Sources and last checked

Every figure in the planner comes from the sources below. We read patient guidance from medical societies and public bodies and abstracts of published studies. Clinic and manufacturer pages are not used as evidence. “Read” shows how much of each source we could read: a full page, an abstract only, or a failed attempt. Values were taken only from sources that were read.

Botulinum toxin (Botox-type) injections

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No source found for: heat/sauna/hot tub/steam room after botulinum toxin (none of AAD, NHS Doncaster, NHS Lothian, the review mention it).; No source found for: sun exposure, tanning or swimming after botulinum toxin.; Flying: only NHS Lothian (24 hours, long-haul); AAD and NHS Doncaster do not mention it. Single, one-page leaflet.; Alcohol: only NHS Lothian (6 hours); AAD and NHS Doncaster do not mention it.; Facial/massage: AAD and Doncaster say no rubbing or massaging with no end date; Lothian gives 24 hours only for facial treatment.; AAD gives no duration for swelling or redness and no onset time.; Mayo Clinic Botox page could not be read (HTTP 403); ASPS, Aesthetic Society, ASDS botulinum pages and the FDA Botox Cosmetic label were not obtained.; Onset/duration review data is for abobotulinumtoxinA only; the NHS Lothian leaflet does not say whether the use is cosmetic.; Exercise windows differ across sources (2 hours, up to 6 hours, 24 hours); not merged.

Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers (face)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No source found for: flying after HA filler (AAD, FDA page and both labels do not mention it; the NHS filler page could not be read).; No source found for: swimming, saunas/hot tubs/steam rooms by name, or facials/massage after HA filler beyond AAD's 3-day touching rule.; Alcohol: only the Vollure XC label (24 hours); AAD, FDA and the Ultra XC lip label do not mention it.; Heat: labels say 'extensive sun or heat' for 24 hours; AAD and FDA are silent.; Makeup: AAD says OK before leaving the office; Vollure label says ask your doctor. Not merged.; Swelling/bruising durations: AAD 7 to 14 days (all filler types), lip label mostly 14 days or less, nasolabial-fold label mostly within 1 week; FDA 'a few days to weeks'. No separate bruising vs swelling duration.; Labels cover only two Juvederm products (lip, nasolabial folds); other HA brands and areas (tear trough, cheeks, jawline) were not read.; NHS, ASDS, Aesthetic Society, ASPS patient pages not obtained.

Skin boosters (injected hyaluronic acid or polynucleotide skin-quality injectables)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No AAD, ASDS, NHS or Mayo page on skin boosters was found; the ASDS HA page does not mention them.; The 2024 Skin Res Technol review 'Skin boosters: Definitions and varied classifications' (PMID 38481069) is retracted and was not used for any value.; Evidence is mostly narrative reviews, small studies and a 6-study scoping review; the authors call for larger controlled trials.; The scoping review was read as an abstract only through an aggregator, with no journal or year shown.; What sources say: exercise 24-48 h, heat/sauna 24-48 h, alcohol 24-48 h, sun 24 h (FDA SKINVIVE label and ASPS filler pages, both filler/HA product-specific, not polynucleotide boosters).; No source found for: swimming, tanning, or any specific day count for makeup (FDA SKINVIVE label only says ask the doctor).; No source found for flying with a number; ASPS only names high-altitude flying as a possible swelling trigger.; No source found that covers polynucleotide boosters' activity restrictions or downtime; all activity values come from HA filler or one HA skin-smoothness product.; The SKINVIVE label is a single manufacturer product injected into the cheeks of adults over 21; it is an FDA-posted official document but it describes one product, and duration percentages are of all 199 participants, not of those with the symptom.; Sources differ: ASPS says 24-48 hours of caution; the FDA label says first 24 hours; one ASPS article lists exercise at 24 hours but heat at 24-48 hours.; NHS dermal filler page and Mayo Clinic filler page could not be read (index page only / 403).

Low-fluence Q-switched Nd:YAG laser toning and picosecond laser (pigment / skin tone)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No society page read that describes laser toning or picosecond recovery specifically.; No exercise, heat/sauna, alcohol, makeup, massage or flying guidance found.; Picosecond abstract gives no downtime, session count or interval numbers.; Bruising duration given only as 'a few days', not as numbers.; NHS had no relevant page; Mayo Clinic pages returned access errors.; no source found for alcohol after laser toning or picosecond.; no source found for flying after laser toning or picosecond.; no toning- or picosecond-specific source for exercise, sauna, swimming or makeup; the 7-day and 48-hour figures come from a general NHS trust laser leaflet.; Crusting duration not stated (Leeds leaflet only says leave scabs/blisters intact).; Merseyside/West Lancashire NHS leaflet PDFs could not be read (compressed PDF), so their different swimming/exercise windows are not used.

Fractional laser resurfacing (ablative CO2/Er:YAG and non-ablative)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: Ablative and non-ablative are in one file; the ablative 3 to 10 day figure comes from one ASDS sentence that does not separate fractional from fully ablative.; No redness duration, scab/crust, peeling duration, exercise, heat/sauna, alcohol, massage or flying guidance read.; No warning-sign list in the sources read.; Mayo Clinic and two PMC articles could not be read (access blocks).; The 6 to 8 week sun figure comes from an acne-scar aftercare page, not a fractional-specific page.; NHS has no relevant page.; no source found for alcohol after fractional or other laser resurfacing.; no source found for flying after laser resurfacing: the ASPS travel article gives no after-laser rule; one surgeon suggests bigger skin procedures including laser be done about a month or more before a trip (timing before travel, not a flying-after limit).; no source found for facial or massage after laser resurfacing beyond the cleaning/exfoliation advice above.; Exercise, sauna and swimming figures (7 days) come from one general NHS trust leaflet that mixes laser types; Birmingham's CO2 leaflet says only 'until fully healed' for swimming and sauna.; ASDS healing time differs between its pages: 3 to 10 days (main resurfacing page) vs 10 to 21 days (sun-damaged and acne-scar pages).; ASPS travel and Merseyside leaflets: Merseyside PDF unreadable; its different windows are not used.; Non-ablative fractional: only ASDS statements (return to work immediately, makeup over redness, avoid sun, SPF 30+); no source gives exercise, sauna, swimming or flying timing specifically for non-ablative.

Microfocused / high-intensity focused ultrasound skin lifting (Ultherapy-type)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No source read gives numeric day counts for swelling after ultrasound specifically (ASDS says 'a few days'); the 1-2 week figure is from a general energy-device page.; No guidance on exercise, sauna/heat, alcohol, sun, massage or flying.; No treatment interval stated.; The review and meta-analysis do not report adverse-event durations.; No Ultherapy-brand-specific society page was read; sources are US-based.; Activity answers: exercise = one study protocol (3-5 days, no exercise and no icing); no source found for sauna/hot tub/steam room, alcohol, flying, massage/facial, sun exposure/tanning, swimming, or makeup beyond AAD's 'often immediately'.; Swelling duration differs by source: ASDS 'a few days'; ASDS general page up to 1-2 weeks; 50-adult study 2 to 14 days.; Aesthetic Society page was read and has no recovery content. Ulthera FDA clearance PDFs could not be read.

Monopolar radiofrequency skin tightening (Thermage-type)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No source read gives exercise, sauna/heat, alcohol, sun, massage or flying guidance.; No treatment interval stated.; Swelling duration differs: ASDS generic page says up to 1-2 weeks; the 2006 series says usually under 24 hours, up to 1 week for a few patients.; AAD page does not name brands; the only peer-reviewed data read is one older single series.; DermNet NZ and clinic pages were seen only as search snippets and are not used.; Activity answers: only makeup (AAD, 'often immediately') is sourced. No source found for exercise, sauna/hot tub/steam room, alcohol, flying, massage/facial, sun exposure/tanning, or swimming after monopolar RF tightening.; Aesthetic Society page was read and has no recovery content; PMC7489578 could not be read.

Radiofrequency microneedling

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No society page read is specific to RF microneedling aftercare; AAD/ASDS/NHS numbers come from plain microneedling.; RFMN systematic review gives no numeric downtime (only 'minimal downtime' and 'within 48 h').; No guidance on alcohol, massage/pressure or flying.; Sources differ: AAD says downtime minimal, ASDS says 2-7 days, NHS leaflet says redness improves in 1-2 days.; Activity answers: exercise, heat/sauna, swimming and sun come only from an NHS scar-microneedling leaflet (72 hours / 7 days) and AAD/FDA general microneedling pages; none is RF-specific. No source found for alcohol, flying, massage/facial pressure, or tanning after RF microneedling.; FDA pages give no recovery durations or exercise advice; the FDA 2025 communication names burns, scarring, fat loss, disfigurement and nerve damage as reported complications.

Microneedling (collagen induction, without radiofrequency)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: No source read gives guidance on alcohol, massage/facial pressure, or flying.; AAD and ASDS give no exercise or sauna guidance; the only numbers (72 hours) come from an NHS trust scar leaflet that may not apply to cosmetic treatment.; AAD gives no lower bound for redness duration ('a few days to a week').; Systematic reviews mix roller, pen, stamp and RF devices; durations may not match a given clinic's device.; Only the abstract of the 2025 facial rejuvenation review was read; it gives no event durations.; What sources say: exercise 24 h to 72 h (varies by source), sauna/swimming/hot water 72 h to 1 week, sun avoidance 7 days (NHS) or sunscreen after 24 h (ASDS), makeup 24 h to 72 h; numbers beyond AAD/ASDS come from NHS scar/burn leaflets.; No source found for: alcohol, flying, tanning after treatment, facial massage or facials after cosmetic microneedling, or a specific number of days for peeling.; AAD news page on microneedling could not be read (index page only).; Worcestershire leaflet covers scars/burns and was due for review in January 2026; its use for cosmetic facial treatment is not established.

Chemical peel (superficial and medium-depth; deep peel noted briefly)

Evidence tier: mixed. Last checked: 2026-11-02

What these sources do not say: Mayo Clinic and NHS pages could not be read (403 / 404), so no values come from them.; No source states a day count for returning to work after a superficial or medium peel.; No exercise, sauna, alcohol, massage or flying guidance was found in the pages read.; Review (PMC3560165) covers medium/deep peels only; superficial-peel erythema/edema day counts from other reviews were seen only in a search summary and are not used.; AAD and ASDS give no 'who should avoid' list; those items come from a 2012 review and the ASDS risk section.; AAD page may be an older cached copy.; What sources say: sun avoidance (until healed for medium; several months per ASPS; 3-6 months for deep), makeup timing by depth, no tanning beds (AAD), avoid steam/sauna (one glycolic review), avoid scratching or picking.; No source found for: exercise, alcohol, flying, swimming, or any day count for returning to work after a superficial or medium peel.; NHS chemical peel page was not readable (404 on one URL, index page only on the other); ASPS recovery and overview pages returned only summaries.; Sources differ: AAD gives light-peel healing as 1-7 days in one table and about 1 day in the results section; medium-peel redness 'longer than a few months' (ASPS) vs about 15-30 days (2012 review); peeling about a week (ASPS) vs 7-14 days (AAD/ASDS).