Laser Resurfacing Recovery - when Can I Go Back to Work?

The time frame to return to work is determined by the laser type and how aggressively the laser is being used. Nothing seems to greatly expedite recovery substantially, but good skin care before and after laser treatment is important to avoid complications. Moisture is necessary for newly lasered skin. Make sure a thick ointment (i.e. Aquaphor) is applied for several days. Usually, patients treated with the Erbium laser can return to work in 1 week and those treated with CO2 laser require 3 weeks to recover. Less aggressive lasers may only require a day or 2 to recover, but such laser treatment typically needs to be performed numerous times. I hope you find this helpful. Good luck!

Hello, and thank you for this question.this is a very general question and certainly her recovery dependence upon the intensity and type of laser treatment that you undergo. As a general rule with an intermediate laser skin resurfacing the patient's knee to approximately 3-5 days for epithelialization. At this point you would be rendered but congenitally where makeup. If you ago with more aggressive laser settings ,which would be better for deep wrinkles and improvement in the texture you may need approximately 7-10 days.I would recommend that you seek out a qualified board certified plastic surgeon and/or dermatologist in your area with expertise in these procedures. Regards

The recovery after a laser resurfacing treatment will vary depending on what type of laser is used and how aggressive the treatment is. After aggressive laser skin resurfacing procedures, patients can expect to have pinkness of the skin for several weeks. This can be covered with makeup once the skin is healed (finished peeling). Peeling generally starts 3-4 days after the laser treatment and can last 7-10 days. After the first 6-7 days, the amount of peeling is generally mild. Patients must stay out of the sun following a laser treatment due to sensitivity of the skin, propensity to burn, and further sun damage. A daily sunscreen is required after the initial healing phase. Patients are encouraged only to use specific products and wash their face regularly following a laser treatment. Be sure to see a physician specializing in facial aesthetic procedures.Best,

Acne scars vary from patient to patient and within the facial topography of the same patient the scars can vary significantly requiring different treatments to be done.laser resurfacing with Fraxel Dual or Fraxel Restore use a 1927nm or 1550nm. wavelength. These are used for mild to moderately deep acne scars. Fraxel Repair or carbon dioxide laser is used for more aggressive treatment of deeper scars. The downtime for Fraxel Dual or Restore is usually five days of redness but makeup can be applied the next day and sometimes that evening. there is very little flaking but with the Fraxel Dual 1927, there are brown tiny "coffee grains" that start to show around day 3 and are gone usually by day 5 to 7. People undergoing this laser are socializing immediately, but those having had carbon dioxide laser have a wound that need days to up to two weeks to heal. Fractional laser resurfacing with carbon dioxide (Fraxel Repair) heals more quickly than the older fully ablative non fractional carbon dioxide laser which is very rarely used today, but usually takes 10-12 days to heal and thereafter there is redness for a while.Some patients with mild scarring can benefit by a series of PicoSure focus laser treatments, LaserGenesis, and radiofrequency treatments such as Infini microneedling, VenusViva and others.Please keep in mind that there is significant variability and some patients take much longer to heal than others and no one should schedule resurfacing shortly before a big social event, public speaking event or travel.

The most effective way to have the best healing possible form your laser treatment is to precondition your skin beforehand. That means you want to make sure you have cleared your skin of acne, and have used skin creams or pharmaceutical treatments as advised by your physician. When it comes time for your treatment I also advise you to clear your calendar of any social commitments for at least a week, that way you do not have the added anxiety of trying to heal rapidly. The reason is because if you really want to have a highly effective treatment, you want to give yourself enough downtime, because that treatment will likely make you look worse before you look better. The advantage of today's technology is that we have a lot of lasers available to us such as fractional laser therapy with halo, which allow you to address multiple components of your skin with minimal downtime. Invariably, you want to cover your skin with some type of semi occlusive dressing while the skin is raw and trying to heal initially. Keep your skin stimulated and moisturized so it can return to optimal condition. of course you also want to avoid sun after your treatment, because the sun is a potential cause of post inflammatory hyper pigmentation. We also recommend having the right cleaning solution and moisture therapy while the skin is undergoing healing. In our practice we like the use of CHUDA skin cream, and STRATACEL as the semi-occlusive healing dressing, until you are back to your rejuvenated skin. 

Like many things in life, your return or results are directly proportional to your investment, or in this case downtime. More aggressive treatments will give you better results, but they will also come with more downtime.That being said, you need to define what downtime means to you. The feeling of warmth, weeping, and peeling are usually done within a week with even the more aggressive settings, and it can decrease proportionally from there with less aggressive treatments.Redness can persist well beyond the original week of downtime, and although persistent erythema has been considered a "complication" of ablative lasers like the CO2, it can easily be covered with make up or even just a lightly tinted sunscreen, which you should be wearing afterwards anyway.Of note, the new fractionated technologies allow more aggressive settings with a decreased downtime than you would otherwise have to endure to achieve similar results. Fractionation simply means that the laser treats small micro thermal zones covering varying densities depending on how your physician sets it instead of ablating the entire top surface of your skin. With just these micro thermal zones being ablated, the normal islands of skin in between allow a more rapid healing.To discuss your needs and likely downtime, 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.

Non-ablative laser resurfacing procedures typically have between 0-3 days of downtime, during which time you may look a bit bizarre but you are able to function without any real impairment. Ablative laser resurfacing can sometimes entail 7-10 days of downtime with the earliest you can return to work around 5-7 days. The most important thing to do to speed recovery is to follow the post-operative care instructions provided by your laser surgeon and to follow up regularly during the first few days to make sure everything is on track.

The answer to how long recovery from laser resurfacing will vary from surgeon to device to patient.  I use a fractional CO2 laser which is what is now most commonly being performed, so my answer will be based on this. My average patient will need 7 days off for the skin to peel and recover.  Aquaphor or similar ointment is needed for 5 days and makeup may be applied at day 7 to help hide the pinkness.  Sun exposure should be minimized for a month after the procedure.

Not all laser resurfacing are created equal in terms of efficacy and time to achieve recovery. While traditional ablative CO2 laser had been the gold standard, it can take up to 2 months for the healing process to complete. Fractional CO2 laser has the best combination of efficacy and relatively short time to recovery, about 6-7 days. Fraxel laser can be helpful for pigmentation, but may require numerous treatments for improvement of facial texture to be appreciated. Frequent face wash and emollient application as well as strict sun protection are keys to faster recovery from laser resurfacing.

The recovery for laser resurfacing depends on the type of laser used and the extent of the treatment (depth of resurfacing).

CO2 laser resurfacing - 2-4 weeks.
Erbium or Fractional laser resurfacing - 1 week.
Non - Ablative resurfacing (many types) - back to work same day or next day.