“My recovery was easier and shorter than I anticipated.”
Day 1 – Day of my CO2 laser treatment. My face has tiny pinpoint blood spots. The saline with water wash seems to make the spots weep some when I dab them with a washcloth. The cool washcloth does help cool my skin though since it feels hot. I am a bit swollen around the eyes and my skin feels rough, which is most likely from the spots. Put Vaseline directly on my skin, which feels strange but definitely makes it feel better.
Day 2 – Red spots are much better. They no longer weep when I wash with the saline solution. My skin looks sunburned and feels tender just like sunburn. It doesn’t really hurt but it is puffy, especially around the eyes. Continuing to use the Vaseline. I had a chemical peel about 5 years ago and can’t believe the difference in the two procedures. My skin was much more damaged after the chemical peel. A little nervous that this won’t be as effective but I know the CO2 laser is supposed to have less down time and do more for my skin!
Day 3 – Red spots completely washed off with saline the solution this morning. Puffiness has gone down a lot and face is not as red. My skin is pretty dry there so it looks rough and patchy. I switched from the Vaseline to the HylatopicPlus cream that I got from Dr. Coker. It is not as heavy but still helps with the dryness.
Went out to eat tonight and wore the Oxygenetix makeup I bought when I had the laser treatment. It is a special makeup that can be worn soon after cosmetic procedures because it allows the skin to breathe and is nonirritating. Other than the sides of my face in front of my ears you really couldn’t tell I don’t think that I had a laser procedure.
Day 4 – Surprised at how quickly my skin is healing! My face feels dry still but I went back to work today and wore my Oxygenetix makeup again. My skin really just looks dry but it is peeling now around my nose a little and on the sides of my face. I am still sleeping with Vaseline on my face at night to help with the dryness.
Day 5 – I can tell a real difference in my complexion! I know I will be able to see more improvements as time goes on but really my skin is much clearer. My freckles are mostly gone and my pores look much smaller. I can’t wait to see if the wrinkles around my eyes and small ones beside my mouth are improved in a few months!