Patient education
Laser Burns: Recognising and Managing Problems
Written for someone who has had a laser or energy treatment and is trying to tell whether what they are seeing is the expected reaction or an injury. The expected reaction by treatment type, how depth is read at the surface, blistering, infection, immediate first aid, burns-unit referral, pigment change, scarring and later options.
All guides
10 guides
- What a Laser Treatment Should Feel Like AfterwardsRecovery
- How Deep Is the Burn? Reading the SkinDepth
- Blistering After a Laser TreatmentBlistering
- Infection in a Laser Burn: The Signs That Move FastInfection
- Laser Burn Red Flags: What to Do ImmediatelyRed flags
- When a Burn Needs More Than a Clinic VisitReferral
- Pigment Change After a Burn: Dark, Pink and WhitePigment
- Scarring After a Laser BurnScarring
- Sun Protection While a Burn HealsSun protection
- What Can Be Done About a Laser Burn LaterLater options
Not sure whether your skin is reacting or injured?
Contact the team rather than waiting to see how it looks tomorrow. This site cannot assess depth, and the findings that need emergency care — blistering, white or blackened skin, loss of sensation, pain that keeps worsening — are not ones to watch for another day.