Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation Following Electrolysis
Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a not uncommon side effect of electrolysis or laser hair reduction treatments. Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation is rarely permanent, your skin just needs time to heal from the mild trauma of electrolysis or laser treatments. Depending upon your skin it could take weeks or months for PIH to disappear. You are the best judge of how long your skin will need to heal from post inflammatory hyperpigmentation by taking into consideration how you’ve healed from minor scrapes or pimples in the past.
Treatments For Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
You can treat PIH with topical ointments such as retin-A (tretinoin), or any product with AHAs, glycolic acid or another ingredient with an exfoliating effect. Skin lightening creams often contain these ingredients, however, I would choose a high quality one over a cheap, no-name brand (Shiseido and Estee Lauder both have lines of high quality skin lightening products).
Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation on light skin following electrolysis treatment
It’s not necessary to treat your skin with any products in order for post inflammatory hyperpigmentation to go away. Allowing your skin the time to heal is probably the best treatment of all. It’s important that you avoid the sun completely if you have post inflammatory hyperpigmentation because sun exposure contributes to the development and/or worsening of PIH in susceptible skin types. Covering exposed skin with a hat, scarf or clothing is the best type of protection as sunscreens are reliable only when applied properly and reapplied often.
The image above shows a fairly typical example of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation following electrolysis. The red dots are where my client had hairs that were treated. Many clients require 6 months to one year for the skin to clear up completely. Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation on black or brown skin appears in the same pattern except the dots are brown, rather than pink or red.
Since PIH is the result of trauma to the skin it cannot be avoided if you want your permanent hair removal treatments to be successful. Eating well, moisturizing your skin and staying out of the sun prior to your electrolysis or laser treatment is a good idea so you go into your appointment with healthy skin. I can’t say for certain it will mitigate the effects of PIH, but looking after your skin will definitely not hurt your treatment outcome.
Further Reading:
Indian Women More Susceptible To Paradoxical Laser Induced Hair Growth