Orientation
Two procedures, two recovery shapes
Follicle laser · 1064 nm Nd:YAG
In-office, no downtime, multi-month cadence.
You drive yourself home. Normal activity the same day. The work is the four-to-six-month course, not the recovery from any one session.
Tunnel closure · 1470 nm intralesional
Walk in, walk out, desk work day one.
Closed wound — no open dressing course. Pressure dressing for 24–48 hours. Most patients are back to normal activity within the first week; treated tracts close over the next several weeks.
Follicle laser
Recovery after a follicle laser session
- The session
- 20–45 minutes depending on area. Topical cooling and short-acting numbing if helpful. No anesthesia; you drive yourself home.
- The next 24–72 hours
- Mild redness, warmth, and tenderness in the treated region — comparable to a sunburn. Cool compresses and a bland moisturizer are usually all that's needed. Avoid hot showers, saunas, and aggressive exercise in the treated area for 48 hours.
- Between sessions (4–6 weeks)
- Normal activity resumes the same day. We ask you to track flares and drainage in whatever format you'll actually use — a notes app is fine.
- Over the full course (4–6 months)
- Most patients notice a difference around sessions two or three. Full benefit is assessed three to six months after the course completes.
1470 nm intralesional tunnel closure
Recovery after tunnel closure
There is no open wound, no week-by-week dressing progression, and no elaborate care timeline. The honest five-line version is below.
- Day 0
- Walk out the same day. Some discomfort at injection sites; treated tracts may feel mildly tender. Pressure dressing in place for 24–48 hours.
- Day 1
- Most patients return to desk work. Mild tenderness only; over-the-counter analgesics are usually sufficient. Driving is fine. Travel from day 1.
- Days 2–7
- Normal daily activities. Minimal physical-activity limitations. No dressing changes beyond the initial 24–48 hours.
- Weeks 2–5
- Treated tracts progressively close. Median tract closure approximately five weeks in published series.
- Week 4–6
- In-office or virtual follow-up to assess closure. Additional sessions scheduled as needed.
Returning to life
Work, exercise, travel, intimacy
- Work
- Follicle laser: same day. Tunnel closure: most patients return to desk work the next day. Roles requiring heavy lifting may take a few days.
- Exercise
- Walking and normal daily activity from day 1 after tunnel closure. Light cardio and gym workouts typically resume within the first week.
- Travel
- No travel restriction after follicle laser. Travel from day 1 after tunnel closure — flights, driving, normal sitting tolerance.
- Intimacy
- Follicle laser: no restriction. Tunnel closure: a brief pause is reasonable until injection-site tenderness resolves; we give you a specific timeline at consult.
When to call
What to call us about
Conservative on purpose — we would rather hear from you and tell you it is normal than miss something that is not.
- Fever above 101.3°F (38.5°C) sustained over four hours, or any fever above 102°F (38.9°C).
- Bleeding that does not stop with 10 minutes of direct pressure.
- Sudden increase in pain that is not controlled by your prescribed or over-the-counter medication.
- Spreading redness or warmth around an injection site, particularly with red streaking outward.
- New pus-like or foul-smelling drainage from a treated tract.
- Anything that worries you. Even if you are not sure — call.
What we provide — and ask
The structure around your recovery
- A written aftercare summary
- Specific to your procedure and your anatomy. Short, because the aftercare for an intralesional closure is short.
- A direct contact path
- Practice line during business hours routes to the team that knows your case. After hours, the answering service pages on-call coverage. For chest pain, breathing difficulty, or heavy bleeding, the emergency department is the right path.
- Scheduled follow-up
- Tunnel closure: in-office or virtual at 4–6 weeks to assess tract closure. Follicle laser: at the conclusion of the induction series, with maintenance scheduled from there.
- What we ask of you
- Tell us if anything changes, ask before improvising, and let us know if smoking, weight, or metabolic factors are working against you — we'll offer support, not lectures.