How to Treat Uneven Skin Texture
This is the same advice I give my patients—the best ways to improve uneven skin texture and reveal a smooth, healthy complexion, both in office treatments and at home.
What Causes Uneven Skin Texture?
First, it’s important to understand the underlying causes of uneven skin texture. Three key factors play a critical role:
Genetics
If your mom had larger pores, you are more likely to have larger pores than someone whose mother had very fine pores.
Age
As we age, skin cell turnover slows. Dead skin cells accumulate on the surface, leading to a dry, dull, rough texture.
Skin Care
No matter your genetic makeup or age, there is a lot you can do to improve the texture of your skin with the right treatments and routine.
In-Office Treatments to Improve Skin Texture
Maintaining smooth, even skin texture requires a combination of at-home care and professional treatments. Below are the most effective in-office procedures to improve skin texture.
Dermaplaning
Dead skin and peach fuzz are professionally and carefully removed with a scalpel to reveal smoother underlying skin. Typically performed by a medical master aesthetician.
Downtime:
Expect mild pinkness for the rest of the day. Avoid active treatments (retinol, vitamin C serums) for 48 hours to prevent irritation. Use restorative products like Doctor Rogers Face Cream and a zinc-based sunscreen.
Superficial Depth Peels
Rough skin is removed through chemical exfoliation using alpha and beta hydroxy acids. Typically performed by a medical master aesthetician in a physician’s office.
Downtime:
Expect mild pinkness for the rest of the day. Avoid active skin treatments for 48 hours.
Microdermabrasion
Rough skin is removed through physical exfoliation. Typically performed by a medical master aesthetician in a physician’s office.
Downtime:
Expect mild pinkness for the rest of the day. Avoid active skin treatments for 48 hours.
Microneedling
Results are variable and depend heavily on the provider and depth of treatment. Better results require deeper penetration and multiple passes. Unlike lasers, microneedling creates mechanical injury without heat.
Downtime:
Expect 1 day of pinpoint bleeding followed by 3–5 days of rough skin. I recommend an occlusive ointment such as Restore Healing Balm the first night, daily zinc-based sunscreen, and then a bland moisturizer mixed with Restore Healing Balm nightly for five days.
Resurfacing Lasers
Non-Ablative Lasers
Less powerful examples: Clear and Brilliant, LaseMD, 3D Miracle with UltraClear
These treatments create controlled, superficial injury to about 5% of the skin, stimulating cell turnover and collagen production. They lift brown spots and smooth texture, with visible improvement about two weeks later. Results are more impressive than peels or microneedling, with minimal downtime. This is one of my most popular treatments—and my favorite two weeks before a big press event.
Downtime:
Mild swelling and redness for the first 6 hours, followed by 7 days of dryness. Avoid active treatments (retinol, vitamin C serums) for 5 days. We provide a post-laser kit with Doctor Rogers products to ensure rapid recovery without irritation.
More powerful examples: Fraxel Dual, Sciton, Halo
These treatments deliver more energy to a higher percentage of the skin, resulting in greater improvement in brown spots, fine lines, and texture.
Downtime:
Expect 2 days of redness and swelling, 7 days of small crusts, and up to 14 days of dry skin with pink undertones. By day 4, makeup can typically be worn.
Ablative Lasers
Most powerful examples: Sciton Halo, UltraClear, Fraxel Repair, Deka Dot, Lumenis Ultrapulse, Lutronic Core, Alma Pixel CO₂
These are the most aggressive and effective treatments for texture, wrinkles, pore size, eyelid laxity, and acne scarring. They create deeper injury, stimulating significant new collagen and elastin formation. This is my favorite category of laser because the results are the most dramatic.
Downtime:
Expect 4 days of significant swelling, redness, and grid marks, followed by 7–14 days of crusting and 14–28 days of dry skin with pink undertones. Makeup can typically be worn by day 5.
Improving Skin Texture at Home
At home, improving skin texture requires products that promote consistent cell turnover. I recommend alternating retinol or tretinoin on some nights with AHA- or BHA-based products on other nights. These treatments are best used in the evening.
Morning skincare should focus on protection—specifically antioxidants and zinc-based sunscreen.
Skin Care Routine for Smooth Texture
Morning
Wash your face with a gentle cleanser or splash with water, such as Doctor Rogers Face Wash
Liquid Exfoliant can give the skin a glass-like smoothness. These products remove the top layer of dead skin so light reflects more uniformly, but they do not do the collagen-building work of nighttime cell-turnover treatments for long term texture improvement. SkinCeuticals Cell Cycle Catalyst is one of my favorites.
Apply an antioxidant serum with vitamin C to protect against pollution and UV damage
Moisturize tailored to your skin type, DR Face Lotion for normal to oily skin or DR Face Cream for normal to dry skin.
Apply a zinc-based sunscreen. You can find my recommendations in my 2025 Sunscreen Guide blog
Evening
Wash your face
Apply your treatment of choice (retinol/tretinoin or AHA/BHA), such as DR Night Repair Treatment to promote cell turnover to build collagen, exfoliate and smooth the skin.
Moisturize with a nourishing cream like DR Face Cream
Final Thoughts
Lastly, avoid habits that impair skin renewal, including smoking, dehydration, excessive sun exposure, and inadequate sleep. All can slow cell turnover and contribute to dull, uneven texture.
Also avoid physical scrubs containing microbeads, sand, or nut shells. These products allow too much room for human error, and excessive pressure creates microscopic cuts in the skin— damaging our skin and ultimately worsening texture rather than improving it.
These recommendations are not sponsored. They are the result of Dr. Heather D. Rogers, MD evidence-based research and extensive clinical experience.
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