Do I Need to Use Hydroquinone on my Skin Before Using Fraxel Laser Skin?

Question

I have light colored but olivey skin and was putting hydroquinone in my skin for about a month. My first treatment begins tomorrow by I lost the ointment I was using and have been off of it for about a week. Should I cancel the appointment? And will the lasers really affect my skin badly if I haven't been using

Alberto de la Fuente Garcia, MD · Answer

one week is not going to make a big difference if you have prepared your skin 3 weeks prior to Fraxel. It also depends on the power settings that will be used (treatment level). Sunscreen and avoiding sun exposure 3-4 weeks after the laser, as well as restarting your bleaching cream 7 days after the laser will make a big difference on correcting and preventing pigmentation in case the Fraxel was indicated for mainly for brown spots.

Leyda Elizabeth Bowes, MD · Answer

Dear writer, It is quite fine to have stopped your hydroquinone cream application one week before Fraxel treatment. In fact, many of us prefer to have patients avoid all creams, except moisturizers, for several days or one week prior to Fraxel treatment. If your pigmentation was significant, it was a good idea to lighten your complexion as much as possible prior to Fraxel, as your doctor did. This will ensure that there will be less risk of hyperpigmentation (dark patches) after the Fraxel. On the other hand, applying sunblock before and after Fraxel, for several weeks at least, is of great importance.

Peter J. Jenkin, MD, FAAD · Answer

You should have no trouble having not used your hydroquinone for a week or so. What is far more important is that you use a sunscreen which effectively blocks UVA every single day as soon as you're healed from your procedure. Good luck.

Do I Need to Use Hydroquinone on my Skin Before Using Fraxel Laser Skin?

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