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Possible Sweat Gland Damage After Laser Treatments
Laser treatments typically only penetrate the first few layers of skin. Depending on the type of laser and the specifics of your treatment will vary the depth of your treatment. Most "resurfacing" or "fractional resurfacing" laser treatments penetrate relatively deeply into the dermis and are called "ablative therapy" because they are actually causing some degree of tissue destruction. Sweat glands are typically in the very deep dermis or hypodermis and have channels that penetrate through the dermis and epidermis to allow sweat out when signaled by the underlying nerves. As the sweat glands and nerves that supply them are deeper that a typical laser treatment should be able to penetrate they are likely still intact.
Clinical Context
After laser resurfacing, the skin above sweat glands can swell and go through normal healing as it regenerates. Some patients notice temporarily reduced sweating in the treated area during this healing phase. This is generally related to surface healing rather than injury to the sweat glands or the nerves that control them, which sit deeper in the skin than most lasers reach. As healing completes, sweating in the area typically returns to normal.
