ContourTRL

What is ContourTRL Treatment?

Contour TRL is a customizable erbium laser resurfacing treatment used for more intensive correction of wrinkles, sun damage, texture irregularities, scars, and crepey skin.

How Does It Work?

Contour TRL precisely removes damaged layers of skin at a controlled depth. As the skin heals, new skin forms and collagen remodeling improves texture, tone, and firmness.

Because treatment depth is customizable, downtime and intensity vary based on the goals, treatment area, and provider-selected settings. Deeper resurfacing generally creates more dramatic renewal and requires more intensive wound care.

Pre-Treatment Instructions

• Avoid tanning and excessive sun exposure before and after treatment as directed.
• Stop retinoids, exfoliants, and irritating products as instructed.
• Discuss antiviral medication if you have a history of cold sores.
• Plan social downtime and avoid important events until healing is complete.
• Tell your provider about all medications, supplements, allergies, medical conditions, recent procedures, and changes in your health.
• Please inform your provider if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Please inform your provider if you have active infection, open wounds, severe acne, or uncontrolled inflammatory skin condition in the treatment area.
• Please inform your provider if you have recent sunburn, tanning, or significant unprotected sun exposure.
• Please inform your provider if you have used isotretinoin/Accutane recently unless cleared by your provider.
• Please inform your provider if you have a history of keloids, abnormal scarring, poor wound healing, or immune suppression.
• Please inform your provider if you cannot commit to downtime, wound care, and strict sun avoidance.
• Arrive with clean skin and no makeup, lotion, oils, or self-tanner on the treatment area unless otherwise instructed.

What to Expect During Treatment

• Treatment time and downtime vary based on the depth and area treated.
• Numbing and/or additional comfort measures are typically used.
• Your provider will cleanse and prepare the treatment area before laser resurfacing begins.
• Protective eyewear or eye shields may be used when appropriate.
• You may feel warmth, pressure, stinging, or a sunburn-like sensation depending on the depth of treatment and comfort measures used.
• Redness, swelling, oozing, crusting, pinpoint bleeding, and significant peeling may occur.
• Healing is more intensive than lighter laser treatments and requires strict aftercare.

Post-Treatment Care and Expectations

• Follow the provided wound care instructions exactly.
• Keep the area moist with approved ointment or products as directed.
• Avoid sun exposure, heat, sweating, pools, hot tubs, saunas, and strenuous exercise as instructed.
• Do not pick, peel, or remove crusting or flaking skin.
• Avoid makeup and active skincare until cleared by your provider.
• Redness, swelling, oozing, crusting, pinpoint bleeding, and significant peeling may occur.
• Peeling and flaking should be allowed to shed naturally during the healing phase.
• Strict sun avoidance and careful wound care are essential to reduce the risk of infection, pigmentation changes, and scarring.

What to Avoid

• Avoid sun exposure, tanning beds, and self-tanner before and after treatment as directed.
• Avoid heat, sweating, strenuous exercise, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, pools, and swimming until cleared by your provider.
• Avoid picking, peeling, rubbing, scrubbing, exfoliating, or forcibly removing any crusting or flaking skin.
• Avoid makeup until your provider says it is safe.
• Avoid retinoids, exfoliating acids, scrubs, benzoyl peroxide, hydroquinone, and other active skincare until cleared by your provider.
• Avoid waxing, threading, dermaplaning, peels, lasers, or other procedures on the treated area until fully healed and cleared.
• Avoid important events until healing is complete and expected redness has significantly improved.

Skin Care

• Keep the treated area clean and moisturized exactly as instructed.
• Use only approved post-procedure products until cleared by your provider.
• Keep the area moist with approved ointment or products as directed.
• Do not scrub, exfoliate, pick, peel, or remove crusting or flaking skin.
• Avoid active skincare until cleared by your provider.
• Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher once your provider says it is appropriate.
• Resume pharmaceutical-grade skincare only when your provider clears you to do so.

Additional Recommendations

• Arrange downtime and avoid important events until healing is complete.
• Sleep with your head elevated if recommended to help minimize swelling.
• Use provider-approved comfort measures and medications only as directed.
• Take prescribed antiviral medication if recommended due to cold sore history.
• Maintain strict sun avoidance during healing and use long-term sun protection to help preserve results.
• Contact your provider promptly if healing does not follow the expected course or if symptoms worsen instead of improve.

Integrative Therapy Options

• A gentle Haus Ritual facial or Hydrafacial may be recommended after the skin has fully healed to support hydration and recovery.
• LED Light Therapy may be recommended when appropriate to help calm the skin and support post-procedure recovery.
• Pharmaceutical-grade skincare may be recommended after healing to support barrier repair, pigment control, and long-term maintenance.
• Complementary treatments such as BBL HEROic, MOXI, microneedling, or PRP may be discussed once the skin has fully healed and your provider clears you.

Risks and Possible Side Effects

While ContourTRL is generally well tolerated when performed by qualified providers, side effects may include but are not limited to:

• Temporary redness, swelling, oozing, crusting, itching, tenderness, and peeling.
• Prolonged redness, sensitivity, or delayed healing.
• Hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, line of demarcation, or texture change.
• Infection, burns, scarring, or persistent skin changes, rarely.
• Cold sore activation in patients with a history of herpes simplex virus.
• Results vary individually and cannot be guaranteed.

When to Contact Your Provider

Please call our office immediately if you experience:

• Excessive pain not relieved by provider-approved over-the-counter medications.
• Signs of infection such as increasing redness, warmth, swelling, drainage, pus, or fever.
• Severe or worsening swelling, blistering, crusting, discoloration, or open areas.
• Delayed healing, persistent bleeding, unexpected drainage, or worsening tenderness.
• Any allergic-type symptoms such as hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat. Seek emergency care for severe symptoms.
• Any other concerning or unexpected symptoms following treatment.

Seek Immediate or Emergency Care If

• You experience difficulty breathing, chest pain, throat tightness, wheezing, fainting, or swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat.
• You develop severe pain, rapidly worsening swelling, extensive blistering, spreading redness, or signs of a severe burn.
• You have fever, confusion, severe weakness, or symptoms that feel systemic or urgent.
• You are concerned that your symptoms may be medically serious or cannot reach the office promptly.

Follow-Up Care

• Attend all scheduled follow-up appointments so your provider can monitor healing and assess your results.
• Discuss additional treatments, maintenance plans, or alternative options with your provider if needed.
• Visible improvement may occur after healing, with continued collagen remodeling for several months.
• The degree of correction depends on treatment depth, skin condition, and healing response.
• Maintenance treatments, pharmaceutical-grade skincare, and consistent sun protection may be recommended to help preserve results.
• Results vary individually and cannot be guaranteed.

FAQ

Q: How much downtime should I expect?

A: Downtime varies based on treatment depth and area treated. Deeper resurfacing may require more social downtime, strict wound care, and careful sun avoidance.

Q: Is ContourTRL more intensive than lighter laser treatments?

A: Yes. Healing is more intensive than lighter laser treatments and may involve redness, swelling, oozing, crusting, pinpoint bleeding, and significant peeling.

Q: When will peeling or flaking occur?

A: Peeling and flaking may occur as treated skin renews. Do not pick, peel, or remove crusting or flaking skin; allow it to shed naturally.

Q: When will I see results?

A: Visible improvement may occur after healing, with continued collagen remodeling for several months.

Q: How many treatments will I need?

A: The degree of correction depends on treatment depth, skin condition, and healing response. Your provider will recommend whether additional treatments or maintenance are appropriate.

Q: Can I wear makeup after treatment?

A: Avoid makeup until your provider says it is safe, especially while skin is open, crusting, peeling, or actively healing.

Q: Can laser resurfacing trigger cold sores?

A: Cold sore activation may occur in patients with a history of herpes simplex virus. Discuss antiviral medication with your provider if you have a history of cold sores.

Summary

Contour TRL is a powerful resurfacing option for deeper skin correction and requires careful preparation, downtime planning, and aftercare.

If you have any questions or concerns before or after your treatment, please contact our office.

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