Is it okay to do the DOT laser before treating rosacea?

Dr. Irwin
March 23, 2011
Hello Doctor Irwin, Fantastic site! I'm 39, fair skinned with plenty of sun damage and considering your DOT laser treatment. However, I do have rosacea on my nose and a bit on my cheeks. Nothing over the top, just redness and some broken blood vessels on my nostril areas. Is it necessary to take care of my rosacea before your DOT laser treatment? Thanks so Much! DC

In general, it’s nice for your rosacea to be under control at least before undertaking a fractionated CO2 laser treatment like the DOT.  I’m assuming you’re avoiding your particular rosacea triggers and are at least using a prescription cream or gel like Metrogel or Finacea???

The reason is that this laser generates a fair amount of heat in the skin for a few days afterwards and you will be pretty red for at least a week or so.  It would be a shame to go through all that and then have a big rosacea flare on top of it all.  You want your skin to end up looking better not worse, even if the “worse” is temporary.   Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

Ask me your skincare question!

Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

  • All our content is written and researched by myself.
  • My medical office in Seattle has treated thousands of patients for 15+ years.
  • This site is not affiliated or financially tied to any product, treatment or device.
Ask Me Something
SkinTour Skincare
One of the best investments in your skin is your daily skincare. Why? Because you can prevent many problems with blotchy skin color, lack of glow, texture, some types of acne, and fine lines with good skincare products. You can also correct some of these problems with effective skincare products. Great skincare is often more expensive because quality ingredients are expensive. Some companies spend on research/development which benefits all of us and adds to the cost. Are they worth it? In general - yes! I have handpicked some of what I consider to be the best skin care products, and offer them for sale on SkinTour's shop. This is based on my team and I's testing and research at our clinic. Many of the products are in my own regimen. What could be better than using skin care products a dermatologist uses?!
Browse Shop