What this means, practically, is that acne treatments yield visible results after the first treatment and the skin’s condition improves visibly with weekly or bi-weekly sessions (see our treatment options about staggering full treatments with express treatments). Eventually treatments can be spaced out and even, in some cases, stopped completely.
FAQ Aesthetic Acupuncture
Is there anything I should, or should not do before the treatment?
We recommend that you wash your face before the treatment, particularly if you wear makeup, and do not apply sunscreen to your face at least 4 hours before the treatment. These steps ensure that the light waves penetrate your skin for maximum effect.
Is there anything I should, or should not do after the treatment?
We recommend not wearing full makeup (i.e. foundation) for 4 to 6 hours after the treatment: this is to avoid potentially clogging the pores when cell metabolism and circulation have just been increased, potentially releasing toxins that need to be evacuated. We also recommend drinking extra water as good hydration is essential to cell metabolism and detoxification.
What kind of results can I expect?
There is a significant difference between anti-aging treatments and acne treatments. Acne is a condition that stems from imbalances in the body, and as such can be controlled or fully corrected with treatments and sometimes improvements to one’s eating/drinking habits and activities. Aging is a natural process: as such it can’t be corrected, only slowed, and our condition optimized to move through aging as gracefully and comfortably as possible.
Anti-aging treatments, on the other hand, temporarily boost our skin’s renewal and healing processes, and as such they have to be repeated regularly for the benefits to continue. That is true of any anti-aging treatment: botox and fillers have to be repeated every 3 to 4 months to maintain results, while surgery gives you lifted and tightened skin for years but will eventually have to be repeated as our bodies and skin continue their aging process and our metabolism slows down. Our anti-aging treatments are most effective for improving skin tone, hydration and fine lines, and slowing down the development of deeper lines.
Existing deeper lines and sagging may not disappear but can improve with frequent treatments. Prevention is easier than correcting – with regular treatments, you will help prevent sagging and deep lines and age more gracefully.
Most people experience results that include a rested, glowing look that lasts about 48 hours after a treatment. A noticeable reduction in fine lines, improvement in skin tone and firmer look is usually achieved after three to six weekly treatments; these improvements will be most visible 48 hours after your treatment and will last a few weeks after weekly treatments are interrupted.
Your daily skin care routine and habits are also of prime importance for the health of your skin and the result of any treatment. Your routine should be adapted to your skin type and age, and should include hydrating elements (water-based) as well as enriching elements (vitamins, anti-oxidants, peptides).
How often do I need to get treated to see results?
That depends on your objectives, on the condition of your skin and on your use of other types of treatments (see below).
For acne, weekly treatments are recommended; adding a second weekly Express session will bring results even faster. Four to ten sessions are usually necessary to significantly reduce or eliminate the acne, but results are often visible after the first session. Reduced redness and swelling are usually the first improvements we see. The number of new eruptions, as well as their severity, decrease with treatments, and existing scars heal. The frequency of follow-up sessions depend on the acne patterns and triggers of each patient. We may use a combination of Express treatments and Complete treatments as follow-up, and eventually space out treatments to every two weeks and eventually monthly depending on each individuals’ progress and needs. Some patients may be able to go to seasonal maintenance treatments, while some may be able to stop completely, and others will benefit from continued monthly maintenance for some time.
For anti-aging and rejuvenating treatments, if you are still in the stages of prevention before any deep lines or noticeable sagging have occurred, you may start with a series of two to eight weekly treatments and continue with maintenance treatments every four to eight weeks. If you have any areas of specific concern (fine lines on the forehead, crow’s feet, beginning marionette lines), you may add a zone-specific microcurrent mask to your treatment. You will see the fine lines fade out after your treatments and your skin tone improve. Fine lines will tend to come back, however regular treatments contribute to preventing these fine lines from turning into deeper lines.
If you are concerned with deeper lines and areas of sagging, we recommend the Complete Rejuvenation Treatment, which you can strengthen with zone-specific microcurrent masks (jowls, around the mouth, forehead, around the eyes). Deeper lines and sagging will not disappear but they can be improved with frequent treatments. Minimum frequency to achieve improvement is weekly, maximum is three times per week for full Rejuvenation treatments. Express treatments can be used daily, alternated with full treatments or used as part of a maintenance schedule. The number of treatments depends on your objectives and the condition of your skin. For mature skin, a minimum of six treatments is usually necessary; there is no maximum number of treatments. Maintenance treatments can be scheduled twice-monthly, monthly or every six weeks.
I already do Botox, can I combine both treatments?
Absolutely. Our treatments complement Botox very nicely in that Botox prevents certain wrinkles by paralyzing targeted muscles. It cannot, however, prevent or address sagging skin or decreased skin elasticity and tone, because it does not tone the skin or muscles. The best time to add aesthetic acupuncture treatments to your facial care is before a Botox injection, or three to four months after your Botox injection, when you start to see its’ effect wearing off. At those times, taking a series of 3 to 8 treatments will maximize your facial muscle tone as well as your skins elasticity and tone, before continuing with your muscle relaxant therapy for targeted zones.
Why wait three to four months? Botox is the commercial name of Botulinum toxin; it functions by blocking transmission of neurochemical signals to the targeted muscle, effectively paralyzing the muscle. The toxin completes its action within five to ten days after injection; it then takes the muscle 3 to 4 months to grow new nerve terminals and synaptic contacts, thus regaining function*. Several studies have determined that microcurrent electrical nerve stimulation can enhance and hasten regeneration and repair of nerve damage; to ensure that your Botox treatment lasts as long as possible, it is best to wait until the muscle has already begun to regain function before getting microcurrent treatments in the same area.
*Indian Journal of Dermatology- Botulinum Toxin. Indian J Dermatol. 2010 Jan-Mar; 55(1): 8–14.
I want to do microneedling or surgery, can I also do your treatments?
Absolutely. You can use our Express red light treatments immediately after microneedling or surgery; the treatments will actually reduce inflammation, pain and bruising, and in the case of microneedling, maximize the effect of your treatment. By creating many microlesions in the skin, microneedling is meant to activate the skin’s self-repair mechanisms, including the production of collagen and elastin. Red light boosts your cells’ metabolism, allowing them to respond to the lesions with increased capacity. Because microcurrent treatments use topical substances (conductive gels or masks) to carry the current, we recommend waiting 36 hours after either microneedling or surgery to use treatments that include microcurrent.
Our treatments are a great way to maintain and maximize your surgical and microneedling treatments.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to us at the clinic at 514-674-1674. We are happy to assist you.
Caroline Dufour Ac. offers facial acupuncture sessions in Montreal.