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CO2 Laser Aftercare —
Care For It As A Wound

Atelier Aesthetics · Medical Director: Dr. Sin Yong · Updated 25 Oct 2026

Fractional CO2 resurfacing on the DEKA Tetra Pro leaves a controlled wound, and your part is to keep it moist, clean and shaded while it closes. Dr Sin Yong gives written aftercare matched to the settings used, and it takes priority over this guide.

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Day One

1. The First 24 Hours

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Expect red, puffy, warm skin with tiny points of bleeding and clear seeping. How it looks over the following days is on the CO2 laser downtime page.

Do

  • Cool the skin with clean gauze soaked in cooled boiled water or saline, a few minutes at a time.
  • Wash with lukewarm water and a very mild cleanser or plain saline, fingertips only, then pat dry with a towel kept for your face.
  • Keep a thin, unbroken layer of the bland ointment or recovery balm you were given.
  • If antiviral tablets were prescribed, keep taking them as directed.
  • Rest with your head raised.

Avoid

  • Ice held straight against the skin.
  • Bending forward, alcohol and hot drinks.
  • Sunscreen, make-up or active skincare on the open surface.

The Crusting Phase

2. The First Week

Over the next days the surface dries into fine crusts that lift away on their own. Leave them alone: a crust pulled off early can leave patchy pigment or a small scar. Crust care in Singapore's heat is covered in the post-laser recovery guide.

  • Keep the ointment on until the surface has closed. Do not pick, peel, rub or scrub.
  • Keep your hands, phone screen and pillowcases clean.
  • No facials, microneedling, other lasers or injectables on the treated area.

Keep your follow-up visit: it checks healing, pigment and lingering redness against your record photographs, and times the next step of a Tetra Pro Scar³ plan to healed skin.

Skin And Sun

3. Skincare And Sun Protection

Until the surface closes, sun protection means shade, a wide-brimmed hat and staying in around midday, with no sunscreen on raw skin. From closure and the end of peeling, a broad-spectrum SPF 50+ goes on every morning and again before going outdoors, for at least six weeks and while any pinkness remains.

Darkening after the peel, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, is the main risk in Asian skin, and Fitzpatrick III to V skin is especially exposed under Singapore's year-round UV. Sun protection is the main defence.

Everyday Life

4. Exercise, Make-Up And Sleep

Exercise. An easy walk is fine once the puffiness has gone down. Sweaty workouts, swimming, saunas and steam rooms wait until the surface has closed.

Make-up. Leave it off until the surface has fully closed and the peeling has stopped, then start with a mineral powder and freshly washed brushes.

Sleep. For the first nights, lie on your back with two pillows under your head, and use a fresh pillowcase each night while the surface is open.

Safety

5. When To Contact The Clinic

Redness, early seeping, tightness, itching, crusting and pink new skin are expected. Contact the clinic the same day for any of these:

  • Thick yellow or honey-coloured crusts, or oozing that gets heavier instead of drying.
  • Blisters, or small painful sores in a group, which can mean a cold sore flare.
  • Pain, heat or swelling that worsens after day two, or redness spreading past the treated area.
  • Fever, chills or feeling generally unwell.
  • Darkening once the peeling has finished, or one patch that stays red much longer than the rest.
  • An area that feels firm, raised or thickened.

WhatsApp +65 8023 7170 (Monday to Saturday, 11:00–20:00) with your treatment date, and say if it is urgent. Outside clinic hours, fever with hot redness that is spreading across the face means seeing a doctor that day; take urgent signs to the nearest hospital emergency department. See also complication care.

WhatsApp the clinic: +65 8023 7170

FAQ

CO2 Laser Aftercare — Common Questions

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Itching is common while crusts and flakes come away. Keep the ointment on so the surface stays moist, use a cool compress made with clean gauze, and try not to scratch, which can lift a crust too early. Itching with clusters of painful sores, thick yellow crusts, increasing seeping or spreading redness is different: message the clinic the same day.
A thin, continuous layer of bland ointment keeps the healing surface moist. Skin that is allowed to dry and crack heals more slowly, and a dry, broken surface is more likely to leave pigment change or scarring behind. Put a fresh layer on after each gentle wash, and keep going until the clinic confirms that the surface has closed.
Yes. If antiviral tablets were prescribed because you have had cold sores before, take the whole course as directed, even when nothing appears. A cold sore flare on freshly resurfaced skin is one of the more common problems recorded after deep fractional CO2, and the tablets cover the healing period. Report blisters or small painful sores on treated skin the same day.
Only when the clinic tells you the surface has healed, because actives applied early prolong inflammation. That covers vitamin C, retinoids, face masks, exfoliating acids, scrubs, brightening creams and cleansing brushes. While healed skin is still pink, strong exfoliants, retinoids and brightening creams wait for the clinic's approval. Until then, a very mild cleanser, your ointment and, later, sunscreen are enough.

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Related at Atelier

Related
Acne Scar Treatment — Tetra Pro Scar³
The DEKA Tetra Pro CO2 protocol, and how each scar type is matched to a method.
Related
CO2 Laser Downtime
How the skin usually looks from the first day to the fading pinkness, and when you can be seen.
Related
What to Expect: CO2 Laser
The consultation, preparation and the steps of the appointment itself.

References

  1. Shamsaldeen O, Peterson JD, Goldman MP. Adverse events after deep fractional CO2 laser. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2011.
  2. DermNet — Fractional laser treatment (2023).
  3. DermNet — Carbon dioxide laser treatment (2023).
  4. Ministry of Health, Singapore
  5. HealthHub, Singapore — public health information

More on this topic

Atelier Aesthetics · Owned by AYA

Kept moist, left alone —
then judged.

9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza #12-01A, Singapore 228210 · +65 8023 7170

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