Fractional CO₂ Laser Resurfacing in Istanbul, Turkey
- Session: About 1 hour
- Hospital stay: Day case
- In Istanbul: ~7 days
- Socially presentable: ~2 weeks
Indicative ranges for full-face resurfacing on its own. When laser is performed with a facelift, that operation's ranges apply and the skin phase runs alongside it. Your plan, recovery and clearance to travel are individual.
What Fractional CO₂ Laser Is
A CO₂ laser removes a controlled depth of skin with heat. “Fractional” means the beam is delivered as a grid of very small columns rather than over the whole surface, so treated skin sits beside untreated skin throughout the field. The untreated skin between the columns is what drives the healing: the surface closes far faster than after full resurfacing, while the heat delivered deeper stimulates new collagen over the following months.
The setting is not one setting. Depth, density and the number of passes are chosen for the area and for the skin — around the eyes, across the cheeks, on the upper lip — and that choice is most of the skill.
What It Treats
Fine lines, particularly the vertical lines of the upper lip and the crêpe around the eyes; texture and pore appearance; sun damage and irregular pigment; dull, thickened skin that has stopped reflecting light evenly; and some scarring, including acne scarring, where the surface is uneven rather than tethered from below.
What it does, in one sentence: it improves the quality of the skin you have. That is a real and visible change, and it is one of the things people notice about a facelift result without being able to name it.
What It Cannot Do
Laser does not lift. It does not move descended tissue, it does not sharpen a jawline, it does not treat jowls or a loose neck, and it does not replace lost volume — those are the work of a deep plane facelift, a neck lift and fat grafting.
Resurfacing a face that has descended gives it better skin in the wrong position, and patients who have spent years on skin treatments for what was always a structural problem recognise that description. The reverse is also true: lifting a face and leaving the skin untreated produces a result where the tissue is in place and the surface still looks tired. Neither component substitutes for the other, which is the whole argument for treating them together.
Laser With a Facelift
In my practice most CO₂ resurfacing is performed in the same session as facial surgery, under the same general anaesthetic. There are two reasons. The first is efficiency: one anaesthetic, one recovery, one trip. The second is that the two treatments complement each other — the lift repositions, the laser improves the surface over it, and the result looks finished rather than partly done.
It is done with restraint over skin that has just been lifted: the areas where the skin flap has been undermined are treated more conservatively, or not in the same session, because the blood supply there has been altered and healing has to be respected. That judgement is part of planning the combination, and it is the reason a facelift and a full-depth resurfacing are not simply added together. How I decide what to combine and where I stop is on combining facial procedures.
On its own, resurfacing is performed as a day case with topical anaesthesia and, where needed, sedation.
Skin Type Matters
Deeper skin tones carry a higher risk of pigment change after ablative laser — darkening after the treatment, and occasionally lightening — and that risk rises with depth and density. It does not rule out treatment in every case, but it changes the settings, the preparation of the skin beforehand, and sometimes the recommendation itself. Where the risk is not acceptable I say so and offer a different approach rather than a cautious version of the same one.
Active infection around the mouth, a history of cold sores, recent isotretinoin use, a tendency to keloid scarring, and unrealistic expectations of what one session achieves all change the plan; I ask about each before proposing anything.
The Healing Phase: the Part People Underestimate
This is the honest section. After resurfacing the skin weeps, then crusts, then peels, and underneath it is pink. The peeling phase is short and contained; the pinkness is not, and it fades gradually over a period that is measured in weeks to months rather than days. Makeup covers it once the surface has closed, and I tell you when that point has been reached rather than leaving it to guesswork.
Aftercare during that period is not optional. Keeping the skin occluded and moist while it closes, staying out of the sun completely and then using protection rigorously, taking any antiviral cover prescribed, and not picking the crusts are what decide whether the result is even. Most of the poor outcomes I see from resurfacing performed elsewhere are aftercare outcomes rather than laser outcomes.
The week-by-week rhythm when laser is part of a surgical plan is in the facelift recovery guide.
When You See the Result
The first change — smoother texture, more even tone — is visible once the pinkness has settled. The change that comes from new collagen builds slowly after that and continues for months, so the skin goes on improving well past the point where the treatment feels finished.
Every case in my results gallery lists the full combination of procedures performed, including resurfacing where it was part of the plan — so that what the laser contributed is never attributed to the lift, and the reverse.
Risks, Plainly
The risks are pigment change, darker or lighter, which is the most likely one and is related to skin type and depth; prolonged redness beyond what was expected; infection, including reactivation of cold sores, which is why antiviral cover is used; scarring, which is uncommon and is associated with excessive depth or with poor aftercare; a visible demarcation line where treated skin meets untreated skin, which is why the field is planned to natural borders; and, where treatment is done in the same session as a lift, impaired healing in undermined skin if the depth is not adapted. Milia and transient acne during healing are common and settle.
How Long It Lasts
Resurfacing does not stop the skin ageing. What it changes — sun damage removed, new collagen laid down, texture improved — is real and does not simply reverse, but sun exposure and time act on the new surface as they did on the old one, and sun protection afterwards does more for the durability of the result than the settings did. I do not attach a number of years to it, and a single session is not a permanent solution to a lifetime of sun.
What Decides the Cost
The cost follows the area treated, the depth and density planned, whether the session is performed on its own as a day case or inside a surgical plan under the same anaesthetic, and whether more than one session is anticipated. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote for your own plan. How quotes are built and compared safely is on the cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is fractional CO₂ laser treatment?
A CO₂ laser removes a controlled depth of skin with heat. “Fractional” means the beam is delivered as a grid of tiny columns, leaving untreated skin between them — which is what lets the surface close quickly while the heat delivered deeper stimulates new collagen over the following months. Depth and density are chosen for the area and for your skin.
What does CO₂ laser treat, and what can it not do?
It treats fine lines, texture, sun damage, uneven pigment and some scarring — the quality of the skin you have. It does not lift: it will not move descended tissue, sharpen a jawline, treat jowls or a loose neck, or replace lost volume. Those need surgery, and resurfacing a face that has descended gives it better skin in the wrong position.
Does CO₂ laser hurt?
During the session, no — topical anaesthesia and, where needed, sedation cover it; when it is performed with surgery you are asleep. Afterwards there is a burning, sunburn-like sensation for a short period, which is managed with the aftercare and medication I prescribe.
How long does it take to heal after CO₂ laser?
The skin weeps, crusts and peels first, and that phase is short. The pinkness underneath lasts considerably longer and fades gradually — it is the part people underestimate. Makeup covers it once the surface has closed, and I tell you when that point has been reached. The indicative ranges are in the summary at the top of this page.
How can I speed up healing after CO₂ laser?
By following the aftercare exactly rather than adding anything to it: keep the skin occluded and moist while it closes, stay out of the sun completely and then protect it rigorously, take the antiviral cover prescribed, and do not pick the crusts. Most poor resurfacing results I see are aftercare results, not laser results.
Is CO₂ laser safe for darker skin?
It carries a higher risk of pigment change in deeper skin tones, and the risk rises with depth and density. That does not rule it out in every case, but it changes the settings, the preparation beforehand and sometimes the recommendation. Where the risk is not acceptable I say so and offer a different approach.
Can CO₂ laser be done with a facelift?
Yes, and that is how I perform most of it — in the same session, under the same anaesthetic, so that the lift repositions and the laser improves the surface over it. It is done with restraint over skin that has just been lifted, because healing in undermined skin has to be respected.
How long do the results last?
The sun damage removed and the collagen laid down do not simply reverse, but the skin goes on ageing and sun exposure acts on the new surface as it did on the old one. Protection afterwards does more for durability than the settings did. I do not promise a number of years.
How much does CO₂ laser cost in Turkey?
It depends on the area treated, the depth and density planned, whether the session stands alone or sits inside a surgical plan, and whether more than one session is anticipated. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote.
Start Your Assessment
Send photographs in natural light, without makeup. Over WhatsApp or through the form — you will receive my initial assessment of whether your skin is the main problem or whether position and volume are, a proposed plan, and an itemised quote before anything is arranged.
Request a personal review See before & after results
Every enquiry is reviewed personally by Dr. Yilmaz; scheduling is handled by the patient coordination team.
About Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz
Written and medically reviewed by Muhsin Yilmaz, MD, FEBOPRAS — Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz is a double board-certified plastic surgeon, holding the FEBOPRAS diploma of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and the certification of the Turkish Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and practises in Istanbul, Türkiye. His practice is focused on facial and neck rejuvenation, centred on the deep plane facelift — around 150 facelift operations per year, performed at Acıbadem Kartal Hospital. He is a member of TSPRAS and ISAPS, and is registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health for international health tourism. Read his full profile.
References
- Manstein D, Herron GS, Sink RK, Tanner H, Anderson RR. Fractional photothermolysis: a new concept for cutaneous remodeling using microscopic patterns of thermal injury. Lasers Surg Med. 2004;34(5):426–438. doi:10.1002/lsm.20048
- Hantash BM, Bedi VP, Kapadia B, et al. In vivo histological evaluation of a novel ablative fractional resurfacing device. Lasers Surg Med. 2007;39(2):96–107. doi:10.1002/lsm.20468
- Alster TS, Lupton JR. Prevention and treatment of side effects and complications of cutaneous laser resurfacing. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2002;109(1):308–316. doi:10.1097/00006534-200201000-00048