Is Fraxel best done before or after a facelift/blepharoplasty surgery?

In most cases it is safe to combine facelift and eyelid surgery with skin resurfacing at the same time.  For patients choosing to have a general anesthetic for their incisional surgery I often perform the fractional resurfacing in the office on the next day to limit anesthesia time.

Fractional laser is an amazing and highly effective treatment in our office. We use the laser treatment to help with acne scars, large pores, fine wrinkles, tissue collagen loss, scars, sebaceous hyperplasia, active acne, and for brightening dark pigmentation. Although there are very strong fractional lasers such as CO2 laser, we use lighter treatments for corrective skincare and maintenance of results. Our Thulium fractional laser, clear and brilliant laser, and Ultra Thulium laser are excellent options in our clinic. We also perform CO2 fractional and erbium depending on skin tone and tolerance for downtime. Patients do have to use a Melarase cream before and after treatment to help further reduce pigmentation after laser. Dark spots can improve with these treatments. I recommend fractional laser for incisional scars as well, especially after plastic surgery.


Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

In our practice, I am the laser guy who lasers all our face lift patients. We get amazing results and I have yet to see a problem lasering (if done properly) immediately after a face lift.  Please only see an expert for this.  Best, Dr. Emer.

While some surgeons will perform the laser treatment during your surgery, you can also have the treatment afterward. This approach can offer benefits like addressing the scarring left behind after your facelift. I would recommend waiting around six months to give your skin ample time to heal. At that point, your laser treatment should put a beautiful finishing touch on your surgical procedures. Make sure you choose a board-certified dermatologist for your Fraxel procedure to ensure an optimal outcome. 

Many surgeons can do laser at the same time as your facelift.  With fractionated technology the procedure can safely be done in combination with rhytidectomy and/or blepharoplasty.

Hello and thank you for your question! I highly recommend waiting at least 6 months after your surgical procedures to undergo laser resurfacing. These powerful lasers are best during the cooler months as well since any sun exposure before or after could cause you to burn. Best of luck to you!

Agree, most surgeons will combine in the same sitting. This is because in some cases recovery from laser will be longer than surgical intervention. If you do not have any risk factors such as smoking, diabetes etc... it is safe to combine a conservative parameter of fractional CO2 and surgery. All the best, Dr Davin S. Lim