The Visit
We go through your medical history, your medications and supplements, any history of cold sores or of scarring badly, whether you have had a recent tan, and what you have been using on your skin. We type your skin on the Fitzpatrick scale and look at the areas that bother you. If CO2 resurfacing is not right for you, or not yet, we say so and talk through what is.
You get written instructions before the day: which skincare to stop and which to keep, sun avoidance, and any prescription we want you to start, such as an antiviral if you get cold sores, which dermatologic surgeons prescribe around resurfacing. They also ask patients to avoid smoking for two weeks before and after. We tell you exactly what applies to you at the consultation.
Comfort is planned for the depth we treat. Topical numbing is used for smaller or lighter treatments, and deeper or larger treatments may call for a nerve block or medication to help you relax. Our medical director is an anesthesiologist, and comfort and monitoring are planned with that in mind. We tell you exactly what we will use for you before the day.
Your eyes are shielded for the whole treatment. The handpiece passes over the treatment area and the laser removes the surface in a controlled pattern, full surface or fractional, at the depth in your plan. You will feel heat. How long it takes depends on the area and the depth, and it is in your plan.
The treated skin is red and swollen, much like a deep sunburn. The swelling is at its worst in the first day or two, and the skin crusts and then peels as it heals. The area is dressed or covered with ointment before you leave, and you leave with written instructions and a clear list of what to call us about.
Clean the area as instructed from the first day, then several times a day, and keep it covered in ointment so it does not scab. No makeup until the surface has healed, and then oil free makeup only for at least two to three months. Strict sun protection, every day, for as long as the new skin is maturing.
Plan for swelling for the first 24 to 48 hours, itching or stinging for the first 12 to 72 hours, and old skin peeling away from about day five to seven. The surface heals over in about ten days to three weeks for deeper treatments and in as little as three to ten days for lighter or fractional ones; the depth decides. Plan time away from work and events. The new skin looks lighter and pink at first.
The skin you see at two weeks is new and still settling. Improvement shows as the pinkness fades and the skin matures over the months that follow. We see you for a review visit after treatment, included in your plan, and decide together whether anything more is needed.
