Wrinkles More Prominent After Laser Resurfacing Normal?

Question

Is it normal for wrinkles and crinkles to appear more prominent after Laser resurfacing? It has been one month and wrinkles look worse and neck Liposuction did not go well either. The neck is lumpy looking and I am not happy.  Will this lumpiness go away and what caused this?  The laser machine was supposed to heat up the fat and then extract the liquid fat out.

Michael Kulick, MD, DDS · Answer

It is very atypical for the skin to look worse after laser resurfacing regarding skin wrinkles. Usually, the skin looks very good, almost too good right after treatment secondary to swelling. The final result is evident about 6 months after treatment.  Neck liposuction is a procedure that usually looks good right after treatment and then may improve depending on a lot of variables. Sometimes massage can be helpful to reduce "lumps". There can be many causes for lumps but it usually due to fluid that collects in the treatment area. Make sure you stay in touch with your treating doctor.

Joshua L. Fox, MD · Answer

You should discuss these concerns with your treated physician. Lumps are not common and swelling should have substantially subsided after a month post treatment. Your treating physician will examine and take appropriate measures to treat it. It is not uncommon for a patient to only remember the skin until after the procedure when there are few wrinkles due to the edema. Therefore, it is best to compare the before and after pictures to see if the are really worse, which is unusual. The results with laser resurfacing can be quite dramatic. Sometimes patient expectations are not realistic and a laser surgeon should never guarantee results.

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

I agree with Dr. Kulick that you need to see your doctor.
Typically the first month after laser resurfacing the skin looks very smooth. It is normal for some wrinkles to return after 6-8 weeks, but the wrinkles should not be worse.
If you had an unusual amount of swelling after the resurfacing and the swelling comes down quickly, the wrinkles could look worse initially.
Understand that laser resurfacing removes wrinkles by building new collagen in the skin to plump the wrinkles and tighten skin. This collagen building process does not really begin in earnest until about 6 weeks, and results are not usually appreciated until 3 months and you continue to improve for a year.
Lumps are unusual after laser assisted liposuction in my experience. I agree with massage but you need to speak to your doctor

Wrinkles More Prominent After Laser Resurfacing Normal?

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Wrinkles More Prominent After Laser Resurfacing Normal?

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