Laser Resurfacing Recovery - when Can I Go Back to Work?

The recovery after a laser resurfacing treatment will vary depending on what type of laser is used and how aggressive the treatment is. After aggressive laser skin resurfacing procedures, patients can expect to have pinkness of the skin for several weeks. This can be covered with makeup once the skin is healed (finished peeling). Peeling generally starts 3-4 days after the laser treatment and can last 7-10 days. After the first 6-7 days, the amount of peeling is generally mild. Patients must stay out of the sun following a laser treatment due to sensitivity of the skin, propensity to burn, and further sun damage. A daily sunscreen is required after the initial healing phase. Patients are encouraged only to use specific products and wash their face regularly following a laser treatment. Be sure to see a physician specializing in facial aesthetic procedures.Best,

Acne scars vary from patient to patient and within the facial topography of the same patient the scars can vary significantly requiring different treatments to be done.laser resurfacing with Fraxel Dual or Fraxel Restore use a 1927nm or 1550nm. wavelength. These are used for mild to moderately deep acne scars. Fraxel Repair or carbon dioxide laser is used for more aggressive treatment of deeper scars. The downtime for Fraxel Dual or Restore is usually five days of redness but makeup can be applied the next day and sometimes that evening. there is very little flaking but with the Fraxel Dual 1927, there are brown tiny "coffee grains" that start to show around day 3 and are gone usually by day 5 to 7. People undergoing this laser are socializing immediately, but those having had carbon dioxide laser have a wound that need days to up to two weeks to heal. Fractional laser resurfacing with carbon dioxide (Fraxel Repair) heals more quickly than the older fully ablative non fractional carbon dioxide laser which is very rarely used today, but usually takes 10-12 days to heal and thereafter there is redness for a while.Some patients with mild scarring can benefit by a series of PicoSure focus laser treatments, LaserGenesis, and radiofrequency treatments such as Infini microneedling, VenusViva and others.Please keep in mind that there is significant variability and some patients take much longer to heal than others and no one should schedule resurfacing shortly before a big social event, public speaking event or travel.

The most effective way to have the best healing possible form your laser treatment is to precondition your skin beforehand. That means you want to make sure you have cleared your skin of acne, and have used skin creams or pharmaceutical treatments as advised by your physician. When it comes time for your treatment I also advise you to clear your calendar of any social commitments for at least a week, that way you do not have the added anxiety of trying to heal rapidly. The reason is because if you really want to have a highly effective treatment, you want to give yourself enough downtime, because that treatment will likely make you look worse before you look better. The advantage of today's technology is that we have a lot of lasers available to us such as fractional laser therapy with halo, which allow you to address multiple components of your skin with minimal downtime. Invariably, you want to cover your skin with some type of semi occlusive dressing while the skin is raw and trying to heal initially. Keep your skin stimulated and moisturized so it can return to optimal condition. of course you also want to avoid sun after your treatment, because the sun is a potential cause of post inflammatory hyper pigmentation. We also recommend having the right cleaning solution and moisture therapy while the skin is undergoing healing. In our practice we like the use of CHUDA skin cream, and STRATACEL as the semi-occlusive healing dressing, until you are back to your rejuvenated skin.