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For licensed skincare professionals

Device-assisted session protocol

60 minutes. A course of four to six sessions, spaced as the device manufacturer and the practitioner's judgment direct.

For sessions where the practitioner works a professional device over the skin surface and wants a hydrating serum as the working layer. This page sets the skin preparation, the serum step and the aftercare. The device step belongs to the practitioner and to the device manufacturer.

The protocol is the treating professional's clinical decision.

Who this is for

Intact skin presenting with the look of dehydration, dullness or rough texture, where the practitioner has chosen a device step for the session and recorded it at the consultation. Clients asking for a hydrated, even, light-reflecting finish are the usual fit.

The practitioner is trained on the device and is working within the scope of practice set by their own licensing board. That scope varies by state, province and country, and it is the practitioner's to confirm.

Who this is not for

  • Broken, inflamed, crusted or weeping skin, or any open lesion in the treatment area.
  • Active cold sores, or a cold sore in the treatment area within the last 14 days.
  • Sunburn or windburn within the last 72 hours, or a professional resurfacing treatment within the last 7 days.
  • Oral isotretinoin within the last 6 months, or a prescribed topical retinoid in use, unless the prescriber has agreed to the session.
  • A device step that opens the skin. This protocol runs on intact skin only. Where the device step draws pinpoint bleeding or leaves the skin open, the serum is not applied to that area, and the session moves to the post-treatment calming protocol.
  • Known sensitivity to any ingredient used, checked against the INCI.

Before you begin

Read the card. The device step, the device and its single-use parts were agreed at the consultation. If they are not recorded, record them before the client lies down. The device, its single-use parts and how it is operated follow the device manufacturer's instructions and the practitioner's training.

Choose the serum:

Skin on the daySealed vial
Tight after cleansing, rough, flaking, dull surfaceHyaluronic Skin Repair NanoSerum
Shine and tightness together, fine lines that flatten when pinchedHydrating NanoSerum

Acid-containing formulas are not used under a device. Brightening and Clarifying run in their own protocols, on a different day.

Set the tray before the client comes in: single-use gloves, a fresh syringe, alcohol swabs, a single-use dispensing dish, single-use spatulas and gauze. Check the carton's expiry date and write the lot number on the card.

The protocol

StepProductAmountDwellTechnique
1None. Hand hygiene and glovesn/an/aWash, dry, glove. Assess under good light against the skin map. Confirm every contraindication is clear.
2Comfort Cleansing Milk2 pumps60 secEmulsify in the palms, massage over dry skin, remove with warm damp cotton.
3Comfort Cleansing Milk, second cleanse1 pump60 secRepeat on damp skin. Blot. Do not rub dry.
4Bio-Ferment Essence Toner2 cotton rounds, saturatedLeave dampPress on. Do not wipe.
5Sealed vial, drawn1.5 mln/aFlip off the cap, leave the stopper in place, swab the stopper and let it dry. Draw 1.5 ml with a fresh syringe and expel it into the dispensing dish. Apply from the dish, never from the syringe. Never inject.
6Serum, as the working layerAbout 0.3 ml per sectionKeep wetWork one section at a time: forehead, left cheek, right cheek, nose and chin, neck. Lay the serum onto a section with a single-use spatula or gloved fingers just before the device works that section. Keep the section visibly wet throughout.
7Device stepn/an/aPerformed by the practitioner, section by section, as the device manufacturer instructs and within the practitioner's training and scope of practice. Stop on any area that shows pinpoint bleeding, weeping or blanching, apply no further serum there, and move that area to the post-treatment calming protocol.
8Serum, remainder from the dishWhat remains of the 1.5 ml2 minPress in with flat gloved palms. Discard anything left in the dish. Nothing goes back into the vial.
9Soothing Recovery Gel3 ml, decanted5 minLay on in a single pass with flat gloved fingers. No massage, no friction. Leave the residue in place.
10AquaCell MoisturizerPea-sizedLeave onPress and roll to seal the serum layer.
11Sun protection, any brandAs directed on its labelLeave onDaytime sessions only, over intact skin. Vegalab does not sell an SPF product.

After the session, refrigerate the vial upright in its carton and write the date of the first draw on the label. Discard it at 28 days or after the third application, whichever comes first. The syringe goes in the sharps container. The dish, spatulas and gauze are discarded.

The one thing that determines whether this protocol works: a fresh, unopened portion on intact skin. The sealed vial is on the tray because it is entered through the stopper rather than opened, so nothing in it has stood open on a shelf or been handled. The serum is a topical working layer over intact skin, and every step around the device step is there to keep it that way: single-use everything, the dish rather than the syringe, nothing returned to the vial, and a hard stop on any area the device opens.

Frequency and course

Plan a course of four to six sessions. Spacing follows the device manufacturer's guidance and the practitioner's judgment, and the six-week client course protocol shows how to build the sessions and the home routine into one plan.

Do not add a session to fill a gap, and do not run this protocol on the same day as a resurfacing treatment.

Aftercare

For the first 24 hours:

  • No makeup for the rest of the day.
  • No acids, retinoids, scrubs or cleansing devices for 48 hours.
  • No heat. No sauna, no steam, no hot shower on the face, no exercise that raises facial temperature.
  • Clean hands before touching the face. Clean pillowcase tonight.
  • Daily broad-spectrum sun protection from any brand.

Give the client a written card with these points and a number to call.

What to expect, and when

Immediately after: skin looks more hydrated, smoother and more even, and feels comfortable. Any warmth or pinkness from the device step settles within a few hours. If it does not, see When to refer.

Across the course: cumulative improvement in the look of hydration, smoothness and radiance over four to six sessions, carried between sessions by the home routine.

Home maintenance

Morning: Comfort Cleansing Milk, Bio-Ferment Essence Toner, AquaCell Moisturizer, sun protection.

Evening: cleanse, tone, then the ProSerum that matches the session serum, Hyaluronic Skin Repair ProSerum or Hydrating ProSerum, onto damp skin.

Twice weekly: one 1.5 ml application from a sealed vial of the same formula, drawn through the stopper. Point out the vial mechanics once. The cap flips off, the syringe draws through the stopper, the stopper stays in place.

Hold acids and retinoids for 48 hours after each session. The home routine is what carries the result to the next session, and the next session is what the home routine is for.

When to refer

Back to the practitioner who performed the session, the same day, if any of the following appear:

  • Pain, heat, redness or swelling that increases after the first 24 hours instead of settling.
  • Redness spreading outward, or streaking away from the treated area.
  • Yellow or honey-colored crusting, pus or any discharge.
  • Blisters, clusters of small fluid-filled spots, or the tingling and burning that comes before them, particularly around the mouth.
  • Marks in a regular grid or track pattern that are still visible the next day.
  • A patch of skin that turns darker or lighter than the surrounding skin.

Straight to a physician, the same day, if the practitioner cannot be reached within a few hours and any of the above is present, or if there is fever, chills, or the client feels generally unwell.

Emergency care immediately for swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, difficulty breathing, or widespread hives.

Do not manage any of this with product, and do not reassure a worried client on the phone in place of an examination.

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