The short answer
After fractional CO2 laser, the surface heals from the intact skin between the treated columns. Your job is to keep that surface clean, moist and undisturbed.
The written aftercare you receive is based on your depth and density, and it takes priority over this page. Please use this page as a general guide only.
CO2 laser aftercare in the first 24 hours
During the first week
Do not pick, peel, rub or scrub. Let crusts lift by themselves. Keep ointment on until the surface has closed.
Retinoids, exfoliating acids, vitamin C, brightening creams, scrubs, cleansing brushes and face masks, until you are told the surface has healed.
Facials, microneedling, other lasers and injectables in the area.
Swimming, saunas, steam and exercise that makes you sweat.
Keep hands, phones and pillowcases clean.
Sun, make-up, exercise and sleep
| Topic | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sun while the surface is open | No sunscreen yet. Use shade and a wide hat, and stay indoors in the middle of the day. |
| Sun once it has closed | After peeling finishes, use broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning, reapplied outdoors, for as long as the skin is pink. |
| Make-up | Wait until the surface has fully closed and peeling has finished. Mineral powder is suggested, with freshly washed brushes. |
| Exercise | Gentle walking once swelling eases. Harder exercise only after the surface has closed. |
| Sleep | Face-up with the head raised on two pillows for the first nights. Change the pillowcase nightly while the surface is open. |
What is normal
Expect redness, swelling, warmth, pinpoint bleeding and oozing in the first day or two. Then come tightness, a sandpaper or bronzed look, fine crusting and peeling, with new pink skin that blends in gradually. Swelling is often worse on the second morning, especially around the eyes. Itching is common. Pinkness can last after peeling, for a time that depends on depth, density and skin.
When to call the clinic
Thick, yellow or honey-coloured crusts, or oozing that increases instead of drying.
Blisters, or a cluster of small painful sores, which may suggest a cold sore.
Pain, heat or swelling increasing after the second day, or redness spreading beyond the treated area.
Fever, chills or feeling generally unwell.
Skin darkening after peeling, a patch staying red far longer than the rest, or a firm, raised or thickened area.
Fever with a spreading red, hot face needs a doctor the same day.
Who needs extra care, and what aftercare cannot do
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the risk that matters most in Fitzpatrick III to V skin, especially under Singapore's year-round ultraviolet. If you have had cold sores, antiviral tablets may be prescribed. In one study of 490 deep fractional CO2 treatments, adverse events followed 13.6% of treatments, mostly acne-like eruptions, cold sores and infections. Aftercare lowers these risks but cannot remove them. The first review shows healing, not the final result, as collagen remodelling continues for months after crusts clear. Pigment change and early scarring are reviewed and managed, not simply treated over. The next scar step is timed to healed skin, not a calendar. Any fee for further steps is explained in your written plan. If you are worried, please contact the clinic.