Advanced Electrolysis: Treatment Advice & Aftercare
Updated: 5 days ago
Skin Tags • Milia • Sebaceous Hyperplasia • Thread Veins & Selected Benign Skin Lesions
Advanced Electrolysis uses a very fine sterile probe and controlled electrical energy to treat a range of selected benign skin lesions and superficial visible blood vessels.
Depending on the concern being treated, the electrical energy may be used to cauterise or reduce the unwanted tissue or vessel.
Advanced Electrolysis is different from electrolysis hair removal. Your practitioner will first assess the concern to determine whether it is appropriate for cosmetic treatment.
What Can Advanced Electrolysis Treat?
Depending on the lesion, its location and your individual skin, Advanced Electrolysis may be suitable for concerns including:
skin tags
milia
sebaceous hyperplasia
facial thread veins and small visible blood vessels
blood spots/cherry angiomas
spider naevi
selected other benign superficial skin lesions.
Not every lesion is suitable for Advanced Electrolysis.
Your practitioner will assess the area before treatment and may recommend an alternative treatment such as CryoPen, Nd:YAG laser or Plasma Pen lesion removal, depending on the concern.
Before We Treat a Skin Lesion
Advanced Electrolysis is a cosmetic treatment for appropriately assessed benign lesions.
We will not treat a lesion if we're unsure what it is or if its appearance raises concerns.
Has Your Lesion Changed?
Please seek medical assessment rather than cosmetic treatment if a lesion:
is new or has recently changed
is changing in size, shape or colour
has irregular borders
contains several different colours
repeatedly bleeds without an obvious reason
repeatedly crusts or fails to heal
has become persistently painful or itchy
looks noticeably different from your other moles or lesions
has changed in any way that concerns you.
If your practitioner is uncertain about a lesion, we will not treat it and may recommend that you speak to your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional first.
Moles
What About Moles?
Moles require particular care.
We do not use Advanced Electrolysis to remove suspicious or undiagnosed pigmented lesions.
If a mole is new, changing or has not previously been appropriately assessed, we may recommend medical assessment before considering any cosmetic treatment.
Where removal is appropriate, your practitioner will advise whether Advanced Electrolysis or another treatment is suitable.
Before Your Treatment
Before your appointment:
Avoid deliberate tanning and sunbeds.
Don't attend with sunburnt or significantly irritated skin.
Avoid fake tan over the treatment area.
Avoid strong exfoliation, acids or retinoids if they have irritated the area.
Don't pick, scratch or attempt to remove the lesion yourself.
Tell us about all medication, supplements and herbal remedies you take.
Tell us if you take medication that affects bleeding or bruising.
Let us know if you have a history of poor wound healing or abnormal scarring.
Tell us if you're prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Let us know about recent laser, peels, microneedling, injectables or other advanced treatments in the area.
Tell us if your health, medication or the lesion itself has changed since your consultation.
Do not stop prescribed medication in order to have Advanced Electrolysis unless advised by the healthcare professional who prescribed it.
Is Advanced Electrolysis Suitable for Everyone?
Please tell your practitioner if you:
are pregnant
have a pacemaker or another implanted electronic medical device
have a bleeding or clotting disorder
take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication
have diabetes or another condition affecting normal healing
have a weakened immune system or take immunosuppressive medication
have a history of keloid or abnormal scarring
have a history of significant post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation
have an active infection, cold sore, open wound or significant inflammation in the treatment area
have a skin condition affecting the area being treated
have recently had surgery or another advanced procedure in the area
are undergoing cancer treatment or have a significant current medical condition.
Having a medical condition doesn't necessarily mean treatment cannot be performed. Depending on your circumstances, we may recommend adapting or postponing treatment, choosing another treatment or seeking medical advice first.
What Does Advanced Electrolysis Feel Like?
The sensation varies according to the concern and treatment area.
You may experience:
heat
stinging
a brief sharp sensation
warmth
tenderness.
Some areas, particularly around the nose and eyes, can naturally feel more sensitive.
Your practitioner will work carefully and adjust the treatment where appropriate.
Treating Skin Tags & Benign Lesions
When treating a skin tag or another suitable superficial lesion, controlled electrical energy is used to cauterise the targeted tissue.
Depending on the lesion and technique used, it may:
become darker
dry or shrink
form a small crust
gradually come away during healing.
Larger lesions may require more than one treatment rather than attempting to remove too much tissue in a single session.
Treating Milia
Milia are small keratin-filled cysts that appear as firm white or cream-coloured bumps beneath the surface of the skin.
Advanced Electrolysis can be used to carefully open and treat suitable milia so the trapped material can be released.
Following treatment, the area may be temporarily red and a tiny crust may develop.
Do not squeeze or attempt to extract remaining milia yourself.
Treating Sebaceous Hyperplasia
Sebaceous hyperplasia appears as small, usually flesh-coloured or yellowish bumps caused by enlarged sebaceous glands.
Advanced Electrolysis can be used to reduce the appearance of suitable lesions.
The treated area may temporarily appear red or darker and may develop a small crust while healing.
More than one treatment may sometimes be required.
Treating Thread Veins & Blood Vessels
Advanced Electrolysis can be used for selected small superficial facial blood vessels, including some thread veins, blood spots and spider naevi.
Electrical energy is carefully applied to the vessel, causing it to coagulate so that its appearance can gradually reduce.
Immediately afterwards the vessel may:
look darker or more noticeable
appear red
feel warm or tender
develop slight swelling
occasionally form a tiny crust.
The appearance should gradually settle as the skin recovers.
Not Every Red Vein Is Suitable
Larger, deeper or more extensive vessels may be better suited to another treatment.
Advanced Electrolysis or Nd:YAG? Different types of visible blood vessels respond better to different treatments. Your practitioner will assess the size, depth, location and appearance of the vessel and recommend the most appropriate option available at Eco Skin Clinic.
What to Expect After Treatment
It's normal for the area to experience:
redness
warmth
mild swelling
tenderness
temporary darkening
small crusts or scabs.
How noticeable this is depends on what has been treated, the size of the area and the treatment intensity.
Some lesions look temporarily worse or darker before they look better.
Do Not Pick
If a crust or scab develops, allow it to dry and fall away naturally.
Do not:
pick it
scratch it
peel it
repeatedly rub it.
Prematurely removing a crust can increase the risk of infection, scarring and changes in pigmentation.
Aftercare
During the initial healing period:
Keep the area clean.
Avoid unnecessary touching.
Wash your hands before touching the area if necessary.
Don't pick or scratch any crusts.
Avoid retinoids, exfoliating acids and scrubs over the treated area.
Avoid perfumed or irritating skincare.
Avoid waxing or other hair-removal methods directly over healing skin.
Avoid facial massage or other treatments over the area until healed.
Avoid excessive heat while the area remains red or sensitive.
Avoid swimming if the skin surface is open or crusted.
Avoid saunas and steam rooms while healing.
Use gentle skincare around the area.
Makeup
Don't apply makeup directly over open, weeping or freshly crusted skin.
Once the surface has healed sufficiently, makeup can usually be resumed.
Use clean brushes, sponges and applicators to reduce the risk of introducing bacteria.
Pigmentation Changes
Any treatment that produces inflammation or a controlled injury to the skin can potentially cause changes in pigmentation.
The treated area may temporarily appear darker, lighter, pink or red while it heals.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is where the healing response causes an area to become darker than the surrounding skin.
It can occur in any skin type but may be more common or persistent in darker skin tones and in people who are already prone to pigmentation following inflammation or injury.
Less commonly, hypopigmentation can occur, where the treated area becomes lighter than the surrounding skin.
Pigmentation changes can sometimes take weeks or months to settle, and occasionally a difference in skin colour can be long-lasting or permanent.
Tell us if you have previously experienced significant pigmentation following a skin treatment, spot, injury or scar.
Sun Protection
UV exposure can increase the risk of pigmentation changes in healing skin.
Once appropriate to apply sunscreen, use a broad-spectrum SPF 30–50 on exposed treated areas.
Avoid deliberate tanning and sunbeds while the skin is healing and while any pigmentation is settling.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
This depends on:
the type of lesion or vessel
its size and depth
its location
how many areas are being treated
your individual skin response.
Some small concerns may respond well to a single treatment, while others require several sessions.
It's usually better to allow the skin to heal and assess the response before deciding whether further treatment is needed.
Will the Lesion Come Back?
Successfully treated tissue may not return, but treatment cannot prevent new lesions or vessels developing in the future.
For example, clients prone to skin tags, milia, sebaceous hyperplasia or facial thread veins may develop new ones over time.
These are new concerns rather than necessarily a failure of the original treatment.
When Should I Contact Eco Skin Clinic?
Some redness, tenderness, darkening and minor crusting can be normal.
Please contact us if you experience:
increasing rather than improving pain
redness that is spreading or becoming worse
increasing heat or swelling
pus or unusual discharge
persistent bleeding
significant blistering
signs of infection
a wound that isn't healing as expected
significant or unexpected pigmentation changes
any other reaction that concerns you.
Important: If a Lesion Changes
Advanced Electrolysis is used for the cosmetic treatment of appropriately assessed benign concerns.
If a lesion changes in size, shape, colour or behaviour, begins bleeding unexpectedly, repeatedly crusts, doesn't heal or otherwise concerns you, seek medical assessment rather than repeatedly having it cosmetically treated.
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