Can laser skin resurfacing go wrong?

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asked Dec 11, 2024 in Body/Skin by Jona99229 (1,000 points)
Can laser skin resurfacing go wrong?

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answered Dec 14, 2024 by Saramouche (7,840 points)
Laser skin resurfacing can go wrong as there are some possible risks and complications and not everyone is a good candidate for laser skin resurfacing.

The downside of CO2 laser resurfacing are the cost, recovery time, changes in skin color, possible infections, scarring and possible side effects such as injuries, skin burns, acne and milia.

Over applying the CO2 laser can remove too much of your skin and lead to scarring and the skin barrier is also broken during CO2 laser resurfacing which can cause infection from fungi, viruses and bacteria.

The most common infection after CO2 laser treatment is herpes virus.

Also after CO2 laser treatment your skin can become darker or lighter than it was before the treatment which is called post inflammatory hyperpigmentation when your skin darkens and post inflammatory hypopigmentation when your skin loses color.

Those with darker skin tones are at higher risk of hyperpigmentation when they have CO2 laser resurfacing done.

A CO2 laser treatment can make you look as much as 3 to 5 years younger or in some cases 10 years to 15 years younger depending on your skin type and current age.

A laser resurfacing procedure takes around 3 to 5 years off your face and lasts for around 3 to 5 years.

If you maintain your skin, then you can expect to see a more even skin tone as well as texture for around 3 to 5 years after the laser resurfacing treatments.

Your face does often peel after laser resurfacing which is a common side effect of laser skin resurfacing.

The face peeling after laser skin resurfacing often starts 5 to 7 days after the laser resurfacing.

To protect your skin after laser resurfacing use a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher along with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide and reapply the sunscreen every few hours.

Use a gentle, hydrating skin cleanser and with clean hands and avoid washcloths until after the first week.

Apply a thin layer of moisturizer or petroleum jelly 2 times a day.

Laser resurfacing is not covered by insurance as it's considered an elective cosmetic procedure.

Health insurance only covers dermatological services that are medically necessary and any skin treatments that are done for cosmetic purposes are not covered by insurance and are paid for out of the patients pocket.

The best age for laser resurfacing is when you're in your 30s and before any significant collagen loss.

However you can have laser resurfacing done at any age but in your 30s is best.

Laser resurfacing is best done in your 30s to minimize early signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines.

The cost of laser skin resurfacing is between $1,250.00 to $2,446.00 to as much as $6,700.00.

The more skin that needs to be treated with the CO2 laser treatment the more expensive it will be and also the type of laser and the number of sessions you need will also determine the cost of the CO2 laser treatment.

CO2 Laser treatment is better than microneedling as CO2 laser treatments produce longer lasting and faster results than microneedling does although CO2 laser treatments are more expensive.

Laser is more expensive than microneedling.

Laser skin procedures costs between $1,000.00 to $2,500.00 per laser session.

Microneedling costs between $300.00 to $700.00 per session.

However although laser treatments cost more than microneedling the laser treatments produce longer lasting and faster results than microneedling does.

A topical numbing agent is used for both microneedling and laser treatment although the majority of people find the pain associated with microneedling to be much more tolerable.

Microneedling is also known as collagen induction therapy, which is a cosmetic procedure that uses tiny needles to stimulate collagen production in your skin.

Microneedling is done by using a handheld device that has fine needles which puncture your skin and creates micro injuries which trigger your body to produce new collagen and elastin.

This process helps your skin repair itself and improve it's elasticity, firmness and texture.

Microneedling can treat a variety of skin conditions including sun damage, crow's feet, fine lines, stretch marks, wrinkles, enlarged pores, burns, scars, surgical scars and acne scars.

During a microneedling session you can expect some light bleeding and your skin might even feel tight or burn in the days and weeks after the microneedling.

You might also have some dry and flaking skin and you will usually need multiple microneedling sessions, about 3 weeks to 8 weeks apart to get the desired results.

After that then you may only need a maintenance microneedling treatment once a year.

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