Before
After bearing with obvious milia that appeared under my eyes a year ago, I decided to toughen up and undergo milia removal. During my previous appointment with Dr. Tsu, he recommended electrocautery to safely removal the milia. The first question I asked was whether it was painful. He then responded that the pain is minimal but also informed me about the procedure. Firstly, he said even with electrocautery, the milia might re-appear. Secondly, he said there are risks of infection because the skin is being cut. Thirdly, he said they might be scars after the procedure. Lastly, he mentioned that there will be some downtime as there will be scabs on the electrocautery area.
Also referred to as thermal cautery, electrocautery is a safe procedure in which a direct current is passed through a resistant metal wire electrode that generates heat. The heated electrode is then applied to the skin tissue to achieve varying degrees of skin tissue ablation, thereby removing the oil seed son the skin. With merely a week’s downtime, the process is fast, safe and painless, and with our doctors personally administering the treatment, you‘re sure to be in good hands. http://www.drx-group.com/drx-problem/drx-clinic/
Electrocautery process:
1.Facial cleansing by the therapist
2. She then applied numbing cream, and put saran wrap over the applied area
4. Therapist wiped off numbing cream
5. Zapping of milia by Dr. Tsu
After the procedure, my skin was significantly red and there were "donut holes" on my effected areas. After about two hours, the redness subsided and the donut holes became scabs. The areas where the electrocautery were performed were tender, I had to be extra gentle when washing my face. There was a stinging sensation when I washed my face, similar sensation as to when you are cleaning a wound.
Yes, there is definitely downtime. The day after, my forehead looked as though it has been attacked with numerous mosquito bites. It does make me self-conscious. It looks scary so I try not to focus on in when I look at the mirror. With that being said, I did go to work the day after. Dr. Tsu mentioned that it will take 2-3 days for the scab to fall off.
It has been six days since the electrocautery procedure. The scabs on my forehead has fallen off and there are little to no scarring. However, there are still some scabs on my under eyes. Though, it is not as red anymore.
On areas where numbing cream was applied, there were only a slight sensation. Those areas that were not graced with numbing cream, it was painful! Especially when he was removing the milia on my under eye area, I started tearing up. On a pain scale of 0-10, 10 being the worst pain of my life, the electrocautery process was a 7. I will definitely hesitate from undergoing electrocautery again.
I have low pain tolerance! It was more painful than an ant's bite. It was like a burning pain. You could smell the burnt effects. It took Dr.Tsu about 30 minutes for my forehead and under eyes area.
At the end of the procedure, he showed me a mirror so that I can check on myself and inform him if he had missed any milia. After seeing the mirror, I was shock to see the aftereffects of electrocautery. My skin was red and there were "donut holes" where the zapping were done.
6. Dr. Tsu generously applied antibiotic onto those effected areas. He mentioned that I should come for a follow-up in six weeks, during that visit, he will examine and remove any recurring milia. After the procedure, my skin was significantly red and there were "donut holes" on my effected areas. After about two hours, the redness subsided and the donut holes became scabs. The areas where the electrocautery were performed were tender, I had to be extra gentle when washing my face. There was a stinging sensation when I washed my face, similar sensation as to when you are cleaning a wound.
Yes, there is definitely downtime. The day after, my forehead looked as though it has been attacked with numerous mosquito bites. It does make me self-conscious. It looks scary so I try not to focus on in when I look at the mirror. With that being said, I did go to work the day after. Dr. Tsu mentioned that it will take 2-3 days for the scab to fall off.
It has been six days since the electrocautery procedure. The scabs on my forehead has fallen off and there are little to no scarring. However, there are still some scabs on my under eyes. Though, it is not as red anymore.
