They say every scar tells a story but sometimes you wish that story had never been published.
They say every scar tells a story, but sometimes you wish that story had never been published. This guide covers the in-clinic laser landscape specifically - the types of lasers used, how they differ, and what to actually expect in terms of risk, aftercare and cost.
Sometimes scars carry a real psychological weight, particularly when the scarring links back to a traumatic incident, or affects how someone feels seen. That's a large part of why laser-based scar treatments have grown in popularity - they can meaningfully reduce the visibility of many types of scarring. Here's how the different approaches actually work.
The different types of in-clinic laser treatments
In-clinic laser procedures fall into two broad categories: ablative and non-ablative.
Ablative laser resurfacing removes the thin, top layer of skin (the epidermis) and heats the underlying dermis. This triggers the skin's natural healing response, stimulating fresh collagen production in the dermis, which thickens and plumps it, while the top layer resurfaces with fresh epidermis - leaving skin looking smoother and tighter. These work by targeting water present in and between cells. Because they cause a genuine wound, they're also the most aggressive category on this list, with the most dramatic single-session results and, correspondingly, the longest recovery.
CO2 laser (10,600nm)
The original ablative workhorse, and still one of the most aggressive options available. A CO2 laser vaporises tissue layer by layer, precisely enough to control depth but still causing a genuine thermal wound across the treated area. For deep acne scarring or well-established surgical scars, a single CO2 session can produce results that would take several sessions of a gentler device to match - which is exactly why it remains popular despite the downtime. The trade-off is real: expect two to three weeks of raw, weeping, heavily scabbed skin, a meaningful pain profile even with topical or local anaesthetic, and - critically - a high risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation on medium-to-dark skin tones, to the point that many practitioners avoid it on Fitzpatrick IV-VI skin altogether, or restrict it to fractional delivery (see below) rather than a full non-fractionated pass.
Erbium:YAG laser (2940nm)
A more water-selective wavelength than CO2, which sounds technical but matters practically: it's absorbed more precisely by water in the skin, so it removes tissue with less collateral thermal spread into surrounding skin. That translates into a shorter recovery (often 5-7 days rather than two to three weeks) and a somewhat lower - though not eliminated - pigmentation risk, making it a more common choice than CO2 for patients with medium skin tones who still need an ablative result. The trade-off is that results per session are generally milder than CO2, so more sessions may be needed for comparable improvement on deeper scarring.
Fractional delivery (of either CO2 or Erbium:YAG)
Both of the above can be delivered "fractionally" - the laser treats a grid of microscopic columns across the skin, leaving untreated tissue between each one. This dramatically cuts downtime (often 3-5 days rather than weeks) because so much surrounding tissue is left intact to support faster healing, and it also meaningfully lowers pigmentation risk on darker skin, since less total surface area is wounded at once. The cost is that results build more gradually across a course of sessions rather than arriving in one dramatic reveal - a genuine trade of speed for safety and repeatability.
Nd:YAG (Neodymium, 1064nm)
A non-ablative laser that works differently again: rather than wounding the surface, it penetrates deeper and, depending on the mode, either heats tissue to stimulate collagen (long-pulsed mode) or selectively targets pigment and blood vessels (Q-switched mode). Because it doesn't ablate the epidermis, downtime is far shorter - often just redness for a few hours to a day - and in Q-switched form at longer wavelengths, it's considered one of the safer heat-based options for darker skin tones specifically, when settings are calibrated correctly by an experienced practitioner. It generally needs more sessions than an ablative laser to reach a comparable result, since each pass is gentler by design.
Diode lasers
Diode lasers span a range of wavelengths (commonly 800-1000nm) and are used across both hair removal and, at different settings, scar and vascular treatment. Like Nd:YAG, they're non-ablative and work by heating targeted structures beneath the surface rather than wounding the epidermis. Downtime is typically minimal - some redness, rarely more - but the same underlying risk applies: any heat-based device that's absorbed differently by melanin-rich skin carries some risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation if settings aren't adjusted for darker skin tones.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)
Technically not a true laser - it emits a broader spectrum of light rather than a single coherent wavelength - but it's heat-based and grouped here for that reason. IPL is commonly used for redness, vascular marks and superficial pigmentation associated with scarring, delivered across a handful of quick sessions with little to no downtime. It's the gentlest heat-based option on this list, but also the one with the least reliable pigmentation safety margin: IPL is generally not recommended for darker skin tones at all, since the broad spectrum of light is more likely to be absorbed by melanin broadly rather than a specific target, raising burn and hyperpigmentation risk substantially compared with a wavelength-selective laser.
Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
Worth being precise on one point here, since it's easy to blur: LLLT is a genuine non-ablative option offered in advanced dermatology clinics, working through photobiomodulation - lower-intensity coherent laser light that stimulates cellular activity without heat damage - rather than the thermal mechanism every option above relies on. It's a different technology to LED light devices, which are far more common in the at-home market: LED and LLLT get lumped together often, but they use different light sources (incoherent versus coherent) and aren't interchangeable in terms of evidence or mechanism. Because LLLT doesn't rely on heat or selective pigment absorption, the post-inflammatory pigmentation risk that applies to every option above is far lower here - though the trade-off, as with any gentler technology, is a slower and more modest result that needs consistency over time rather than a single dramatic session.
In short: ablative treatments (CO2, Erbium:YAG) remove the top layer of skin for the most dramatic single-session results and the longest recovery; non-ablative heat-based treatments (Nd:YAG, Diode, IPL) work on underlying tissue with shorter downtime but usually need more sessions; and LLLT sits apart from both, trading speed for a substantially lower risk profile. Which is right for a given scar depends on the type of scar, skin tone, budget, and pain tolerance - and skin tone specifically should weigh heavily in that decision, since the pigmentation risk varies enormously across this list rather than being a flat, universal side-effect.
The risks and costs of in-clinic laser treatments
In-clinic laser procedures often require multiple sessions and vary widely in price and clinical efficacy - and they are not without risks. It's essential to do your research and use a reputable, experienced practitioner.
Risks and complications
How many sessions are needed depends on the type of treatment and the severity of the scarring. What's beyond doubt is that the more in-clinic treatments undertaken, the greater the risk of complications - including post-treatment scarring, hyperpigmentation, and aggressive breakouts. Fully ablative lasers in particular can cause significant pain and discomfort, and there's a real risk to the eyes with clinical lasers generally, which is why protective eyewear is standard practice.
Aftercare
In-clinic laser scar treatments often require complex aftercare. After a fully ablative procedure, skin is likely to be raw, bloodied, oozing and heavily scabbed. Someone may need to help care for you in the first 24 hours before you begin a regimen of rotating cold compresses multiple times a day. Time off work is common, and sun exposure needs to be avoided for up to two weeks post-treatment, with continued caution well beyond that. Recovery typically runs four to six weeks.
Cost
Price depends on the location and severity of the scarring, the type of laser used, and the number of sessions required. It's not unusual for the total cost of laser scar removal to run into several thousand pounds by the time a full course is complete.
Elsewhere in your skin routine: radiance and fine lines
Separately from scar-specific treatment, general skin radiance and fine lines are a different concern with a different set of tools. The LYMA Laser PRO is a cold, near-infrared low-level laser device designed for that broader remit - supporting collagen production and skin radiance, with published clinical data on wrinkles and skin tightening.
It's a different mechanism and a different use case from the in-clinic scar treatments covered above, and worth exploring on its own terms if fine lines and overall radiance - rather than scarring - are what you're looking to address.
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