After treatment, will your face tan?

Fractional lasers are excellent choices for skin resurfacing. You should not tan or be exposed to direct sunlight for quite some time after laser resurfacing. Best, DR. Karamanoukian Los Angeles

Tanning = skin damage. The tan that comes from being in the sun is your body's attempt to protect itself.Many of the patients who come to a dermatologist for fractional lasers do so because they spent time trying to get tan. Older full surface carbon dioxide lasers went so deep they removed pigment cells, so those older people you may have seen with waxen-like skin likely had either a deep phenol peel or a CO2 full surface laser treatment. Fractional lasers that are use today don't do that. 

Tanning is the skin's response to DNA damage caused by the sun; therefore, I do not recommend tanning at any time.  After Fraxel (and other laser treatments), the melanocytes (pigment producing cells in the skin) are very sensitive to sunlight and are capable of producing a vibrant "tan" (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) in the treated areas.  After the laser treatment, minimizing sun exposure is critical to a successful laser treatment. - Dr. Keaney

The simple answer here is yes. The more realistic question to you is why would you want to tan to increase the damage to your skin once you spend time and money to improve the sun damage? When I see a patient who asks if it is okay to go to a tanning booth after this, I counsel them on the damage that this causes, and if they want to continue tanning, I will not do the procedure for them. If they are asking if they can go to the beach after the procedure where there is going to be sun exposure, then I tell them that we all are exposed to the skin, that after these types of procedures and healing of the skin, that we will make sure that you are on an appropriate skin care routine, know that sunscreen is key to what we do, and that when in the sun or at the beach, that they minimize the exposure, use an umbrella or find shade, but that going to sunny places is perfectly fine just so care is taken. I hope that answers your question for you.

Tanning occurs because of damage to melanocytes in the skin. These remain in the skin after fractional lasers so yes, your face can still "tan" and get color. My question would be: why would you be undergoing treatments like these only to cause future damage to your skin, including the possibility of skin cancer? "This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and
cannot be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person
treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."