Downtime from Fraxel Repair - What to Expect

Thank you for the question.  
Your doctor should have provided you with detailed verbal and written instructions on Fraxel aftercare.
It is really important to help you skin heal quickly and protect your skin investment.  On the night following treatment, I recommend patients wash the treated area gently with lukewarm water and avoid hot water in these areas.  I ask my patients to use a 4x4 gauze pad soaked with tepid water diluted with white vinegar (1 teaspoon per cup) to gently go over the resurfaced area 3-5 times a day until the skin has stopped exfoliating. The goal is to lightly remove the exfoliating skin and crusting that develops after the laser.  This should be a gentle process with no scrubbing or abrading.  Frequent cleaning is important in order to prevent bacterial, viral or fungal infection.  After each cleaning I ask my patients to apply a thick coat fo a prescribed topical moisturizer with Q tips.  My patients continue this for 7-10 days at which point the skin is completely resurfaced.  My patients are then advised to continue to moisturize and photoprotect from the sun.  Once the skin has re-epithelialized patients can wear makeup.  All of your skin care products should be non-irritating and non-clogging for a few weeks after laser treatment.  I schedule close follow up to check on my Fraxel patients and ensure we achieve the best possible results.
For patients who are prone to cold sores / herpes, Valtrex is used before and after the procedure.
If you would like to learn more about the procedure I recommend an in person consultation with a board certified dermatologist with cosmetic training.

Plan on at least 3-5 days downtime, sometimes 7 days with Fraxel repair with another 1-2 weeks or redness and some swelling. You can get less downtime with some other fractionated lasers or with a lower power setting on the Fraxel repair but you won't get the same results.

Generally speaking after a Fraxel treatment, depending on how aggressive you are treating the area, you will be able to wear make-up and conceal that area to the public after 5-7 days.

The microscopic precise wounds created by the Fraxel repair laser heals within 3-5 days depending on the settings.  Even though the skin is healed after those first couple of days, the skin is still actively creating new collagen to fill in the fine lines and wrinkles or replace old scar tissue.  Clinically, the skin will appear red/pink during this healing phase for 4-8 weeks (depending on the settings).  This can be covered up with tinted moisturizers or makeup.  Good Luck! - Dr. Keaney 

The Fraxel
re:pair, is typically a one-time treatment with a 5-7 day recovery
period. The ablative laser is used in correcting moderate to severe skin
damage, acne scarring and rejuvenating aging skin.

We tell our
patients that they will appear “socially unacceptable” for approximately 1 week
after the treatment. Expect redness, swelling and peeling for the first 5-7
days. Make-up can typically be applied around day 6 or 7. You may
notice some changes in the Ph of your skin for the first two weeks and you may
be sun sensitive for 4-6 weeks after. An emollient moisturizer and broad
spectrum SPF will be essential during that time.

Good Luck!

The expected recovery times are different depending on which Fraxel laser type is used and what condition is treated. For the Fraxel re:pair used at high energy to treat acne scars and deep wrinkles the recovery may take 7 to 10 days.. For the Fraxel re:store used to treat mild pigmentation problems and pore size or superficial texture, the recovery may be 1 to 3 days. Still, the Fraxel re:store when used to treat acne scars and wrinkles may have a recovery time of 3 to 5 days. This means some redness and swelling of the treated area, but most patients are able to resume their daily activities within a couple of days. 

Recovery time is something I always go over with my patients during their initial consultation appointment so they can have realistic expectations about the procedure. In comparison to the traditional resurfacing lasers, Fraxel Re:Pair has much less recovery time.  Recovery time depends on how aggressive yoru surgeon is in treating you.  Downtime can range from 3-5 days for less aggressive treatments to 7-10 days for more aggressive treatment.  It is normal to expect some pinkness, flaking of the skin, and potential pigmentation changes to last 1-2 weeks.  So I would plan at least 2-4 weeks before any significant activities (such as reunions) so you have plenty of time to get better. 

Here's a play-by-play of what to expect:

Day 1-3: Expect redness, swelling, oozing and crusting. Generally I recommend using vaseline or aquaphor to keep the skin hydrated. You will need to use vinegar soaks multiple times a day. The first few days most people want to stay indoor and rest. Itching is common and easy to control with benadryl.

Day 4-6: Expect significant decrease redness and swelling. You will still have minor crusting. Usually by this time you can switch to a moisturizer that is less greasy such as Cetaphil Cream.

Day 7 and beyond: Crusting has resolved and most people can use make-up at this point. The skin can still be flaky and pink, but this is easily covered with foundation and makeup. You will need to wear sunblock daily as your skin is still sensitive at this point.

We have gotten great results with the Fraxel Repair and I am sure you will too. It's important to follow your physicians recommendations to avoid complications.

Best,

Dr. Margaret Mann

Fraxel Repair is one of the most effective CO2 Fractionated Lasers on the market in terms of depth of penetration and results.  The downtime is very dependent on how aggressive a treatment is performed.  At the minimum, we tell patients to expect seven days before they can go back to work with makeup.  If I think a patient needs extra passes on severe wrinkles, I tell them to expect those areas to be healed in an additional 2-3 days.  We follow patients closely after the procedure to determine when they can apply makeup.  If a patient has a lighter treatment, they can expect to be pink for 2 weeks.  If they have an aggressive treatment, they can be pink for a month.  It is important for patients undergoing Repair to finish all their prescription medications to avoid infection and to notify their provider as soon as possible of any potential concerns.

I tell my patients who come from Fraxel re:pair facial resurfacing at Central Ohio Plastic Surgery to expect 3-5 days of social downtime.  During this time, patients are encouraged to stay home and give the skin time to heal from the treatment.  After 5-7 days, most patients may still have some redness and mild swelling, but this is usually easily covered with makeup, if there are any concerns. 

In terms of planning for your husband's reunion, I would suggest getting the Fraxel done about 4 weeks before (at least 2 weeks if you are in s time crunch) so your skin will look great and make all of your husband's old girlfriends jealous. 

A great question is how much downtime will I have? That really depends on how aggressive the treatment is. I could treat someone with the Fraxel Repair at very low energy settings and have them back in action in 3-4 days. However, most people seeking this treatment are looking for the maximal results in the fewest number of treatments. At higher settings where we treat most people I recommend planning on 10-14 days of downtime. Most people can go out with make-up at day 10-14.