Laser skin resurfacing is done when the following conditions exist

• fine lines or wrinkles around the eyes, mouth or on the forehead
• scars from acne
• non-responsive skin after a facelift

• Candidates who are not prone to keloids, hyper or hypo pigmentation
• Candidates who react well to burns or excessive scarring due to minor cuts and abrasions
• Candidates who do not have
• Bacterial or viral infection
• Impaired immune system
• Have used isotretinoin in the past 12 months
• Scleroderma
• Extensive radiation therapy
• Burns in the treatment area
• Poor healing in the treatment area
• Stretch marks
• Candidates without irregular pigmentation of the skin, vitiligo or psoriasis, recurrent infections, and prior eye lift surgery.
• Candidates who have fine lines or wrinkles around the eyes, mouth or on the forehead, scars from acne, or non-responsive skin after a facelift
• Candidates without active acne or very dark skin
• Candidates who have not undergone prior lower blepharoplasty radiation therapy or burns with loss of cutaneous adnexal structures, extensive fibrosis from previous cosmetic procedures
• Candidates who wish to improve their external appearance
• Candidates who are physically healthy, psychologically healthy and have realistic expectations from the procedure
• Candidates who seek improvement rather than perfection

• Development of Facial spider veins
• Scarring and infections
• Unpredictable lightening of the skin in darker-skinned patients
• Patients with herpes simplex may experience flare-ups of fever, facial pain, and flu-like symptoms following the procedure.
• Milia, which are small white bumps, may appear in the laser-treated areas during healing, and may be removed by gentle cleansing with a washcloth.
• Hyperpigmentation (increased pigmentation), and more rarely hypopigmentation (decreased skin pigmentation), may result in the laser-treated areas. The hyperpigmented areas may be treated with bleaching cream to speed fading of the pigment.
• Reappearance of a cold sore may occur, especially after laser skin resurfacing around the mouth.

• During the initial consultation, a thorough discussion on the expectations of the patient as well as the complete medical history of the patient is understood
• Photographs are taken for further comparison after procedure.
• The doctor discusses and advises on options of anaesthesia, type of facilities, various techniques, lasers available and cost with the patient.
• The doctor examines the skin to determine the elasticity.
• The doctor provides guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications
• Preparation of skin by using skincare products such as Retin-A, glycolic acid, and bleaching agents as prescribed by the physician from six weeks prior to the procedure.
• The patient must arrange for transportation and assistance to leave for home after the surgery.

• Local, general or regional anaesthesia is administered.
• The face is then scrubbed with betadine to remove bacteria.
• The surgeon then passes the laser over the area to be treated, which could take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour and a half for very deep facial or body resurfacing.
• The laser literally evaporates the targeted areas of skin and reveals undamaged, pink skin as a result.
• After the skin resurfacing is complete, the surgeon will cover the face with either a thin film of Bacitracin or antibiotic burn cream like, Silvadine or even BurnJel. 
• Surgeons may use a second synthetic breathable skin to protect the newly surfaced tissue during its healing process
• A sterile dressing is finally applied to the treatment sites.

• Minimal burning of surrounding tissue
• Minimal side effects such as swelling, bruising and redness
• Recovery time shorter than with CO2 laser resurfacing
• Erbium laser resurfacing works better for darker skin tone

The surgery is done as an outpatient procedure.

• The patient may experience itching or stinging for 12 to 72 hours after the procedure.
• The face looks skinned, swollen and may become crusty during the first ten days.
• There may be mild discomfort for 1-4 days which can be relieved by necessary antibiotics and pain medication prescribed.
• Five to seven days after laser resurfacing, the skin will become dry and peel.
• The skin will heal in 4-6 days following erbium laser
• Redness will improve over 1-4 weeks following erbium

• The patient must sleep on two pillows to keep the head elevated for 7-14 days
• Patients must stay out of the sun during healing, and after recovery, always avoid sunbathing. The patient must use a sun block of SPF 15 or higher for 3-6 months.
• The bandages are removed in 1-3 days after which the patient must take proper care of the skin by
• washing the treated areas two to five times a day with cool tap water saline or a dilute vinegar solution
• using an ointment such as Vaseline, Eucerin or Aquaphor to prevent any scab formation.
• Once the skin heals the patient can wear camouflage make-up to conceal the redness. The patient will be presentable in public with makeup in 7-14 days.
• Oil-free make-ups are recommended after laser resurfacing.
• The patient must wait at least 6 months between laser treatments.
• The redness in the laser-treated sites generally fades in two to three months but may take as long as six months to completely disappear.
• Patients with darker skin tones have a greater risk of healing with darker pigmentation which may be minimized by use of a bleaching agent before laser skin resurfacing as well as continued use of this agent after healing.