Is there any chance of getting skin cancer with laser skin resurfacing?

No, there is no risk of developing skin cancer through laser skin resurfacing treatments. If anything, laser skin resurfacing can help remove pre-cancerous lesions.

Hi there. This is a fairly common
question. Many people correctly associate exposure to the intense light of the
sun with skin cancer. However, the cancer-causing properties of the sun are
from its ultraviolet rays. Laser energy produces a different type of light that
does not contain UV rays. Its safety is proven. Rest assured, laser treatments
do not raise your risk of skin cancer. In fact, there is evidence that laser
treatments can actually reduce your risk of skin cancer, as they remove the
outer layers of the skin where cancer develops. Thanks for asking!

Laser skin resurfacing peels layers of your skin to produce new skin.  This theoretically should reduce the chances of getting skin cancers as you are removing pre-cancerous type lesions. This obviously depends on how deep the laser penetrates and what kind of laser is being used.Remember, often times patients that need skin resurfacing already have sun damage from years of sun exposure.  This group of people already has an increased risk of skin cancer for that reason. 

There is no risk of a modern laser causing skin cancer. In fact, certain lasers are approved to eliminate pre-cancerous damage and lower the risk of new cancers forming. If you're interested in having laser resurfacing to remove sun damage or wrinkles it is important to have your skin evaluated by a plastic surgeon or dermatologist to ensure that there aren't any established skin cancers that could be hidden by the laser treatment. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

Since we are always so careful about protecting our skin from sun damage, why would damage from other light sources be OK? The answer comes down to the type of energy to which you expose your skin. The culprit in sunlight is UV that causes damage to your skin cells' DNA. This is what gives rise to skin cancer.Laser resurfacing utilizes a number of different laser and light devices. All of them stay away from the UV spectrum (less than 400nm) that causes DNA damage. This keeps you safe from UV damage and the skin cancer that goes along with it!