I got CO2 laser done yesterday. Would my beauty spot come off with the scabbing? (Photos)

Question

Hi, I got CO2 laser done yesterday. My physician said I would only need one treatment and she gave a cream and an ointment to put on the area that has been treated by CO2 laser to get rid of beauty spots and a chickenpox scar on my nose. However, I’m a bit sceptical as I’m not sure if my mole and chickenpox scar would vanish. Will it come off with the scabbing? Also, I’m completely avoiding sun.. is there still a chance of hyperpigmentation as I have asian skin tone. I haven’t seen the area.

Edward M. Zimmerman, MD · Answer

Well, it's a good question, but too soon to tell.  
Hopefully your doc asked you to keep your Asian skin out of the sun and put you on a tyrosinase inhibitor to prep you skin for about a month ahead of the treatment.  Mother Nature likes to renew the pigment in skin of color whenever possible, so hard to say (or promise) if your beauty spot will  entirely be gone in a few months after the majority of the healing is done. If the dark spot was/is flat, you can use a pigment laser (Nd-YAG) that is templated to only treat the spot and not the pigment in your skin and doesn't vaporize tissue as a side effect.   
You will continue to revise and reshape the treated/vaporized areas for up to a year before you can judge the full extent of the acne scar improvements.   Acne scars that pull smooth when you stretch them gently, are more likely to resolve.  The deeper pox marks may require Bellafill (FDA approved for this purpose) to help lift the depression instead of, or in addition, to the laser ablation.
Finally, scabbing is the enemy!  
Please use your ointments to keep the treated areas moist, not soupy, so that the skin heals from the edges and underneath at the same time.  Scabs tend to leave depressed scars when you pick them off, so be careful and fastidious in your recovery care.  It's super important in all skin types.
Hope that helps!
Best, Z

I got CO2 laser done yesterday. Would my beauty spot come off with the scabbing? (Photos)

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I got CO2 laser done yesterday. Would my beauty spot come off with the scabbing? (Photos)

Answers (1)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about CO2 Laser

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.