What Is Laser Skin Resurfacing?
Ablative or nonablative laser treatment for selected wrinkles, scars, texture, or pigment concerns. Wavelength, fractionation, depth, skin tone, eye protection, and aftercare determine benefit and risk.
Overview
Laser skin resurfacing uses a specific wavelength to create controlled thermal injury. Ablative lasers remove columns or layers of tissue; nonablative lasers heat tissue with less surface removal. Fractional devices treat a grid of microscopic zones rather than the entire surface.
Laser type determines recovery
CO₂, erbium, fractional nonablative, and other systems are not interchangeable. Deeper or denser treatment can produce larger changes but also longer redness, infection risk, scarring, and pigment alteration. Brand name alone does not identify dose.
Skin tone and pigment
Melanin can absorb laser energy and inflammation can trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Device choice, wavelength, fluence, density, cooling, pretreatment, and sun avoidance should reflect skin tone, tanning, melasma, and prior pigment response.
Medical procedure
Resurfacing requires eye protection, smoke-plume controls when tissue is ablated, infection and herpes planning, and detailed wound care. It cannot guarantee pore removal, erase every scar, or stop aging.
Benefits
Can improve selected wrinkles, scars, texture, and sun damage
Offers ablative, nonablative, and fractional approaches
Allows depth and density to be matched to downtime tolerance
Can produce longer-lasting change than superficial facials
Supports staged treatment and photography
The Procedure
1
Diagnose the concern
2
Choose device and dose
3
Treat safely
4
Wound care and follow-up
Preparation
Avoid tanning and disclose melasma, keloids, cold sores, isotretinoin and photosensitizing drugs, immune suppression, smoking, pregnancy, active infection, prior radiation, fillers, permanent makeup, and recent procedures. Arrange downtime and wound supplies.
Recovery & Aftercare
Nonablative recovery may be days; ablative resurfacing can involve oozing, crusting, swelling, and weeks of redness. Strict wound care and sun protection are essential. Fever, pus, severe pain, eye symptoms, or worsening wounds need urgent review.
Risks & Considerations
Pain, prolonged redness, swelling, infection, herpes reactivation, acne or milia, burns, scarring, textural change, hyper- or hypopigmentation, line of demarcation, eye injury, and poor cosmetic result. Deeper treatment increases risk and recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
[1]
American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. Laser Resurfacing.
https://www.asds.net/skin-experts/skin-treatments/laser-light-therapy/laser-resurfacing[2]
PubMed: Fractional Laser Resurfacing Reviews.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=fractional+laser+resurfacing+review[3]
OSHA. Laser Hazards.
https://www.osha.gov/laser-hazards
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