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.