CO2 laser before & after photos
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34 reviews
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CO2 Laser Cost $2,900 average cost

Success with CO2 Laser Resurfacing

unregistered guest
Comments (4)
Updated 31 Aug 2007
Posted 31 Aug 2007
Worth It
Spent: $3,500 in Jackson, MS

With all the types of laser resurfacing out there you must be wondering how I ever chose. Simple enough: I didn’t! So firstly, I advise finding a great doctor, not a “good” one who has compelling ads or the new hotshot just out of med school but someone who has done this thousands of times and you can’t find a bad word about them. They will guide you from there. I wasn’t in any real pain after the procedure but I did swell up a lot. I kept to my regime pretty much to the letter: I ate veg for every meal (even lunch), stayed away from caffeine, didn’t use makeup and didn’t touch my face at all for a month. Gradually the swelling subsided and along with it my face became more of a normal color and my scars were fading too. I had the CO2 lasering for a combination of old acne scars and a few fine lines starting to creep in. It worked great on both of these things. I can’t say that my scars are gone completely because they’re not but the improvement is massive. I don’t think there is a product out there that can completely rid you of scars and if there is then I haven’t heard about it and neither has my doctor. I am very happy with the results! I kept waiting for something bad to happen, especially after I read some negative reviews, but it hasn’t happened yet. I consider myself about 95% back to normal now (in terms of recovery, not the way my skin was) and I beam whenever I catch a glimpse of my new face in the mirror. It was a totally positive experience.

This review is the subjective opinion of a RealSelf member and not of RealSelf, Inc.

Vote: 52 members found this review helpful

Comments (4)

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joani (unregistered guest) 19 Mar 2008
I am post op day 2 and this a.m. was the worst so far. I woke with my throat screaming in pain due to intubation on Monday...and my face on fire and plenty swollen. The laser area is beginning to crust especially around my lips I am keeping my face completely lathered with vaseline as instructed but finding it hard to gently cleanse my face 2-3 times a day. Pain meds help I have to take them every 3 hours & a cold wash cloth helps some too. I was not expecting this much of a burning sensation but go figure...I can appreciate somewhat what burn victims experience.
jpierce1 (3 posts) 24 Jan 2009
I had the fraxel done on face and neck with no problems then I went and had my chest done OMG!! had it done last Monday and the pain is still awful, not really any crusty just very red raw skin, guess I'm getting paid back for the face/neck being so easy. any suggestions that might help ease pain and itching would be appreciated.
llee2 (2 posts) 24 Feb 2010
I too am in agony. They only gave me 10 pain pills and they are not even helping. My cheeks are huge, ( my eyes went down but it looks like the fluid from my eyes went down to my already very swollen cheeks) and on fire. I am in such a bad mood right now. Everything is driving me crazy. My poor kids. Everyone usually hangs out with me, but they all went to their own rooms. Does anyone have any suggestions to help this pain and fire and swelling? It has been 48 hours since I had it done. (full facial, and strong) not fraxel, fractional co2. Gosh I am miserable right now.
junebug345 (7 posts) 14 Jun 2010
To the OP, Are you still happy with your results, especially for scarring? Was this regular CO2 or Fraxel CO2? TIA

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