You are not frightened of the laser, you are frightened of the week after it. Here is the honest day by day account of healing from UltraClear at Cannelle in Oxford, from the first evening to the three month mark.
Most people are not frightened of the laser itself. What worries you is the mirror for the week afterwards, and the videos that arrive uninvited the moment you search for resurfacing. The honest version of that week is calmer than the internet suggests, and it is the version Dr Mattia talks you through before you book.
UltraClear at Cannelle Skin Clinic in Oxford heals faster than the lasers those videos were filmed on. About 95 percent of each pulse lifts away damaged tissue, and only about 5 percent is left behind as warmth. That warmth stays inside its own microscopic channel rather than spreading into the skin beside it. Skin that has not been heated around the edges starts repairing from the first evening.
Dr Mattia Parducci (GMC 7635663) performs every UltraClear session in Oxford himself, from the first pass to the last. The week that follows holds no surprises for him, and more than 100 of these laser treatments have gone before yours. Those were done at our sister clinic in London, Dr Joney De Souza Skin & Laser, and his profile page sets out the training behind them.
Heat that spreads into the skin around each channel is what lengthens a recovery, and a cold fibre laser barely lets it spread. The treated columns are microscopic, the skin between them is untouched, and that untouched skin is what knits the new surface together. The recovery you are bracing for is measured in weeks, and this one is measured in days.
The healing photographs here are the manufacturer’s own, following real skin as it repairs one day at a time. They show the same three treatments Dr Mattia performs in Summertown, welcoming patients from across Oxfordshire, where UltraClear is new this autumn. Seeing the week laid out in order is worth more than any promise about it.
You have probably watched somebody else’s day three in close up on a phone screen, filmed at the worst hour of their worst day. Those clips never show the same face a fortnight later, or which laser it was, or how deep the pass went. A week described honestly and in order is a far better guide than a stranger’s worst morning.
Your concern decides which treatment you have, and each treatment carries its own healing with it. A light pass and a deep one do different work on different layers of skin. Dr Mattia matches the treatment to the skin in front of him, then tells you exactly what the week will look like.
The middle treatment, the UltraClear depth, is the one most people picture when they ask about downtime. It reaches the mid dermis, where fine lines, uneven texture, deeper sun damage, open pores and mild scarring live. Three to seven days of flushing and flaking follow while the new surface comes through. Here is how that week tends to go.
Day one feels warm and tight, much like an afternoon of strong sun on the face. Your skin looks flushed rather than raw, and the warmth eases through the evening. Barrier cream goes on, cleansing stays gentle, and heat, exercise and swimming all wait. Most people go home, keep the evening quiet and are surprised how ordinary it feels.
Days two and three are the most visible of the week. The flush is at its strongest, the skin feels rough under the fingertips, and a fine flaking begins as the new surface pushes up. It looks like skin that is working, because that is exactly what it is. Actives stay off, and your written routine carries the date for bringing retinoids and acids back.
Days four to seven are the turn. The flaking finishes, the flush softens to a pink you can see through, and the surface underneath is smoother than the one it replaced. Treated on a Thursday in Summertown, most people are comfortable in company by the start of the following week. A hat on Port Meadow at the weekend is a sensible plan while sunscreen does the rest.
Week two onward is when the mirror starts giving something back. The first real change shows once healing has finished, and then it keeps coming. Texture, tone and firmness go on improving for three to six months while the collagen beneath the new surface reorganises. Dr Mattia asks you to judge your skin at three months rather than at three weeks.
3DMIRACL is the lightest of the three, for dull tone, early sun damage and brightness. It takes ten to fifteen minutes and needs no topical numbing at all. You feel a warmth like mild sunburn that settles within hours, and you are faintly pink at most by the evening. There is no formal downtime, and most people keep it to a monthly rhythm while the glow builds.
The lightest pass has a small drama of its own, and it is better known in advance. For the first day or two the sun spots you came in about go darker, sometimes a shade or two deeper than before, as the treated pigment lifts towards the surface.
Between day three and day five it exfoliates away as fine, dry flakes, and the skin underneath comes through smoother and more even. A freckle turning coffee brown on day two is not a problem. It is the spot on its way out.
Laser Coring sits at the other end, for established acne scarring and long-standing texture. Under topical numbing it removes micro-columns of tissue outright rather than heating them, which is how it reaches scars that heat alone never shifted. There is pinpoint bleeding on the day, sometimes noticeable across scars, and healing runs seven to fourteen days. Our acne scarring page covers what he looks for.
Often one to three coring sessions, four to six months apart, is the whole plan. The three recoveries are not a menu to pick from, and that is the part worth understanding. Different targets need different depths, and each depth brings its own week with it. Dr Mattia chooses the treatment that answers your concern, then tells you which week to keep quiet.
Nothing about the aftercare is left to memory. After 3DMIRACL it is sunscreen daily, a gentle moisturiser and nothing active for 48 hours. After the deeper treatments you take home a written routine of barrier cream and gentle cleansing. Heat, exercise and swimming wait until you have healed, and there is a set date for your retinoids and acids.
Sunscreen protects the new surface you have just grown, every day of the year rather than only in August. Fresh skin holds its evenness best when strong sun is kept off it. Dr Mattia goes through the routine with you before you leave, and the clinic is a phone call away through the week.
This is also how to time a treatment before something that matters. Allow around a week after 3DMIRACL, four to six weeks after the UltraClear depth, and about three months after Laser Coring if you want the full result in the photographs. A tan in the month before or after any of them is the one thing that spoils the plan, so keep the sun off your face on either side.
The laser is never the first appointment, because a consultation comes ahead of it. Dr Mattia examines your skin in good light and with VISIA skin imaging, which shows the sun damage and texture sitting below what a mirror reveals. You talk through what you want changed, and he tells you which of the three treatments answers it.
If you have a deeper skin tone, he patch-tests a small, discreet area first. He then waits at least 24 hours before your first full session, so your skin is understood before it is treated. If another treatment would suit you better, you hear that plainly, along with what he would do instead.
He also asks about the things that shape a healing week. Isotretinoin in the recent past, a tan, a history of cold sores that would need antiviral cover, pregnancy, and any thick or raised scars you have had before. None of them is a verdict. Each one simply tells him how to set the depth and when to book you.
On average 3DMIRACL runs monthly, the UltraClear depth takes two or three sessions, and Laser Coring one to three. The number that applies to you comes out of the consultation. You leave with the healing described day by day, so the week ahead holds nothing you were not told about.
Cannelle is the only clinic in Oxford where UltraClear is performed by an experienced doctor, an easy run from Jericho, Botley and Wolvercote. If the week afterwards is the only thing that has stopped you, come and hear what it actually involves. Have a look at the UltraClear treatment page and the questions we are asked most, then get in touch when you are ready to sit down with him.
The doctor who performs every UltraClear session at Cannelle, filmed treating with the same laser at our sister clinic in London, Dr Joney De Souza Skin & Laser. Watch how the handpiece moves, how calm the skin stays, and how little fuss the whole thing involves.
If the healing is the part you want to understand, come and have it described properly by the doctor who performs the treatment. Book a consultation with Dr Mattia at our Summertown clinic, message us on WhatsApp or call 01865 511960.
These are the questions we hear most from people weighing up the week after a resurfacing laser. Whatever is missing here, Dr Mattia goes through it with you at the consultation.
Your concern decides the treatment, and each treatment carries its own healing. 3DMIRACL leaves a warmth like mild sunburn that settles within hours, with no formal downtime. The UltraClear depth brings three to seven days of flushing and flaking while the new surface comes through. Laser Coring, the deepest, bleeds in pinpoints on the day and heals across seven to fourteen days.
Day two is usually the most visible day of the week. The flush is at its strongest, the skin feels rough under the fingertips, and a fine flaking starts as the new surface pushes up. Barrier cream and gentle cleansing are all your skin wants, actives stay off, and the whole thing eases from about day four.
3DMIRACL needs no topical numbing and feels like a warm sunburn that fades within hours. Laser Coring, the deepest treatment, is performed under topical numbing, so you feel warmth and pressure rather than sharp pain. Dr Mattia performs every session himself in Oxford and adjusts the settings to your skin as he works, so comfort is part of the plan rather than something you put up with.
The flushing and flaking run three to seven days, so most people book the depth ahead of a quieter stretch at work. Treated on a Thursday, you would expect to be comfortable in company by the start of the following week. Dr Mattia gives you the day by day picture at your consultation, so you can plan properly.
Yes, and it is worth knowing in advance. Laser Coring removes micro-columns of tissue outright rather than heating them, so there is pinpoint bleeding on the day, sometimes noticeable across scars, which settles as the skin seals over the next day or two. That is the reason it reaches established acne scarring so well, and healing runs seven to fourteen days.
There is no formal downtime. The treatment takes ten to fifteen minutes, needs no topical numbing, and leaves a sunburn-like warmth that settles within hours. You are faintly pink at most by the evening. Sunscreen, a gentle moisturiser and nothing active for 48 hours is the whole routine, which is why people book it on a monthly rhythm.
After 3DMIRACL the brightness arrives within days. After the deeper treatments the first real change shows once healing has finished, and it keeps building from there. Texture, tone and firmness go on improving for three to six months while the collagen beneath the new surface reorganises. Dr Mattia asks you to judge your skin at three months.
What you want changed is what decides the treatment, and the healing comes attached to it. Different targets need different depths, and a light pass simply cannot reach an established scar. Dr Mattia matches the treatment to your skin at the consultation, then plans the timing around your life so the week lands where it suits you.
A written routine, handed to you before you leave. After 3DMIRACL it is daily sunscreen, a gentle moisturiser and nothing active for 48 hours. After the deeper treatments it is barrier cream and gentle cleansing, with heat, exercise and swimming on hold until you have healed, and a set date for bringing retinoids and acids back.
Every session is performed start to finish by Dr Mattia Parducci (GMC 7635663), our Lead Aesthetic Doctor. His experience of it runs to more than 100 treatments at our sister clinic in London, Dr Joney De Souza Skin & Laser. He sets your plan at the consultation, with VISIA skin imaging, before anything is switched on.
Our clinic is located in Summertown, Oxford, just north of the city centre in one of Oxford’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. Discreet and easy to reach, we offer a premium setting for bespoke skin, aesthetic and wellness care.
We welcome patients from across Oxford city and Oxfordshire, including Summertown, Headington, Kidlington, Abingdon, Bicester, Witney and the surrounding towns and villages. Whether you’re coming for routine skin-health treatments or specialist aesthetic consultations, our location is well connected and simple to access.
Our clinic, Cannelle Skin Clinic, is just minutes from Oxford city centre and easily reached by car, bus or rail. Oxford’s mainline stations Oxford Station and Oxford Parkway are a short taxi or bus ride away, and regular services link to London, Reading, Didcot, Banbury and beyond.
By car, we’re conveniently accessed via key local routes with nearby parking options; by public transport, frequent bus routes along Banbury Road drop you within a short stroll of the clinic.
Whether you’re travelling from within Oxfordshire, further afield in the UK or internationally, our clinic offers a calm, personalised and professional environment for your visit.
