Medical aesthetics
Laser skin resurfacing
The strongest non-surgical option for texture and scarring — and the one where matching the device to your skin tone matters most.
What this treatment involves
Laser resurfacing delivers energy into the skin in a controlled pattern, creating microscopic zones of injury that the skin repairs by producing new collagen. The result is a change in texture, scarring and pigmentation that builds over the months after treatment rather than appearing immediately.
The important distinction is ablative versus non-ablative. **Ablative** lasers remove the surface layer — more change, more downtime, more risk. **Non-ablative** lasers pass through the surface and heat the tissue below, leaving the surface intact — less downtime, gentler, and needing more sessions to reach a comparable result. Fractional delivery, where the beam is split into many small columns leaving untreated skin between them, is what made this treatment recoverable in days rather than weeks.
It is used for acne scarring, sun damage, fine lines, enlarged pores and uneven texture. It is generally not the right first choice for melasma, which can worsen with heat.
As with peels, the sensible approach is usually a course of gentler sessions rather than one aggressive treatment — particularly on skin that pigments readily.
Who may be suitable
Considered for acne scarring, textural irregularity, sun damage, fine lines and enlarged pores.
**Skin tone determines which device is appropriate, and some are not appropriate at all.** Laser energy is absorbed by pigment, so on brown and darker skin an unsuitable wavelength or setting risks burns and pigment change. Suitable options exist and are used, but the assessment must include an honest answer about which device is being used and whether it is right for your skin. A clinic that offers the same laser to everyone is not assessing skin, it is running a machine.
Not suitable during pregnancy, over active infection, on recently tanned or sunburnt skin, or within six to twelve months of oral isotretinoin. A history of keloid scarring or cold sores must be declared, and antiviral cover is given where relevant.
Realistic expectations matter here more than almost anywhere: laser improves the appearance of acne scarring substantially in many people, but it does not erase it, and anyone promising smooth skin from a single session is describing something the technology does not do.
Why patients choose it
It addresses textural problems — particularly acne scarring — that injectables and peels largely cannot.
Because it works by stimulating new collagen, the improvement continues developing for three to six months after the last session rather than fading from a peak.
Fractional and non-ablative approaches allow the intensity to be matched to how much downtime you can accept, and adjusted between sessions based on how your skin responded.
How treatment works
Skin assessment
20 minutes
Skin tone, the condition being treated, scarring history and recent sun exposure are assessed. This determines which device and settings are appropriate — and whether laser is the right treatment at all.
Preparation
2–4 weeks before
Sun avoidance beforehand, and a preparation regime where pigment change is a concern. Antiviral cover if there is a history of cold sores.
Treatment
20–45 minutes
Numbing cream is applied, then the laser is passed over the area. Twenty to forty-five minutes depending on the area and device.
Healing
2–7 days
Redness and swelling for two to four days after non-ablative treatment, longer after ablative. Strict sun protection throughout.
Collagen remodelling
3–6 months
Improvement develops over three to six months. A course is typically three to five sessions, four to six weeks apart, so most of it happens at home.
What happens in Istanbul
These are outpatient appointments — no hospital stay and no anaesthetic beyond numbing cream or a local injection. Most are completed in a single visit of under an hour.
Two scheduling points matter. Bruising and swelling are common after injectables and peak in the first day or two, so leave several days before any event you care about rather than treating on the way to it. And where a treatment needs a course of sessions, only the first can be done here; your coordinator will say so before you travel rather than after, so you can decide whether the trip is worth making.
Recovery
Immediately afterwards the skin is red, warm and swollen, similar to sunburn. Non-ablative treatment settles over two to four days; ablative treatment involves several days of visible healing and redness that can persist for weeks.
A gentle routine, no active ingredients, and no picking. Sun protection is critical — broad-spectrum SPF 50 daily, and avoiding sun exposure entirely where possible for at least a month. Treated skin exposed to strong sun is how pigment problems are created.
The visible change is not immediate. Collagen remodelling continues for three to six months, and a course is usually three to five sessions four to six weeks apart.
Do not schedule laser resurfacing shortly before an event or a beach holiday. The two are incompatible.
Risks and considerations
Redness, swelling, a sandpaper texture and light peeling in the first days are expected.
**Pigment change is the main risk**, in both directions: darkening after inflammation, particularly in brown and darker skin, and lightening that may be prolonged or permanent, particularly after ablative treatment. This is the risk that makes device selection and settings a medical decision rather than a menu choice.
Burns and scarring are possible where settings are too aggressive for the skin being treated.
Other risks: infection, reactivation of cold sores, prolonged redness lasting weeks to months after ablative treatment, and — where the wrong condition is being treated — worsening. Melasma in particular can be aggravated by heat.
Results are neither immediate nor permanent. Ageing and sun exposure continue, maintenance sessions are usually needed, and acne scarring is improved rather than removed. Any clinic implying a single session will resolve scarring is overstating what lasers do.
This information is general and educational. Whether a procedure is appropriate for you can only be determined by a qualified medical professional after an individual assessment, including your medical history and an examination.
Common questions
Is laser resurfacing safe on darker skin?
It can be, with the right device and settings — and it is unsafe with the wrong ones. Laser energy is absorbed by pigment, so darker skin carries a higher risk of burns and pigment change. Ask directly which device is being used and why it suits your skin. A clear answer is a good sign; "we use the latest laser" is not an answer.
Will it remove my acne scars?
It improves them, often substantially, but it does not remove them. Expect a course of three to five sessions with improvement developing over three to six months afterwards, and a result that looks better rather than looks untouched. Different scar types respond differently, which is why the assessment looks at what kind of scarring you actually have before promising anything.
Let's plan your treatment
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