We spend a lot of time talking about what happens during an aesthetic treatment: the laser, the settings, the downtime and, of course, the results. But the skin care you use after leaving the treatment room deserves attention too.
On a recent episode of The Beauty Authority, Kat Burki, founder of Kat Burki Skincare, joined us to discuss what she sees as the next frontier in post-procedure skin care. “I truly think the future of skin care is in that realm,” she says. As lasers, microneedling and other treatments become more sophisticated, Burki believes the way we support skin afterward should evolve too.
Press “play” on the video below for our full conversation, and keep scrolling for Burki’s take on recovery, the ingredients she’s focused on and how post-procedure care fits into the skin longevity conversation.
What Happens to Skin After a Treatment?
Treatments like microneedling and laser resurfacing are designed to create a controlled response in the skin. Depending on the treatment, that may mean stimulating cellular turnover, collagen production or both.
“What the skin goes through is an immediate inflammation, which is fine. You need that,” Burki says. “It’s your body signaling something to change.”
The more interesting part, she says, is what comes next. “You’ve stimulated the skin to turn over, and then a lot of times you leave it high and dry. What happens next with these new cells?”
Burki describes the next phase as a kind of “communication mode,” when different processes involved in recovery begin working together. That window is where she believes skin care has an opportunity to do more.
Why Recovery Is Getting More Attention
Post-procedure care has traditionally focused on protecting freshly treated skin and avoiding anything that could interfere with healing. Those basics still matter. As we’ve previously reported in our guide to the best post-procedure routine, what you use should always depend on the procedure and your provider’s instructions.
But Burki believes the category is moving beyond simply sealing and soothing the skin. “The messaging part of recovery is super important,” she says. “You want that to be as healthy and as connected, so your results are what you really want after that.”
The skin microbiome is a big part of her approach. “The skin is an organ on the outside with its own immune system, with its own microbiome,” she says. That perspective, she explains, came from her previous work in health care, epidemiology and disease management.
Where Peptides and Postbiotics Come In
Ingredients already familiar from anti-aging skin care are also finding a place in the recovery conversation. Peptides, for example, are central to Burki’s approach.
“Peptides are not new to the world, but they’re super important,” she says. “They need a delivery system.” She describes peptides as messengers and sees postbiotics as another way to support the skin’s microbiome during recovery.
Kat Burki
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Burki’s Regenesis brings those ideas together in what the brand describes as a recovery-focused formula with peptides, postbiotics, ceramides and B vitamins. As with any post-procedure product, check with your provider before incorporating it into your routine.
How Does This Fit Into Skin Longevity?
The recovery conversation is also part of the larger skin longevity movement. Rather than looking at an in-office treatment and daily skin care as separate things, Burki sees them as parts of the same long-term strategy.
“You’re really looking at giving the skin the ability to rejuvenate,” she says.
For Burki, ingredients such as peptides, postbiotics and growth factors fit into that broader focus on supporting the skin’s own processes over time. She believes skin care still has catching up to do. “Our treatments are getting better and better and more targeted and more understanding of how this actually works. However, the skin-care side of it isn’t there yet,” she says.
Watch the full episode of The Beauty Authority above to hear more from Burki about post-procedure recovery, peptides, the microbiome and where she sees skin care going next.
