I recently got a nano laser peel done, and I wanted to document my full experience - not just the results, but everything in between.

If you’re considering it, this is exactly what it looked and felt like for me.

Day 1: The Shock

I had my nano laser peel done, and within 2 hours post-treatment… I had a lot to say.

It hurt. Like… it really hurt. It burned in a way I wasn’t expecting at all. I went in planning to do both my face and neck, but I couldn’t tolerate the pain, so I skipped my neck completely.

I think I was honestly just in shock. When it was done, I didn’t even know if I could drive home.

I got this done more as a preventative step - I had just turned 40 and wanted to take better care of my skin.

But during the treatment? I was definitely questioning that decision.

Day 2: Relief

I woke up with no pain - which felt like a huge win.

There was still some tingling here and there, but compared to Day 1, it was nothing. My skin looked shiny because I had to keep it heavily moisturized at all times. I was told not to let it dry out at all during healing.

The grid pattern from the laser was still very visible, and I wasn’t sure when that would fade.

Day 3: Peeling Begins

This is when things started to shift.

My skin felt tight, dry, and more uncomfortable than the day before. And the peeling officially started. It was one of those phases where your skin doesn’t look great yet - but you know it’s part of the process.

I was still waiting for the grid lines to fully go away.

Day 4: The Not-So-Pretty Stage

Peeling really picked up.

The darker, thicker areas - especially around my chin were where the grid lines had been, and now that skin was starting to come off. I wasn’t allowed to touch or peel anything myself, so I had to just let it fall off naturally. This stage wasn’t the cutest. My skin felt itchy, dry, and uncomfortable.

But I could finally see some of the grid lines starting to fade.

Day 5: Reality Check

By Day 5, a lot of peeling had already happened.

One thing I realized - this is not a weekend treatment. I feel like I had read that somewhere, but that wasn’t my experience at all. I was told healing could take a week or more depending on your skin, and that’s exactly how it turned out for me. I also avoided the sun completely. Even when I stepped out briefly, I wore a big brim hat and avoided direct sunlight as much as possible.

If you’re planning this - give yourself enough time to recover.

Day 6: Turning a Corner

By Day 6, things started to look a lot better.

Most of my skin had peeled, with just a few areas left. I also started noticing a pattern - right before peeling, the skin would get very dry, itchy, and tingly. Then suddenly… it would peel. The areas that had already peeled felt incredibly smooth, which made me excited for the rest.

Day 7: Results + Reality

By Day 7, I finally felt excited about the results.

My skin looked so much better and I could really see why people do this. But healing wasn’t completely done. I still had slight flaking, and my skin was sensitive - especially to sunlight. Even with a hat, if the sun hit my face, I could feel a tingling sensation.

This is when I realized:
Day 7 doesn’t mean you’re done - it just means the peeling phase is over, and deeper healing is still happening.

What I Used During the Process

I kept things very simple. These were my 4 essentials:

A gentle facial cleanser. The one I trust for daily cleansing is Vanicream.
Aquaphor to keep my skin hydrated during healing.
A mineral sunscreen (once I was able to use it). My preference is always Colorscience.
A big brim hat - honestly a must, even when just driving.

Day 8: Final Thoughts (For Now)

By Day 8, my skin looked and felt amazing.

It was smooth, tight, and glowy - exactly what I was hoping for. I did this mainly as a preventative treatment for fine lines, especially on my forehead and around my eyes and I can definitely see the difference. I’m excited to see how my skin continues to improve over the next few weeks.

Would I Do It Again?

That’s a hard question. Looking back at Day 1 and how painful it was… I’m not sure. I do want to do my neck at some point.
A part of me wishes I had just done everything at once, because I don’t know if I want to go through the pain and downtime again anytime soon.

So… we’ll see.

Something Important I Experienced

There are a couple things that came up during my healing process that I think are worth sharing.

One of them was blepharitis.

Because I couldn’t properly cleanse my face - everything had to be a very gentle dab, no real washing and I was using heavier products like Aquaphor to keep my skin moisturized, I think that combination contributed to it. The buildup, plus not being able to fully clean the eye area like I normally would, definitely made my eyes feel irritated.

It’s something I probably should have expected, knowing my skin and how my body reacts.

And the second thing which I’ve experienced before - is how my body responds to stress.

Whenever I go through something physically stressful or painful, my body tends to hold tension in my neck, shoulders, and upper back.
It almost feels like I’m carrying weight I can’t put down. This has been happening for almost 6 years now. During this process, that tension built up for about 5 days. As my skin started to improve, I could feel that tension easing a bit - but not completely.

I’ll most likely need to see my physical therapist to fully release it.

Final Tip

If you’re considering a nano laser peel: Give yourself time.
This is not a quick, weekend recovery.

Questions?

If you have questions, feel free to reach out or leave a comment - I’m happy to share what the experience was like for me.

(This is my personal experience - always consult your provider for medical advice.)

Nano Laser Peel