Laser toning is rapidly gaining popularity as a treatment for a variety of skin conditions. Whereas previous treatment options were either to gentle (topical creams) or too harsh (chemical peels) for some conditions, laser toning has emerged as that “just right” treatment for conditions such as fine lines and wrinkles (including crow’s feet and smile lines), acne scars, enlarged pores, sagging and even stretch marks. Much of this popularity comes from the fact that the treatments are painless (there is some tingling reported however), require no down time and allow patients to return immediately to work after a session. But just because you can go back to work, can you resume all normal activities? What should be avoided? What precautions should be taken?

Before we get to the answers to these questions, let’s take a moment to look at what laser toning is and how it affects your skin in the first place. Rather than removing outer layers of skin cells like a chemical peel or a traditional laser therapy, laser toning actually penetrates the skin and heats the dermis. This gentle heating action stimulates the production of your skin’s own collagen – the protein that provides the overall structure of firm youthful skin. As we age, lifestyle choices and sun exposure conspire with the passage of time to break down our natural supply of collagen, leaving us with those fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores that help give away our true age. By stimulating the production of new collagen, laser toning treatments really can help to turn back the hands of time. Since there is no removal of tissue, the recovery time is virtually nonexistent. However, it is important to take some precautions to safeguard your investment in a youthful appearance.

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen

After a laser toning treatment, your skin is not necessarily more sensitive to the sun, but it should be protected more. In most cases, the skin’s diminished reserves of collagen can be traced to sun exposure. That means you haven’t been doing a good enough job protecting your skin up until this point, so now that you’ve invested in treatment, take extra care to preserve what you’ve gained in the process.

Moisturize

Again, this is not necessitated by the treatment itself (although in some cases there will be skin sensitivity), it is a good habit to maintain – particularly for outdoor enthusiasts. Wind and sun strip your skin of moisture and dry skin leaves more cracks and fissures for dirt and bacteria to lodge and collect. By maintaining your skin’s moisture barrier, you will keep it healthy and pliable and protect it from future breakouts – which of course can lead to the enlarged pores and acne scars the laser toning helped to erase in the first place.

Treat yourself to a gentle cleanser

If you haven’t already, toss the bar soap and harsh cleansers for a more face friendly variety. Depending on your skin type, you may need one with acne fighters, but if you are not prone to breakouts, the simpler the product, the better. Look for natural ingredients whenever possible. A good rule of thumb is that if your face feels tight after you’re done cleansing, then your cleanser is probably too harsh.

In short, there is no magic list of precautions to take after laser toning, but by going through the treatment, it makes an intelligent healthy skincare regimen all the more important to maintain – or adopt in the first place.

Related Articles
	All about the Fraxel Laser When it comes to preserving healthy, youthful looking skin, many people will go through just about any special procedure or operation. However, the appearance of the Fraxel laser is now making it easier for anyone to achieve a beautiful complexion without going under the knife or getting Botox   ...Read more		Pearl Laser Treatment Pearl Laser treatment (also known as Pearl) works by treating the epidermis with pulses of light with a technology called YSGG technology. A small area of the epidermis is removed with a controlled thermal effect, which causes the cells in the epidermis to coagulate and create a natural   ...Read more