In short. CO2 resurfacing is performed under numbing cream, often with an injection to block sensation and sometimes sedation for a whole-face treatment, so you are awake or lightly drowsy rather than unconscious. The treatment itself commonly takes thirty to ninety minutes, and you will not be in a state to drive yourself home.
Key points
- Numbing cream is applied well beforehand, often with an injection and sometimes sedation.
- You are awake or lightly drowsy, and the treatment is uncomfortable rather than painful.
- The treatment commonly takes thirty to ninety minutes, depending on area and depth.
- Expect to spend a good part of the day at the clinic, not an hour.
- Arrange someone to bring you home and keep the treated face out of the sun.
Why treatment day is the most organised part
Treatment day is the shortest part of the whole experience and the one patients worry about most. It is also the part that is most organised, because resurfacing is uncomfortable enough that it is not done without proper anaesthesia.
What should you do before you arrive?
You will have been priming your skin for some weeks, and you will have been asked to stop certain medicines and skincare in the days beforehand. Arrive with a clean face, no make-up, and nothing to eat or drink if sedation is planned. Bring a hat, a scarf and sunglasses, and bring someone to take you home: you will not be in a state to drive, and the treated face should not be in the sun. Do not book travel for the days afterwards.
What is the anaesthesia like?
Most plans use numbing cream applied well beforehand, often with an injection to block sensation in the areas being treated, and sometimes sedation for a whole-face treatment. You will be awake or lightly drowsy rather than unconscious, and the treatment is uncomfortable rather than painful. Nobody is asked to endure it without cover, and if it proves more than you can tolerate the session can be slowed or staged.
How long does the appointment take?
Numbing usually takes the longest part of the visit. The treatment itself commonly takes between thirty and ninety minutes depending on how much of the face is being treated and how deeply. Add time for photographs, instructions and the first dressing. Expect to spend a good part of the day at the clinic rather than an hour.
| Stage | What happens | What you need | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before you arrive | Skin is primed and some medicines are stopped | A clean face, a hat, sunglasses and a lift home | Plans to drive or travel afterwards |
| Numbing | Cream is applied well beforehand, often with an injection | Time, since numbing takes the longest part of the visit | Assuming the treatment starts immediately |
| The treatment | The treatment is performed across the face | Cover, and the option to slow or stage the session | Enduring it without cover |
| Photographs and instructions | The clinic records the face and explains care | Written wound-care instructions and the out-of-hours contact | Leaving without them |
| The first dressing | The treated face is covered | Not to drive or return to work | Driving yourself home |
| Going home | The numbing is wearing off | Someone to drive, and no sun on the face | Sun exposure on the way |
What do you feel afterwards?
The face is hot, tight and throbbing as the numbing wears off, and it weeps. Discomfort usually eases over the first day and is replaced by tightness and itching as the skin crusts. Pain that increases after the third day is not expected and should be reported rather than waited out.
What should you ask about how the day is run?
Who applies the numbing, how long it is left on, who is in the room, what happens if the treatment has to stop early, and how you are looked after in the first hour afterwards are all fair questions. The answers tell you whether the clinic runs a process or simply an appointment slot.
Do not treat this as an errand
Do not plan to drive yourself home, or to return to work the same day. Do not book it immediately before a wedding, a holiday or a photograph you care about. Do not start the day without the clinic's out-of-hours contact and written wound-care instructions. The day itself is manageable. What is not manageable is doing it casually: arriving alone, with no plan for the week that follows and nobody to call.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology: patient information on laser resurfacing and anaesthesia
- American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery: patient information on treatment day and aftercare
- Cochrane Library: systematic reviews in skin resurfacing and wound care
Source links open each organisation's search results for the topic. Document-level confirmation is pending the reviewer's sign-off.
Internal links
Frequently asked questions
What kind of anaesthesia is used for CO2 resurfacing?
Most plans use numbing cream applied well beforehand, usually with an injection to block sensation in the areas being treated, and sometimes sedation for a whole-face treatment. You are awake or lightly drowsy rather than unconscious. The treatment is uncomfortable rather than painful, and nobody should be asked to endure it without cover.
How long does the treatment itself take?
Numbing usually takes the longest part of the visit. The treatment commonly takes between thirty and ninety minutes, depending on how much of the face is treated and how deeply. Add time for photographs, written instructions and the first dressing. Expect to be at the clinic for a good part of a day rather than an hour.
Can I drive myself home afterwards?
No. The face is raw and weeping, the numbing is wearing off, and if sedation was used you will not be safe to drive. Arrange someone to bring you home in advance, and keep the treated face out of the sun on the way. Going home alone after this treatment is a plan that has not been thought through.
Risks & Limitations
- The treated surface is usually open for five to seven days, weeping and crusting, with redness that persists for weeks afterwards.
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the commonest unwanted effect; it is more frequent and more stubborn in darker skin and can take months to settle.
- Pigment loss (hypopigmentation) is uncommon but can be permanent, and there is no reliable way to restore pigment that has been lost.
- Infection of open skin, which is why antiviral cover is ordinarily prescribed; increasing pain after the third day, spreading redness or fever needs same-day review.
- Scarring, uncommon but real, and more likely after infection, after treatment that was too deep for the skin, on the neck, and in people with a keloid tendency.
- The improvement is long-lasting but not permanent, and sun exposure after treatment fades it faster than anything else.
When to Seek Care
- Increasing pain after the third day, or one area much hotter and more swollen than the rest of the treated skin.
- Fever, spreading redness, or discharge from the treated area.
- Blistering, dusky or grey patches, or a sore that is not crusting like the rest of the face.
- A cold sore erupting across healing skin, which should be reported the same day.
- Swelling that makes it difficult to see, or any new change in vision, which needs urgent review.
References & Further Reading
- American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) — patient information on laser and energy-based treatment
- American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) — guidance on laser resurfacing and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — relevant guidance on skin treatments
- Cochrane Library — systematic reviews in skin resurfacing and scar management
This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Discuss your own case with a qualified clinician. To arrange an assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.