I have thin skin and have had laser 13 years ago. Will another treatment make my skin thinner?

Hi Sallie.  Laser treatments do not thin the skin (at least the ones of today) so you would not have a problem with lasers causing thinning of the skin.  Whether or not you are a good candidate for laser procedures should be determined during a consultation with a qualified professional.  

When lasers are used, they will stimulate the production of new collagen beneath the skin.  This helps to thicken the dermis, so your skin will actually be less "thin".  This process takes about 6-12 months, so you will see gradual improvement in the skin quality.      

Laser treatments (at least the latest lasers) do not thin the skin.  Some of them in fact boost collagen stimulation.  The best recommendation is to consult with a board certified specialist who can assist you with achieving the results you seek.  3-dimensional computer imaging can also sometimes help you visualize what you may look like afterwards.

Our skin naturally thins as we age due to loss of collagen and elastic content in the dermis or foundation of the skin. This is aggravated by sun exposure et cetera. The laser generates collagen by heat. In addition to thicker dermis a shrinkage of the collagen causes the skin to shrink. This then restores some of the dermal thickness lost due to aging. As the laser does not thin the skin it is sometimes advisable to perform more than one treatment after an appropriate period of time. The collagen buildup due to cellular infiltration may require months complete. This can be assisted by good skin care. In addition to building collagen and shrinking skin the laser will remove portions of the keratin or dead skin cell layer layer which makes our skin look discolored and leathery in appearance. Your original laser surgery may have been done with a standard carbon dioxide laser which generally is more aggressive than the current fractional laser technology. Thus it creates more shrinkage as well as more collagen associated with increased recovery time and perhaps some loss of pigmentation, particularly around the mouth. In other words you get a better result but you may have a longer recovery and may require wearing some minor makeup. It is also possible to more than one laser treatment in order to accomplish the best result, particularly with the fractional laser. There are many fractional type lasers; I prefer the fractional CO2 laser (I still have my original UltraPulse CO2 laser from years ago and occasionally use it.)

I like to use the Fraxel Restore Dual laser for resurfacing patients with thin skin.  It is also possible to use the Fotona SP Dynamis Laser with long-pulse erbium to do a less aggressive laser resurfacing treatment.  It would be necessary to see your skin condition and make a final judgement on the best treatment for you.