Scarlet Pro Care Instructions

Short-pulse RF microneedling. Everything you need to know before and after your treatment.

Before your treatment

Starting 5–7 days before

• Stop retinoids and retinol, glycolic and salicylic acids, benzoyl peroxide, and any physical scrubs.
• Keep your routine simple — gentle cleanser, bland moisturizer, sunscreen.
• No waxing or depilatory creams on the treatment area.

In the 2 weeks before

• No sun exposure, tanning beds, or self-tanner.
• Avoid any other resurfacing or injectable treatment in the same area unless we have planned it together.

24–48 hours before

• If it is medically safe for you, avoid alcohol, fish oil, and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen — they increase bruising. Never stop a prescribed blood thinner without asking your prescribing physician.
• Arrive with clean skin and no makeup.

On the day

• Arrive 30–45 minutes early so numbing cream has time to work. Facial treatments need the full window.
• Eat beforehand and come well hydrated.

Please tell us before we begin

• A pacemaker, defibrillator, or any implanted electronic device — this is essential. Radiofrequency and cardiac implants do not mix, and we will need clearance from your cardiologist on file before treating.
• Any history of cold sores — we will start you on an antiviral first.
• Isotretinoin (Accutane) within the last 6 months.
• A tendency to form keloid or raised scars.
• Blood thinners or a bleeding disorder.
• Pregnancy, active infection, or any open lesion in the area.
• Any darkening you noticed after a previous session.

Plan your downtime. Most patients look flushed for 24–72 hours. Deeper settings can leave fine crusting for several days. Book social events with a few days of room.

After your treatment

What to expect

• Redness and swelling for 24 to 72 hours — most noticeable on day one.
• A warm, tight, sunburn-like feeling that settles within hours.
• Fine grid or track marks where the needles entered. These fade over a few days.
• Micro-crusting at deeper settings — small dry specks that flake away.
• Pinpoint bleeding after deep body settings, which resolves the same day.

The first 24 hours

• No makeup for 24 hours. The channels need that time to close.
• Gentle cleanser and a bland moisturizer only. Nothing active, nothing fragranced.
• Sleep with your head elevated on the first night if you are swollen.
• Cool compresses are fine — never ice directly on the skin.

48–72 hours

• Continue gentle cleanser and bland moisturizer.
• Sunscreen every single day, starting now, without exception.
• No heavy exercise, sauna, steam room, hot tub, or swimming.
• No retinoids, acids, or exfoliants until your skin is fully healed and smooth again.

Your recovery, day by day

• Day 1 — Redness, warmth, swelling. No makeup.
• Days 2–3 — Redness fading. Track marks visible. Makeup is fine now.
• Days 3–5 — Any micro-crusting flakes away on its own.
• Weeks 4–12 — Collagen remodels. Results build well after the visible healing is done.

Do not pick or scrub. Leave track marks and micro-crusting completely alone. Scrubbing or picking at this stage is what turns a normal healing pattern into a lasting mark.

Your results build slowly. What you see in the first week is healing, not the result. Collagen remodeling continues for 8–12 weeks, and a series builds on itself. Resist judging the outcome early.

Call us right away if you develop blistering, pain that escalates rather than settles, spreading redness, warmth or drainage that suggests infection, or track marks that darken instead of fading.

Aurora MD Aesthetics & Head Spa 21224 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 (949) 998-5501 · hello@auroramdspa.com

Questions or concerns at any point in your recovery? Call us. We would always rather hear from you early.