I have developed pimples after CO2 laser resurfacing. Any suggestions?

The skin after laser skin resurfacing can go through many changes. One of which can involve blocked pores leading to acne. The best advice is to return to your practitioner to get their opinion.One option for acne is 420 nm light treatments to kill the p acne bacteria on the skin and use of Doxycycline to help the sebaceous glands.If this is a herpes outbreak, then anti-virals would be necessary.Please visit your practitioner for confirmation.I hope this was helpful.

This is very uncommon to occur at the 3 month post operative phase.  Pimples are more common within the first months after treatment, and mostly very early in the post operative course.  Its best to seek follow up and evaluation of your skin.

It is very common to get some small break outs at about 3-4 weeks after CO2 laser.  Yours sounds different than this.  Not sure who you are seeing, but with some antibiotics by mouth and some topical solutions you should be able to get this under control so that it looks ok. There are also some laser treatments that will help.   Get another opinion.    

This may be infection which could respond to antibiotics. A culture will show type of organism.Delay may cause discoloration

It is very common to see an eruption of breakouts following laser resurfacing.  Usually these are limited and self-correcting with time.  They should nevertheless be treated, and many times inhibited by proper planning and treatment.Considering that the laser is a heat  instrument that stimulates the skin to repair itself,  there is an increase in oil gland secretions, the basis for much acne.  In addition swelling and perhaps collagen shrinkage will tend to constrict the pores through which the secretions normally exit.  Finally the oiliness that is added by the postop care will lead to the increased acne.  Usually these pimples will tend to clear within the first few days or weeks as the laser stimulation subsides.Commonly, we will give antibiotics and anti-viral medicine To prevent fever blisters and breakouts before doing laser resurfacing, especially in the susceptible areas.  Proper cleansing with a nonirritating soap, showers, and perhaps dilute vinegar soaks is important for some patients.  I believe that tretinoin both pre-treatment as well as posttreatment, with a short window of nonuse during the pre-and posttreatment phase would be helpful.  The breakouts can be treated with topical antibiotics such as clindamycin pledgets.To characterize laser resurfacing as a burn exaggerates the heat effect almost the same as describing a chemical peel as an acid treatment or a dermabrasion as sanding the skin.  All of these treatments are in effect simply stimulating the body to heal itself repairing the defects of aging, sun exposure, and disuse.  Allhave the common goal of helping us to look better, and feel better about ourselves.