Templates · Free template · Aftercare
IPL Photofacial Aftercare Instructions
A printable handout for clients after IPL for pigmentation or redness: what the skin will do over the next two weeks, why spots look darker first, what to avoid, and when to call the clinic.
How to use this sheet
This is a draft to adapt, not a finished protocol. Timings such as how long to avoid exercise, heat, or active skincare differ between devices, products, and practitioners, so check every line against what you actually tell clients, fill in the blanks at the bottom, and have your medical director or clinical lead review it before you use it.
Print it, save it as a PDF, or send it digitally. Tick the aftercare box on the client's chart so there is a record that the instructions were given.
Explain the darkening before it happens
Treated sun spots usually darken over the first day or two and then flake away over about a week or two. It is the treatment working, but a client who wasn't told will think it went wrong. The sheet puts that sequence first, in plain words.
Why a written sheet matters
Clients forget most of what they are told in the room, especially straight after an injection or a peel. A written sheet answers the 9 p.m. question of whether something is normal, tells them exactly when it is not, and shows that you gave the instructions.
IPL Photofacial Aftercare Instructions
Your treatment
- Pigmentation
- Redness / vessels
- Both
What is normal
- Redness and warmth like a mild sunburn, usually settling within hours to a couple of days.
- Brown spots that turn darker, sometimes like coffee grounds, then flake off over about one to two weeks. Do not pick them.
- Mild swelling, especially around the eyes or after treatment for redness.
- Small vessels that look darker or more visible for a few days before fading.
The first 48 hours
- Use a cool compress wrapped in a cloth if the skin feels hot.
- Cleanse gently with lukewarm water. No scrubbing, exfoliating brushes, or hot water on the face.
- Avoid saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and strenuous exercise that makes you flushed.
- Skip makeup until the time written below, or use only what we recommended.
Until your skin has healed, and between sessions
- Stay out of direct sun. Wear a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day and reapply, and wear a hat outdoors.
- Do not tan or use self-tanner. Tanned skin cannot be treated safely at your next session.
- Let darkened spots flake off on their own. Picking can leave marks.
- Hold retinoids, acids, and exfoliants until we say so.
- Most people need a series of treatments a few weeks apart. Keep your next appointment.
Call us if
- You have blisters, crusting, or areas that look burned.
- Redness or swelling is getting worse after 48 hours.
- You see pus or the skin becomes increasingly painful or hot.
- You get a cold sore after treatment.
- You notice light or dark patches once the skin has healed.
Your clinic
Your practitioner fills this in before you leave.
- Instructions explained verbally
- Client received a copy
Template from zdrovia.ca/templates/ipl-photofacial-aftercare-instructions/ · Send it automatically after each visit, free, at zdrovia.ca · Adapt to your clinic's protocol and have it reviewed by your medical director or clinical lead before use.
Send the right aftercare to every client automatically
In Zdrovia you write an aftercare sheet once under Patient Instructions and attach it to the service as its post-visit instruction. Every booking for that service delivers it to the client through their portal or by message, and you can embed it on your own website. Free for solo practitioners, with data stored in Canada.
See how Zdrovia is set up for med spas.
Frequently asked questions
Why do spots get darker after IPL?
The light is absorbed by the pigment, which darkens and then works its way to the surface and flakes off, usually over one to two weeks. Tell clients in advance so they don't call worried.
How long should clients avoid the sun after IPL?
Clients should protect the skin from sun throughout the course, and avoid tanning before each session, because tanned skin raises the risk of burns and pigment change. Use the timing your protocol specifies.
Is this sheet suitable for laser hair removal?
No. Laser hair removal has its own aftercare, including advice on shaving and shedding. Use the laser hair removal aftercare sheet for that.
Related
This sheet is general patient education, not medical advice for any individual. Timings and products differ between treatments, devices, and practitioners, and your clinician's instructions for a specific client always take priority. Have your medical director or clinical lead review and adapt it before you give it to clients.