Can I Get Laser Treatment 3 Months Post Accutane?

Fractional laser is an amazing and highly effective treatment in our office. We use the laser treatment to help with acne scars, large pores, fine wrinkles, tissue collagen loss, scars, sebaceous hyperplasia, active acne, and for brightening dark pigmentation. Although there are very strong fractional lasers such as CO2 laser, we use lighter treatments for corrective skincare and maintenance of results. Our Thulium fractional laser, clear and brilliant laser, and Ultra Thulium laser are excellent options in our clinic. We also perform CO2 fractional and erbium depending on skin tone and tolerance for downtime. Patients do have to use a Melarase cream before and after treatment to help further reduce pigmentation after laser. Dark spots can improve with these treatments. I recommend fractional laser for incisional scars as well, especially after plastic surgery.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

There is a lot of debate around this question.
The most recent research that was released at a laser conference this summer in San Diego reported that you may start as early as one month after stopping accutane treatment.    

Dr. Ebrahim believes that the jury is still out on this issue.  She recommends to be safe that you wait at least 3 months after stopping accutane before you begin any laser treatments.  Check with your Physician before beginning any treatments after taking Accutane. 

Generally speaking we do advise 6-12 months of no laser treatment after accutane treatment. However, it depends on which laser and what settings are used. If you are talking about an IPL or BBL type device for rosacea or redness & brown spots, then 3-4 months would be just fine. For a deeper laser like a resurfacing laser or fractionated laser, I would wait a minimum of 6 months.

Though there are some reports in the literature that suggest waiting 6 months post isotretinoin (Accutane) is based on faulty data, there is not much data out there about treating before that time.  Isotretinoin makes skin more fragile (waxing for example can rip off the top layers of skin easily) and take longer to heal.  The vascular lasers can cause side effects of swelling, prolonged redness and rarely blister.  I personally would not treat someone with my Vbeam laser before the 6 months post isotretinoin.  Though you are anxious to begin, anything that increases your risk should be avoided.

Hope that helps.

Madeline Krauss, M.D.

Laser treatments should be postponed for 6-12 months after Acutane. Even that warning must be tempered by what laser will be used, ablative or non-ablative, and what energies will be used. Why risk more injury after having gone throught the difficulties of taking Acutane in order to clear one's skin.

Many years ago there was concern that CO2 laser treatment of scars during the first 6 months after a patient came off Accutane® [isotretinoin] for acne could be associated with poor healing or atypical scarring, similar to what was occasionally seen if dermabrasion was done in the first 6 months after Accutane.

There is much clinical experience to show that there is no increased risk of scarring or other problems if a patient has non-ablative laser treatment or intense pulsed light [IPL] treatment while on Accutane® or shortly after stopping Accutane®. The one remote possiblity is that if you got a severe blistering burn during such treatment, the burn might heal more slowly if were on or had just come off Accutane®.

Best wishes,

Kevin C. Smith MD FRCPC Niagara Falls Ontario