How Long Will Redness After CO2 Laser Persist?

Redness, or erythema after a CO2 laser is common and a sign of your body creating new collagen. The duration of your erythema is going to be dependent on the parameters of the treatment you received: whether it was fractionated versus continuous, the amount of energy used, the density of the fractionation, etc.Almost everybody has some amount of redness for up to eight weeks, but beyond that we start considering the redness prolonged. Remember though, this is not necessarily a bad thing, those who tend to be red longer tend to get better results because it is a sign of them creating more new collagen.It is worth noting that redness and hyperpigmentation after a CO2 laser are different things. The retinoid that you are describing is not going to do anything for your redness, and may even make it worse. Retinoids and hydroquinone are targeted to hyperpigmentation, not redness.To guarantee you're receiving the highest level of care, seek out a dermatologic surgeon, oculoplastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who is board certified and fellowship trained in one of these "core four" cosmetic specialties.

Typically, in our patients post CO2, redness is the most intense the first 10 days, however it takes weeks after that for the skin to fade from bright red through shades of pink and then back to natural skin pigmentation. We begin the use of hydroquinone 2 weeks prior to our treatment, stop the night before and restart 3 weeks post treatment. 
**redness for many weeks is normal

Thank you for your question. Most patients experience significant redness anywhere from four to eight weeks after their treatment, though it does begin to fade as time goes on. Some people will see a bit of redness for as long as six months, but this is also normal and can be easily covered with makeup. The other variable in the redness issue could be the topical treatments you are using - they’re pretty strong to be applying aggressively so soon after treatment, so that’s something you might want to revisit with your doctor. As always, it’s important to make sure that you are being treated by a board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist who is experienced in the type of CO2 laser treatment you are getting. Good luck!