The short answer
HIFU heats deep tissue and leaves no wound on the surface. So aftercare is mainly about staying comfortable, protecting your skin from the sun and knowing what is not normal.
Ordinary activity is fine. The written aftercare you receive at your visit takes priority over this page, including any exact timing.
HIFU aftercare in the first 24 hours
During the first week
No facials, facial massage, gua sha, microcurrent, at-home devices or other energy treatments over the same zones.
Postpone prolonged wide-mouth dental work if the jawline is still tender.
Avoid chlorinated pools until any redness has gone.
Postpone waxing or threading on treated skin until tenderness settles.
Do not start new active products in the first week.
Sun, make-up, exercise and sleep
| Topic | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sun | Broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning, reapplied outdoors, with a hat on bright days. No deliberate tanning while tender. |
| Make-up | Usually fine once the skin is calm, often the next day. Apply and remove it gently. |
| Exercise | Walking from the next day. Hard exercise, long runs and hot classes wait a few days, until swelling and tenderness settle. |
| Sleep | Face-up with the head slightly raised on an extra pillow while the jawline is tender. |
What is normal, and what is not
Redness and warmth that settle over the first day. Tenderness along treated lines, most noticeable when chewing or pressing the jaw. Slight jawline swelling, an occasional small bruise, and short-lived tingling over the cheek or jaw.
Numbness or tingling that persists, or new weakness when smiling, pursing the lips or raising the brow.
A raised welt, linear mark or blister along a treated line that does not flatten. Skin that becomes hot, red and tight.
Marked, increasing or one-sided swelling, pain that increases rather than settles, or a new hollow or dent over the cheek or temple.
When to call
Please contact the clinic during opening hours about anything in the not-normal list. For urgent problems outside hours, do not wait for a reply. Seek a doctor, or go to a hospital emergency department if the problem cannot wait. If HIFU was done elsewhere and something feels wrong, contact that clinic or another doctor. Bring the device name, zones treated and date.
What aftercare cannot do
Early firmness is not the result. Collagen remodels gradually around each heated point over weeks and months, and the number of lines placed is not a measure of how much change to expect. Aftercare cannot change this pace or promise an outcome. It also cannot make HIFU suit a face it does not fit. Lean faces, sag from lost volume, a full fat pad and redundant skin are covered in HIFU side effects, along with the named risks of nerve irritation, fat loss, burns and welts.
Your review
The review is timed to the gradual collagen response, not the day after treatment. The doctor checks the zones, sensation and movement, and compares photographs in your record. Whether further treatment is appropriate is decided then, because adding energy while tissue is still responding brings heat but no gain. Heated skin is also more reactive to ultraviolet, which can drive pigment change in Fitzpatrick III to V skin, so keep up sun protection. Any fee is explained in writing before further treatment.