Unfortunately, yes.
Heat-based treatments including lasers can cause an acne flare for some patients. As such, some patients who have significant comedones or whiteheads/ active acne can experience a temporary worsening of breakouts post treatment.
I tend to prepare them first with a chemical peel or topical/ antibiotics before doing laser treatments for them. CO2 lasers would tend to cause a worse flare compared to Q-switch or picolasers.
Patients should be aware of this risk.
