Ways to Speed Healing: Soak the treated skin with a plain white vinegar solution at least 4 to 8 times each day. You can't soak too much. Soaking reduces redness and speeds healing! Do not pick, rub, scrub, or irritate your skin while it is healing.
If you have burning, you may use less than a teaspoon of vinegar with 1 cup of water. Soak the gauze in the vinegar solution for 5-15 minutes then apply the gauge to the face. These soaks help with the pain, dissolve some of the residue and are anti-microbial which decreases infections.
Vinegar (both white and apple cider vinegar) helps in restoring the pH balance of your skin. This, in turn, helps treat itchy and dry skin, acne, and flaky skin. vinegar is a natural and safer way to rejuvenate your skin and make it glow. It has multiple skin benifits. So, it is safer to use it on skin.
You can ensure a smoother recovery and better results by avoiding picking at treated skin, keeping healing skin moist and hydrated, using sunscreen, and using gentle skin products.
Apply an ice pack wrapped in a soft cloth to the treated area. Hold the ice pack on the treated area for 15 to 20 minutes. Put the ice pack on the treated area every few hours, or 1 to 5 times each day. After the first 2 to 3 days, use the ice pack as needed.
The immediate post laser treatment consists of covering the lasered skin with Vaseline (Aquaphor or whatever the specific product you are instructed to use) and using cold packs for discomfort and swelling. The best treatment to be comfortable is to apply cold compresses to the treated areas of the face.
Following your first night, you should continue the cold compress soaks with gauze 4 times daily, followed by Aquaphor, Alastin Skin Nectar, or one of the other ointments I recommended. It is imperative that you do not let your treated skin dry out.
Drugstore brands such as CeraVe, Cetaphil, Eucerin, and Neutrogena make gentle, hydrating moisturizers that can be used after laser treatments.
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, high-sodium foods, high sugar foods, Niacin supplements, refined carbohydrates, and spicy foods for 48 hours after treatment.
Well-hydrated skin heals faster. Protect your skin from the sun: Patients often ask how long they need to avoid the sun after a laser treatment. Sun exposure can slow healing and increase the risk of complications, so you should stay out of direct sunlight until your skin is fully healed.
In some situations we use a vinegar solution soak prior to bandage changes. This soak will act as an antibiotic as the vinegar solution is a deterrent to certain bacterial growth.
Apple cider vinegar can cause skin cells to shrink, tightening the skin. Some bacteria are necessary to keep the skin healthy. Using strong concentrations of ACV could strip away this good bacteria on the skin and cause irritation. The antimicrobial properties of ACV could treat acne.
The researchers also found that apple cider vinegar significantly inhibited the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β that were secreted by the human blood monocytes when co-cultured with each microbe.
Sunscreen and post-laser hyperpigmentation
Photoprotection is crucial in the successful management of post-laser hyperpigmentation, PIH, and especially melasma. Both UVB and UVA rays can stimulate melanin production by melanocytes, which is why it is important to seek broad-spectrum sunscreens for adequate protection.
A typical result is an 8-10 year reduction in age appearance when laser treatment on the face is done on a highly effective setting so that a 55 year old may look 46 after treatment and healing is complete. Milder treatments can be done, but are not as effective.
Ways to Speed Healing:
Soak the treated skin with a plain white vinegar solution at least 4 to 8 times each day. You can't soak too much. Soaking reduces redness and speeds healing! Do not pick, rub, scrub, or irritate your skin while it is healing.
The perfect product to slowly introduce into your routine three to five days after your laser treatment is SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic. This serum has been tested and deemed suitable for use post-laser.
Day 3-6 – Exfolitaion Phase (Aquaphor® no longer needed): at least 3 times a day - cleanse with Cetaphil, soak with diluted vinegar solution, then apply a thin layer of Medical Barrier Cream. Exfoliation/ shedding will be completed during this phase – don't pick!
Use a bland moisturizer (i.e. Cetaphil® cream) or a very thin layer of petrolatum ointment (i.e. Aquaphor®). Use petrolatum ointment to cover any area with oozing and keep moist. Use of icepacks helps alleviate the heat sensation. You may also cleanse your face with a mild cleanser.
You will experience a burning sensation following treatment and swelling of the face will develop over the next 24 hours. The burning sensation takes 24-48 hours to resolve. Over the next three to four days the face will feel tight and swollen.
Disadvantages of CO2 Resurfacing
Like dermabrasion, this type of laser resurfacing requires a good deal of recovery time. The patient's skin will be weepy for two weeks and will require thorough cleaning four to five times daily, along with application of ointment to keep the skin from scabbing.
After the treatment, you will notice improvements in your skin texture, tone, and appearance. Fine lines, wrinkles, and sunspots noticeably diminish, revealing smoother, younger-looking skin. On average, results from your CO2 laser resurfacing treatment can last between 3 and 5 years.
Your skin may be dry with peeling five to seven days after laser skin resurfacing. You may wash your face 2-5 times a day using saline solution or dilute vinegar solution, depending on a dermatologist's recommendation. Sleep on an extra pillow during the first four nights after the procedure.