In short. What the five to seven days after CO2 resurfacing actually involve, day by day, and the help you need to arrange before treatment day.
Key points
- For the first three days you will not want to cook, shop, drive or manage anyone else.
- Arrange someone to bring you home, someone at home for the first two days at least, and food that needs no preparation.
- Ask the clinic who to call at night, and keep that number where you can reach it without hunting for it.
The first week is the treatment. Everything before it is preparation and everything after it is patience; the week itself is what you pay for in discomfort. Planning it honestly is the difference between a difficult week and a bad experience.
Day one, and the night after
The face is treated under anaesthesia, so the session itself is not the hard part. You go home with skin that is raw, warm and weeping, and with written wound-care instructions. The oozing and the tightness are expected rather than a sign that something has gone wrong. Pain is usually manageable with what you have been given, and most people sleep poorly the first night because the face feels hot and throbbing.
Days two and three
Swelling peaks around the second or third day, which surprises people who expected day one to be the worst. The skin crusts, feels tight, and looks considerably worse than it did before treatment. Sleeping propped up, cool compresses and the prescribed wound care are what this phase is made of. Nothing should be picked at, however tempting the edges become.
Arrange help before, not during
For the first three days you will not want to cook, shop, drive or manage anyone else. Arrange someone to bring you home, someone at home for the first two days at least, and food that needs no preparation. Ask the clinic who to call at night, and keep that number where you can reach it without hunting for it.
Days four to seven
The surface usually closes within five to seven days. Crusts lift and the skin underneath is pink and new. This is the week that has to be given up, and it is not negotiable: a plan that promises a much shorter healing week is either removing less skin or treating less of the face, and both change the result. Redness continues after the surface closes, and can persist for weeks.
What you can and cannot do
Rest at home for the first days. Screens, reading and quiet calls are possible; being seen in public is not. Washing follows the clinic's written instructions rather than your own instinct. Make-up waits until the surface has closed. Alcohol, strenuous exercise, saunas and anything that makes you sweat are out for longer than most people expect.
Call the clinic the same day if
- Pain is increasing after the third day instead of easing.
- One area is much redder, hotter or more swollen than the rest, or there is discharge that smells.
- You develop a fever, or blistering that was not there at the first dressing change.
The week ends when the surface has closed, not when you feel comfortable. Judging the result now is impossible and pointless: what you see in the mirror on day seven is a healing face, and the treatment has barely begun its work.
Frequently asked questions
Can I go back to work during the first week?
Not to anywhere people can see you. The surface of the skin is open and weeping for the first several days, and it crusts before it closes. Desk work from home may be possible after the first few days if you feel well enough, but meetings, travel and anything photographed are out. Most people plan seven to ten days away from being seen.
How much help will I need at home after resurfacing?
More than most people expect, and mainly in the first three days. You will not want to cook, shop, drive or look after anyone else while the swelling peaks and the skin is raw. Arrange someone to bring you home, someone with you for at least the first two days, and food that needs no preparation.
What should I have ready before treatment day?
The prescribed ointment and anything you have been told to take, cool compresses, a supply of gauze, loose clothing that does not pull over the face, and a darkened room you can rest in. Also the clinic's out-of-hours contact, kept somewhere you can find it without looking at a screen.
Risks & Limitations
- The treated surface is usually open for five to seven days, weeping and crusting, with redness that persists for weeks afterwards.
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the commonest unwanted effect; it is more frequent and more stubborn in darker skin and can take months to settle.
- Pigment loss (hypopigmentation) is uncommon but can be permanent, and there is no reliable way to restore pigment that has been lost.
- Infection of open skin, which is why antiviral cover is ordinarily prescribed; increasing pain after the third day, spreading redness or fever needs same-day review.
- Scarring, uncommon but real, and more likely after infection, after treatment that was too deep for the skin, on the neck, and in people with a keloid tendency.
- The improvement is long-lasting but not permanent, and sun exposure after treatment fades it faster than anything else.
When to Seek Care
- Increasing pain after the third day, or one area much hotter and more swollen than the rest of the treated skin.
- Fever, spreading redness, or discharge from the treated area.
- Blistering, dusky or grey patches, or a sore that is not crusting like the rest of the face.
- A cold sore erupting across healing skin, which should be reported the same day.
- Swelling that makes it difficult to see, or any new change in vision, which needs urgent review.
References & Further Reading
- American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) — patient information on laser and energy-based treatment
- American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) — guidance on laser resurfacing and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — relevant guidance on skin treatments
- Cochrane Library — systematic reviews in skin resurfacing and scar management
This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Discuss your own case with a qualified clinician. To arrange an assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.