumes you are at home. On a trip, you are outdoors for hours, your bag is light, and you have a flight. Here is what matters under those conditions.
From the day of treatment
The single biggest factor is sun. Strong sun for hours after a pigment treatment can leave pigment changes behind. On days packed with outdoor sightseeing, it is worth pushing the treatment later.
When can you wash your face and wear makeup?
These are the two most common questions. It varies a lot by treatment and intensity. The generally quoted guide is:
- Washing · often from the next day, gently. Lukewarm water, no rubbing.
- Sunscreen · from the point washing is allowed. This is the step that prevents pigment changes.
- Makeup · from the same or next day for surface-gentle treatments; after crusting has cleared for stronger ones.
- Crusting · usually lifts within about a week after a laser. Picking it off can leave a mark, so leave it alone.
Treat that as a reference. What your clinic tells you takes priority. If you are travelling and cannot easily return, ask right after the treatment when washing, sunscreen and makeup are allowed, and write it down.
Read nextWhat to check before bookingQuestions worth asking before you go in.When your products are not with you
You cannot pack everything. Using whatever the hotel provides can be irritating on treated skin. There is more in using hotel body wash on your face while travelling.
On the flight
Cabin air is dry. Straight after a treatment, tightness and redness can feel stronger. Decanting moisturiser and sunscreen into cabin-sized bottles helps.
Get receipts and paperwork on the day
You may need documents later for insurance or your employer. Requesting them from abroad is slow and sometimes not possible. Take the itemised receipt and treatment record on the day. A card slip alone is often not enough.
If you will need English paperwork, say so at reception rather than afterwards. Note that aesthetic treatments are usually not covered by insurance, so it is worth checking whether you need the documents at all.
By season
Visiting in summer? Check the timing of pigment treatments once more. Is pigment laser really off limits in summer? covers what has changed.
Read nextWhere to start, by skin concernUseful when planning your next visit.Can I sightsee on the day of treatment?
It depends on the treatment. For gentler ones it is not a problem, but strong sun and sweat are worth avoiding. Keeping that day mostly indoors is the safer plan.
When can I wear makeup again?
It depends on the treatment and how strongly it was done. Follow what your clinic told you; that is the accurate answer for your case.