i see new wrinkles under my eye. i'm on day 4. from sunday i saw new vertical/diagonal wrinkles under my eyes that i didn't have. i had almost no wrinkles around the eyes, only on forehead and above lips. now eyes look worse. i called the doctor, but she says it's the dry skin that gives that effect. i'm doubtful. it looks like it's staying. of course she's going to say that it's not a problem to try to convince me that all is normal. is it normal for laser treatments and laser resurfacing to cause new wrinkles?
Can Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing Cause New Wrinkles?
Doctor Answers 18
It is very unlikely that fractional lasers will cause new wrinkles especially so early in your healing phase. Usually you are swollen the first week and it actually "masks" existing wrinkles. The key now is to promote healing by topical moisturization/lubrication. Usually 2-4 weeks after the laser, the face appears shiny because it's more even and it reflects the light better like a mirror, provided that the redness has faded almost completely.
Fraxel Laser removes wrinkles in a very safe, effective, and elegant manner. If you seeing new wrinkles it sounds like you are just getting some dryness which appears as wrinkles from the procedure. Use a lot of Epiceram and the dryness should dissipate in a week to 10 days. It sounds like you actually had an expected side effect and I hope your outcome is good.
You can relax. Fractional laser won't give you new wrinkles. We all see more wrinkles with dry skin and any laser treatment uses high heat which tends to dry out the skin for a short time. Your body will equalize the cell hydration shortly.
In the meantime, using a simple moisture cream will help - either one provided by your physician or approved - something without fragrance or any irritating ingredients. Many physicians suggest aquaphor - but get your own doctor's advice.
Fractional CO2 laser takes longer to heal than the non CO2 lasers. But within a week with the erbium fractional lasers most everyone feels their skin is normally hydrated.
(Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine to help restore that hydration you're missing!)
Web reference: http://rebeccafitzgeraldmd.com/fractional-laser.html
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Depending on what type of fractional laser was performed, you will likely have a lot of swelling 4 days after the procedure. Swelling can make thin skin such as that of the eyelids have deep appearing folds. This is not permanent and resolves as the swelling comes down. Be patient with any laser procedure before evaluating the final results. Remember, sometimes the swelling looks quite good, eliminating many wrinkles. So bottom line is you must wait months before evaluating the final results from a fractional CO2 laser procedure.
Web reference: http://www.drsteiger.com/noninvasive/fractional-co2-laser.html
Four days after laser is well within the healing phase of the treatment. Newly lasered skin is often very dry and fragile in the first week or so depending on which laser was used. I have my Active Fx patients back in the office at a week and my aesthetician does a hydrating facial that refreshes the new skin. It makes a remarkable improvement. Remember, collagen is stimulated by resurfacing but it takes weeks for the collagen to grow. I think that you will be very happy in a month or so, in the meantime try a moisturizing eye cream.
It is highly unlikely that any type of laser resurfacing procedure will create new wrinkles. These may be due to dryness (and if so, moisturize) or some kind of swelling after the procedure. As Dr. Kulick points out, don't evaluate your results so early, wait for the procedure to heal before you evalute your results.
This is likely post treatment changes that are temporary in nature until the skin has fully healed. Let mother nature kick in and see what everything looks like after you have healed.
Laser resurfacing can not cause new wrinkles. After only 4 days you are seeing temporary skin wrinkling that will disappear with proper skin care.
Due to dryness and skin tightening this can cause what might look like new wrinkles or slight folds but actually it is the way your new skin looks from swelling and conforming to the body. Give it time, 4 days out is way too early to jump to any conclusions, you still have the tightening to look forward to yet this early
No, fractionated laser resurfacing does not cause new wrinkles. In response to your question, it has only been four days since your procedure and it is too early to judge. What you see may be slight skin irritation but you will not see and appreciate your results until a couple of weeks later.
Web reference: http://www.finetouchdermatology.com/los-angeles-fraxel-laser/
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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