Is One Week Enough Time to Recover from Active FX?

Active FX laser treatments typically run a similar course.  The first few days the patient is swollen, following by a 2-3 day period of brownish discoloration.  The last phase is at the 6-7 day period when the new skin starts to show through.  Make-up can be worn at this time.  Of course, deeper more aggressive treatments will take longer to recover from.

ActiveFX resurfacing is a great treatment option to smooth skin texture, tighten laxity, and reduce sun damage. You can expect to be very red and swollen the first 24-48 hours. You will become crusted with a very bronzed appearance. Most of the crusting will gently and naturally slough off in days 4-10. Once all of the crusting has shed, you can wear tinted mineral sunblock to camouflage the residual redness.

Each person who undergoes treatment with this laser will heal differently, though as a general rule of thumb, it is advised that patients recover from the treatment for 7-10 days. That means that you usually cannot apply makeup until 7 days. However, this depends on the strength of the treatment given. During this time, it’s normal to experience facial pain, discomfort, swelling, and skin peeling. If you’re planning to return to work or social activities before one week, be advised that you will most likely still appear to be in the recovery stage and your face will most likely still be red and peeling.

The recovery time after Active FX is highly dependent on how aggressive the procedure will be. A typical Active FX treatment will heal in 5 days. After five days there will still be some redness to the face which can last for weeks, but can easily be concealed with makeup. More aggressive treatments (higher densities) will require a longer recovery time. If your procedure will be combined with Deep FX, the you will need between 7-10 days to recover. An experienced surgeon or dermatologist will be able to predict your recovery time pretty accurately, taking in consideration the depth and density of the treatment.

Active Fx and most other fractional CO2 lasers typically take 6-7 days for face, 8-10 days for neck and 10-14 days for the chest to heal. You will have residual redness that can be covered with make up and may take few weeks to fade completely.