Recovery Time with the Fractional CO2 Ablative Laser for Acne Scars, Wrinkles, Resurfacing?

The recovery from a fractional laser resurfacing often depends on the depth of the laser treatment and the density (or extend) that the skin was treated. In general, the more extensive the treatment, the longer the recovery time. That being said, the type of laser aftercare that is provided a patient also can contribute to the recovery time. Besides cleaning the skin of crusts and making sure to stay out of sunlight, there are two products that I have found to be excellent to help accelerate healing:1. Oxymist (Aminoplex). This recovery kit remains one of the best classic post laser treatment products,2. Omni Serum (Omnibioinnovations) This growth factor serum is a great new product to help accelerate laser recovery.Overall, we see patients initial recovery taking about 5-7 days, with the results being seen within the first 4-6 weeks. 

Fractional CO2 laser is an excellent tool for skin rejuvenation in our center in Santa Monica. We use the fractional multi-depth ablative approach to help resurface the skin, recontour acne scars, improve incisional plastic surgery scars, and reduce surface irregularities from skin tone to dark pigmentation. Our approach utilizes a multi-depth approach that targets melanocytes in the epidermis and collagen fibroblasts in the dermis. This approach can be combined with a TCA Peel in a process known as a sapphire peel. Fractional laser is excellent for acne scars and contour scars in the skin. Patients are advised to undergo skin protocols with Melarase creams before and after treatment to help reduce pigmentation. Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. After the laser, we expect redness for a few weeks as the skin improves. PRP and Hydrafacial enzyme facials can further improve skin quality after fractional co2.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Downtime after a laser treatment varies based on the aggressiveness of the treatment and how quickly the body heals. Fractional laser treatments work by creating micro-channels in the skin to stimulate the body's natural healing processes without damaging surrounding skin and tissue. While these procedures can work into deeper dermal tissue than ablative lasers, downtime is much shorter since much of the tissue in the treatment area is left intact. Depending on the depth of the treatment, patients can expect a few days of redness, tenderness and swelling. Deeper treatments also cause some flaking and peeling a few days after the procedure, which can last 2-3 days in most cases.

Ablative lasers precisely remove entire layers of dermal tissue, necessitating more healing and a longer recovery process. Redness, swelling, and tenderness are more intense after the procedure, and flaking can be accompanied by some crusting and oozing as the skin heals. These treatments may require 1-2 weeks of recovery time, but the results will be more dramatic and last longer than fractional treatments. No matter which procedure you undergo, make sure it is performed by an experienced, board-certified dermatologist to ensure the best possible outcome.

Thank you for your question! Recovery times vary from patient to patient but typically patients have varying amounts of redness for a week or so. Any peeling will typically resolve after a few days. Skin can be sensitive for a week or so after treatment which is why it's very important to only use products approved by your practitioner while you're healing. We wish you the best!

The typical recovery times that we see in our patients who undergo aggressive CO2 treatments with a deep penetrating pass and superficial pass are 2-5 days of slough/pinpoint bleeding (very scary look), followed by another 10 days of bright red skin, then followed by weeks of the red gradually fading to pink and then back to your natural pigmentation.  Most people would return to work after 1 week, aware that skin will still be very red. 

Like most surgeries, the recovery times are related to the degree of trauma and the inflammatory response from the body. In general, the greater the treatment density and depth (which relates to thermal injury), the greater the response and potentially the longer the recovery time. Having said that, the average recovery time for skin to heal on the surface and allow makeup is about one week with a fractionated  10600nm CO2 laser. Skin care afterward can be  helpful in the recovery.  Contrast that to the totally ablative lasers from the 1990s that took approximately 3 weeks to heal on the surface. Remodeling and collagen production deeper in the skin continues for several (3-6) months. Areas that are more severe may require either multiple or more agressive treatments.