A full-face CoolPeel laser peel can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes.

One of the main benefits of a CoolPeel is that there is minimal downtime. You should expect to be a little red, as if you have a sunburn, for a day, or two, but nothing should prevent you from returning to your normal daily activities. Your skin may feel dry andscaly as it heals so it is important to keep the skin hydrated.

These are ablative procedures, just not in the old way using CO2 lasers where significant recovery was necessary. CoolPeel delivers the same kind of results with really no downtime. Still, these aren’t meant to be done every month, as you would with a treatment such as a superficial peel.Typically one to three treatments deliver the kind of results patients seek. We’ll discuss the spacing of your sessions at your consultation.

The secret to CoolPeel is that the Tetra laser delivers high energy, but it does so in extremely short pulses. This eliminates the problems with lingering heat and damage to the surrounding skin. Because of that, CoolPeel delivers ablative type results with total comfort and without the downtime. The only real risk of side effects is the potential for hyper- or hypopigmentation for patients with olive or brown skin. This is true of any laser treatment. Also, as with other laser treatments, if you have the human papillomavirus there is a risk the laser energy can trigger an outbreak of cold sores. Your physician can provide a prescription for antiviral medication in advance in these cases.

Yes, these treatments are completely safe. They have been cleared by the FDA. As mentioned above, patients have some redness, similar to moderate sunburn, for a day or two. And the skin can feel a little dry and scaly as it heals, but those issues are easily addressed with skin lotion.

You will start noticing improvements after one week. The collagen production has been stimulated, and your skin resurfacing has begun. You will see real improvements as your outermost layers of damaged, dull skin cells are shed and replaced with younger, healthy cells. Texture issues, sun damage, age spots and pigmentation, overall dull skin — these will all improve dramatically beginning after about a week. Your new, healthier skin will continue to reveal itself moving forward.

These are permanent improvements in your skin thanks to the high energy delivered by the Tetra laser. Of course, your skin will continue to age. But if you protect your skin from the sun, you’ll enjoy these improvements for a long time.