Is laser skin resurfacing safe for dark skin?

Question:
Is laser skin resurfacing safe for dark skin?

Answer:
Darker pigmented skin is difficult to treat with laser skin resurfacing but, with the newer Fraxel lasers skin resurfacing can be performed more safely.  Fractionated lasers treat about 20% of the skin at each laser skin resurfacing session.  The skin recovers from the laser resurfacing procedure by regenerating fresh skin from the skin that was not damaged during laser resurfacing.  Fractionated lasers decrease the incidence of burns, and especially hyper and hypopigmentation of the skin that is such a concern when addressing darker skin tones with laser resurfacing.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld