CO₂ laser aftercare: the first seven days, day by day
The treatment takes an hour. The result is decided in the week that follows. What healing actually looks like, day by day, and what to do about it.
A CO₂ fractional laser session takes under an hour. The result — how much of the scarring softens, how even the skin heals — is substantially decided by what you do in the seven days after it. This is the week, honestly described.
Day 0: the day of treatment
Expect the skin to feel hot and tight, like a strong sunburn, for a few hours. Redness is universal. Cool (not iced) compresses help; so does sleeping slightly propped up on a clean pillowcase. Use only what we sent you home with — this is not the week to experiment.
Days 1–2: the rough stage
The treated area darkens and develops a fine, sandpapery grid — those are the micro-columns doing exactly what they should. Pinpoint swelling peaks around day two. Wash with the gentle cleanser we gave you, lukewarm water only, patting dry. Moisturise more often than feels necessary; healing skin drinks it.
Days 3–4: the flaking begins
The grid starts to lift and flake, and this is where results are won or lost: do not pick, peel or scrub. Skin lifted before it is ready heals darker, and in warm, high-UV climates like ours that pigment can take months to fade. Let every flake fall on its own schedule.
Days 5–7: fresh skin
New skin emerges — pink, smooth and noticeably sensitive. The redness settles over the following days to weeks depending on depth. Makeup is usually fine again around the end of this week once the surface is fully closed; we confirm at your check-in rather than leaving you to guess.
The rules that do not change all week
SPF 50 every single morning, reapplied if you are outdoors — sun on healing skin is how good results turn into pigmentation problems. No actives (retinoids, acids, vitamin C) until we clear you. No gym, sauna or steam for the first several days; sweat and heat irritate the grid. Clean hands, clean pillowcase, and resist the mirror-picking hour at midnight.
When to call us
Increasing pain after day two rather than decreasing. Spreading redness, honey-coloured crusting, or any cold-sore tingle if you are prone to them. All uncommon, all very manageable when treated early — and exactly why you should have a clinic that answers. You will have our number; use it without apologising.
The part nobody says
Deeper scarring usually needs more than one session, spaced weeks apart, and the collagen keeps remodelling for months after the redness is gone. Judge the result at three months, not at day eight — and if a lighter peel is the better tool for your skin, we will say so before you book a laser you do not need.
