How long should I wait to exercise/do hot yoga after treatment on my face?

Question

I do bikram or hot yoga so there's quite a bit of sweating. Today is my one week post OP mark and I was hoping to go back in the next few days. My face is still sensitive and I feel I need to have the petroleum jelly on so I would understand holding off. Is there a recommended time to wait?

Alexander Rivkin, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.  CO2 lasers are generally done aggressively and take a couple weeks to heal.  The first 7-10 days, your skin will be very vulnerable since the top layer of the skin is ablated during the procedure.  Given that you are still experiencing sensitivity, I would suggest holding off from any hot yoga, intense workout, steam rooms or saunas for the next week or so since the warm, moist, air can be a breeding ground for bacteria.  Be sure to follow your post operative instructions and keep your skin clean and moisturized.  Best of luck.

William Groff, DO · Answer

I appreciate your question. Ablative laser treatments do require a significant recovery time to give the skin ample time to heal. If you are still using ointment on your skin, I would guess you need a bit more time for recovery before taking on these types of workouts. The additional sweat can irritate the freshly treated skin and the activity could raise your blood pressure to increase bleeding risk. I would wait another week before resuming your workouts. You can also check with your doctor to see if there are further instructions for your recovery process.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

This depends on the settings and patient. Generally we would recommend waiting 7-10 days before returning to any activities that involve sweating. Confirm with the rendering physician. Best, Dr. Emer.

Kami K. Parsa, MD · Answer

Hello, Great question. C02 is generally done at an aggressive setting, generally we recommend patient to avoid exercise including hot yoga for 7-10 days. It is important to follow the provider's post care instructions. For specific questions I would recommend to ask your physician as they will know the settings used. Best of Luck!

How long should I wait to exercise/do hot yoga after treatment on my face?

Answers (4)

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