Microneedling Aftercare
RF Microneedling (INTRAcel) Aftercare
Congrats on your INTRAcel treatment! You went deeper this time, so give your skin a little extra grace over the next couple of weeks — the payoff is worth the patience.
INTRAcel combines microneedling with radiofrequency energy, creating controlled fractional injury both at the surface and deeper in the skin. Because both needles and thermal energy are involved, healing can be more noticeable than after standard microneedling.
Your INTRAcel protocol notes that redness can last hours to days, swelling can last 1–7 days, and microcrusting or visible grid/stamp marks may linger longer — particularly around the eyes, neck, and décolleté.
Your treatment was customized to your skin, treatment area, device settings, and medical history. These instructions are general guidance and do not replace the individualized instructions from your treating provider. If the instructions we gave you at your appointment differ from anything here, follow your provider's instructions or contact us for clarification.
If something doesn't look or feel right, please reach out — photos are often helpful.
What to Expect
Normal responses can include:
- Redness and sensitivity
- Warmth or a sunburn-like feeling
- Swelling, occasionally significant
- Itching or small hive-like bumps
- Tiny brown or dark dots, microcrusting, grid marks, or a sandpaper texture
- Mild bruising
- Temporary acne-like bumps in oily or acne-prone skin
- Less commonly, a blister within the first 48 hours
Do not pick or scrub away the tiny crusts or grid marks — let them shed on their own.
What To Do
The First 12–24 Hours
Do not wash, unnecessarily touch, or apply unapproved products to the treated skin for the first 12–24 hours.
Cool compresses may be used gently for comfort.
Avoid heavy exercise or excessive sweating. Skip hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas, and very hot showers for 24–48 hours. These directions come straight from your INTRAcel protocol.
After 12–24 Hours
Begin your Next OV Skin post-treatment products as instructed. If you aren't using a prescribed kit, keep it very simple:
- Gentle cleanser
- A hydrating/healing serum approved by your provider
- Simple moisturizer
- Broad-spectrum SPF 30+
Mineral makeup may be resumed after 48 hours, assuming the skin is intact and healing normally.
What NOT To Do
- No retinol, Retin-A/tretinoin, AHA, BHA, scrubs, exfoliating toners, or exfoliating masks for 7–14 days.
- Do not pick microcrusting or grid marks.
- Avoid unnecessary heat and sweating for the first 24–48 hours.
- Avoid tanning and intentional sun exposure.
- Do not aggressively exfoliate when the skin starts shedding.
Once the skin has healed for 7–14 days, your practitioner may occasionally recommend gentle exfoliation to help lingering microcrusts release. Don't start this early on your own.
Sun Protection Is Especially Important
Use SPF 30+ every day for at least four weeks and practice careful sun avoidance. Newly treated skin is temporarily more prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
The Healing Timeline
Red, warm, sensitive, and possibly swollen.
Swelling and redness begin improving. Tiny grid marks or crusts may become more visible.
Skin increasingly settles. Roughness and microcrusting may remain.
Most surface healing is complete. Acne-like bumps usually settle during this period.
Small residual grid marks or roughness can occasionally persist longer in thinner or slower-healing areas like the neck, décolleté, or around the eyes.
If You Develop Itching, Hives, or Raised Bumps
Please contact us. Your INTRAcel protocol allows an antihistamine and, when appropriate, a short course of topical hydrocortisone for an exaggerated inflammatory response — but we'd rather see what the reaction looks like before you start treating it yourself. Reach out if hives, raised bumps, redness, or itching persist beyond 3–4 days or get worse.
When to Call or Text Us
Contact us promptly for:
- Worsening (rather than improving) redness, swelling, or pain
- Significant blistering
- Pus-like drainage or signs of infection
- A cold-sore/HSV outbreak
- A pronounced hive-like reaction
- Swelling that is severe or continuing to increase
Something doesn't look right? Contact us.
Increasing pain, blistering, open skin, spreading redness, drainage, fever, significant swelling, or a reaction that is getting worse rather than better should be evaluated. Photos are always welcome.
Common Questions
How long is the downtime after RF microneedling?
Redness can last hours to days and swelling 1–7 days. Most surface healing is complete by 7–14 days, though small grid marks can linger longer in delicate areas like the neck and around the eyes.
Why can't I wash my face after INTRAcel?
For the first 12–24 hours the treated skin should be left untouched — no washing, unnecessary touching, or unapproved products — so the channels can begin closing. Cool compresses are okay for comfort.
Book Your Free Follow-Up
We'd love to see how you're healing, take progress photos, and map out your next steps. Great skin is usually a series, not a single visit — a check-in keeps you on track.
Questions? Text or call (425) 215-1727 — photos are always welcome.