Pixel CO2 Fractional Skin Resurfacing

Pixel CO2 is our deepest, most results-driven laser treatment, the kind of single session that genuinely changes the quality of your skin. It uses the same advanced Alma Pixel laser as our Pixel Peel, but this time we turn it up. You will have a week of downtime, and in exchange you get the kind of transformation that years of facials and creams cannot match.

Here is the simple version of how it works. The laser sends a precise grid of tiny pinpoints into your skin. Those pinpoints gently lift away the damaged surface and warm up the layer underneath, which kicks your skin into overdrive making new collagen and elastin, the building blocks behind firm, smooth, glowing skin. The healthy skin around each pinpoint stays untouched, which is why you heal faster than the old-school full laser resurfacing your mom might remember.

The other thing we love about Pixel CO2 is how flexible it is. We can dial it lighter for tone and early lines, or go deeper for stubborn acne scars, surgical scars, and serious sun damage. We design your treatment around your skin and your goals, not a one-size-fits-all setting.

What your appointment actually looks like: We start by applying a numbing cream for about 30 to 60 minutes so you are comfortable. The laser pass itself takes about 20 to 45 minutes depending on how much area we are treating. Most clients describe the feeling as warm prickles or quick stings: manageable, never scary. When we are done, your skin will look pink to red and feel like a strong sunburn. We cool you down, give you a soothing balm, and send you home with everything you need to get through the week comfortably.

Pixel CO2 is one of the most versatile, powerful treatments we offer. It is the one we reach for when someone wants real, lasting change, not just a refresh. Think stubborn acne scars and pitted ice-pick scars, surgical scars that never quite faded, fine lines around the eyes and mouth, crepey skin, enlarged pores, and the kind of sun damage that years of beach days leave behind.

Because it is the deep version, it does ask something of you in return: a real week of downtime. If you can plan around it, the payoff is huge. A lot of clients see in one Pixel CO2 session what would take multiple lighter treatments to match.

Here is what your week looks like after Pixel CO2:

• Days 1 and 2: Your skin will look pink to red and feel warm and tight, like a strong sunburn. You may notice mild swelling and a little weeping in spots. All totally expected.
• Days 3 and 4: A fine sandpaper texture takes over as your old skin gets ready to shed. Tiny dark dots are normal. That is the damaged tissue being pushed up and out. Itching often shows up here too. Resist the urge to scratch or peel.
• Days 5 to 7: The shedding finishes and brand new, smooth pink skin emerges. Most clients are camera and makeup ready by the end of the week.
• Weeks 2 to 12 and beyond: Underneath the surface, your skin is busy rebuilding for months. You will keep seeing firmer, smoother, brighter skin for the next 3 to 6 months, long after the visible healing is done.

How to prep your skin: For at least two weeks before your appointment, stay out of the sun and skip the tanning bed and self-tanner. We need your skin at its natural color. About a week before, pause retinol, glycolic acid, and other strong actives. If you have ever had a cold sore on your face, just tell us, and we will send you home with something simple to keep one from popping up. Plan your downtime in advance: most clients prefer to be off work and out of social settings for the full week.

How to take care of your skin after: We will send you home with a complete recovery kit and walk you through exactly how to use it. The basics: gentle cleansing, a protective barrier balm during the early days, and a good mineral SPF 30 every single day once your skin is intact. Skip hot showers, saunas, swimming, and sweaty workouts for at least a week. And please, do not pick or peel the flaking skin. Let it shed on its own. The patience pays off in your final result.

When Pixel CO2 might not be right for you: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, dealing with an active infection or open spot on your face, freshly tanned or sunburned, on Accutane within the past 6 to 12 months, taking a medication that makes you sun-sensitive, or in an active cold sore flare without antiviral coverage, we will need to wait. Same goes if you tend to form thick, raised scars. We will talk that through case by case. And if you have a deeper skin tone, Pixel CO2 takes extra care and planning. Sometimes a gentler resurfacing option like our Pixel Peel is the safer call, and we will be honest with you about the right path. Tell us everything at consultation and we will find it together.