How Often Should You Actually Get Treatments? A Physician's Cadence Guide
Most people ask which treatment they need. The better question is how often. Frequency is where good plans quietly fall apart, and it is the part almost nobody explains in the open. So here is the whole calendar, including a sample year.
A patient in their fifties sits down with me and lists everything they have heard about: CO2 laser, RF microneedling, Sculptra, peptides, hormones, biological age testing. Then they ask the question that actually matters. How often?
It deserves a straight answer, because cadence is where most plans fail. Too often, and you are managing inflammation you created. Not often enough, and you are maintaining nothing. And almost everyone is under-scheduling the one thing that tells them whether any of it is working.
The principle: depth and biology set the clock
Every treatment on this list works by triggering a biological response, usually a wound-healing and collagen-remodeling cascade. That response has its own timeline. New collagen is laid down and organized over months, not days. Booking the next session before the last one has finished working does not speed anything up. It just stacks inflammation on top of an unfinished repair.
So the interval is not a sales decision. It is set by how deep the treatment reaches, how long the tissue takes to respond, and what your measurements say.
Frequency isn't the plan. Frequency is what falls out of the plan once you've actually measured something.
The full cadence, category by category
These are typical intervals for an adult patient with healthy healing. They are starting points, not prescriptions. Skin type, history, medications and goals move all of them.
Resurfacing and laser
| Treatment | Typical cadence | Why |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 laser, full face | Once a year at most. Often every 2 to 3 years. | Depth does the work, not repetition. The remodeling runs for months after a single properly delivered session. |
| CO2 laser, targeted zone | 1 to 2 sessions, then reassess at 12 months | Smaller areas can be staged, then measured before anything is repeated. |
| Red light | 2 to 4 times per week, ongoing | Supportive, not a treatment on its own. |
Collagen and structure
| Treatment | Typical cadence | Why |
|---|---|---|
| RF microneedling | A series of 3, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart, then once a year | A series builds the result. Annual maintenance holds it. |
| Ultherapy | Every 12 to 18 months | Lifting and tightening runs on a long clock. |
| Biostimulators (Sculptra, Radiesse) | A vial series up front, then top up every 18 to 24 months | These build collagen, not volume. The effect keeps developing for 3 to 6 months after each session. |
| PRP | A series of 3, then 1 to 2 times a year | Your own platelets. Series first, maintenance after. |
Internal medicine
| Protocol | Typical cadence | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Peptides | Reviewed every 3 months | Cycled, never continuous, and always checked against bloodwork. |
| GLP-1 (semaglutide, tirzepatide) | Weekly dosing, labs every 3 months | Tracked against body composition, not just the scale, so muscle and facial volume are protected. |
| Hormone optimization | Bloodwork every 3 to 6 months | Adjusted continuously. Never set and forget. |
| IV nutrient therapy | Only when indicated | When a deficiency actually shows on a panel, not on a schedule. |
Diagnostics: the part nobody schedules
| Measurement | Typical cadence | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Biological age (epigenetic testing) | Every 6 to 12 months | The number that tells you whether any of this is working. |
| Skin analytics | Every 3 to 6 months | Photodamage and skin health, measured under standardized imaging. |
| Full-body MRI | Annually | Radiation free. We catch it first. |
| VO2 max & body composition | Annually | Fitness and muscle mass age you faster than your face does. |
The honest part. Most patients are getting more injectables and fewer measurements than they need. Repeating a treatment on schedule is easy. Proving it worked is the hard part, and it is the only part that compounds.
Book the physician consultation. $499 includes TruAge biological age testing. Your deposit is applied to further diagnostics. Book now →
A sample year, month by month
Here is what a real calendar can look like. This example is for a hypothetical 50-year-old with moderate sun damage, early laxity and a hormone protocol already in place, starting in October. It is an illustration of how the intervals fit together, not a plan for you. Yours is built after your baseline.
- Bloodwork & biological age
- Skin analytics imaging
- VO2 max & body composition
- CO2 pre-care begins
- CO2 laser, full face (early Nov)
- Recovery protocol
- Healing check
- Hormone bloodwork
- Red light, 2 to 4x weekly
- Biostimulator, session 1
- Peptide review
- Skin analytics re-image
- Biostimulator, session 2
- RF microneedling, 1 of 3
- RF microneedling, 2 of 3
- Peptide review
- RF microneedling, 3 of 3
- Hormone bloodwork
- No resurfacing. SPF & repair skincare
- Peptide review
- Skin analytics re-image
- Full-body MRI
- Biological age re-test
- VO2 max & body composition
- Plan year two from the data
Not on this year's calendar: a second full-face CO2 laser (likely not needed for 2 to 3 years), a biostimulator top-up (18 to 24 months out), and annual RF microneedling maintenance (next spring). Count the in-clinic procedures: six. Count the measurements: more than that. That ratio is the point.
Why the dark months are resurfacing season
Notice the laser sits in November. That is deliberate. Healing skin is vulnerable to pigment change, and ultraviolet exposure is one of the biggest drivers of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after resurfacing. In Canada, UV levels drop sharply from October onward, so a CO2 laser in the fall is a different decision than the same laser in June. Downtime is also easier to take when you are indoors more and the social calendar has not yet peaked.
If you are planning for the season, these are the windows I would work back from:
- Biostimulators: book by October 1. Collagen takes 3 to 6 months to show. Start later and you are building it for spring.
- RF microneedling: start by October 1. A series of 3 takes about 12 weeks, and you want to finish two weeks clear of anything else.
- CO2 laser: aim for early November. UV drops, and so does pigment risk while skin heals. The fall is the window.
- Bloodwork and biological age: before December 31. A year-end baseline is what makes every number in January mean something.
If you miss those windows, that is fine. The sample year above starts collagen work in January for exactly that reason. The sequence matters more than the start date.
Sequencing: why the order matters as much as the interval
Stacking treatments too close together is one of the most common and most avoidable causes of complications. Each procedure creates a healing response, and two overlapping healing responses in the same tissue compete with each other. That is why, in the sample year, the CO2 laser heals fully before collagen stimulators begin, and the RF series runs on its own.
Internal readiness matters too. Elevated inflammation, low vitamin D, poor glucose control and hormonal deficiency all slow repair. That is why we run bloodwork before aggressive resurfacing, and sometimes delay the laser to fix the terrain first. I have written more about how combination protocols are sequenced and how to prepare for CO2 recovery.
What this means if you come to see me
- We start with measurement, not a treatment menu. Your baseline sets your calendar.
- Your intervals will be specific to you. Some patients need less than the ranges above, some need a different order entirely.
- Every repeat is earned. If the numbers are not moving, we change the protocol instead of repeating it.
- Measure, treat, measure again. That is the cadence underneath every other cadence.
Frequently asked questions
How often can you safely get a CO2 laser?
For a full-face treatment, once a year at most, and many patients only need one every 2 to 3 years. A properly delivered CO2 laser works through depth, and the collagen remodeling it triggers continues for months. Smaller targeted zones can sometimes be staged in 1 to 2 sessions and reassessed at 12 months. Your skin type, history and healing decide the final interval.
How often should I get Sculptra or Radiesse?
Biostimulators are usually given as a series up front, then topped up every 18 to 24 months. They build collagen gradually over 3 to 6 months after each session, so rebooking early does not accelerate the result.
How many RF microneedling sessions do I need?
A typical starting point is a series of 3, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart, followed by one maintenance session a year. Some patients with more laxity or scarring need a different plan.
What is the best time of year for laser resurfacing?
In Canada, fall and early winter. Lower UV exposure reduces the risk of pigment change while skin heals, and downtime is easier to manage. Sun protection still matters year round.
How often should I test my biological age?
Every 6 to 12 months is a practical interval. Testing much more often rarely shows meaningful change, and testing less often makes it hard to tell which part of your protocol is doing the work.
Can I follow the sample calendar on my own?
No. It is an illustration of how intervals fit together for one hypothetical patient. Your plan should be built by a physician after a baseline assessment, because medications, skin type, medical history and goals change both the order and the spacing.
Your calendar starts with your baseline.
Intervals are only as good as the measurements behind them. Start with biological age, bloodwork and skin imaging, and we build the cadence from there.
See the diagnostics panel
Biological age, skin analytics, full-body MRI, VO2 max and body composition: the appointments nobody schedules.
Read more → BookBook the physician consultation
$499 includes TruAge biological age testing. Your deposit is applied to further diagnostics.
Book now → Shop Sajic Skin ScienceGMA7 Ultimate Protection Set
Daily repair and protection between treatments, so every session holds longer.
Shop now →Not sure which is right for you? Call 1-888-430-4665 or email consult@sajicskin.com and our team will point you to the right starting point.
This article is for education and general information only. It is not medical advice, does not establish a physician-patient relationship, and should not replace consultation with a qualified physician. Intervals shown are typical ranges and a hypothetical example, not a treatment plan. Individual results vary. Dr. Dusan Sajic is a board-certified dermatologist in Canada and the United States with a PhD in molecular immunology and inflammation, and the founder of Sajic Longevity & Laser Med Spa, with clinics in Guelph, Ontario and Beverly Hills, California.