How Much Does CO2 Laser Resurfacing Cost?

The one national figure we found comes from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS): its cost page lists an average of $1,829 for skin resurfacing procedures like laser skin resurfacing, citing its latest statistics (page read October 2026).

ASPS states the figure excludes related costs such as facility fees, anesthesia and prescriptions.

It is a plastic-surgeon fee, not a med spa price, and the page does not separate CO2 from other resurfacing lasers, or traditional from fractional.

For med spa pricing specifically, we could not confirm a national average or range for CO2 laser resurfacing, and we found no data on how prices for it vary by practice, city or device.

The way to price your case is an itemized written quote.

Still weighing the treatment itself?

The CO2 laser resurfacing guide covers what the procedure involves and what recovery looks like.

Two quotes both labeled "CO2 laser" can describe different purchases — these are the differences the published sources document.

• Area and anesthesia. Cleveland Clinic describes resurfacing as an outpatient procedure done with local anesthesia, often plus oral or IV sedation; general anesthesia may be used for a full face. A partial-face treatment takes 30 to 45 minutes and a full face 1.5 to 2 hours, and anesthesia is one of the costs ASPS's average excludes. ASDS notes topical anesthetics are used to numb small treatment areas, with a nerve block or conscious sedation possible for larger treatments.
• Device and mode. "CO2" is not one setting. Cleveland Clinic explains that traditional CO2 injures the whole treatment area uniformly, while fractional CO2 drills many narrow columns into the skin and leaves surrounding skin intact. These are 510(k)-cleared devices, not FDA-approved ones — the Candela/Syneron CO2RE system, for example, was cleared in 2018 for dermatological procedures requiring ablation, coagulation and resurfacing of soft tissue including skin.
• Recovery. The figures differ by source and laser. Cleveland Clinic gives up to two weeks for traditional CO2 and one full week for fractional, with areas healing in 5 to 21 days; ASDS says 3 to 10 days depending on the depth of resurfacing and the laser, with daily soaks, ointment and re-dressing; the AAD says ablative resurfacing means staying home 5 to 7 days and carries greater risk of side effects such as scarring. Ask what aftercare and follow-up a quote includes.
• Your skin. ASDS and Cleveland Clinic both say people with active acne or very dark skin usually are not good candidates for ablative resurfacing; Cleveland Clinic adds that darker skin carries greater risk of healing with hyperpigmentation, and that erbium may be a better choice for darker skin. If a practice recommends a different laser instead, you are comparing different treatments.
• Prep and prescriptions. Cleveland Clinic advises avoiding tanning and using broad-spectrum sunscreen for 4 weeks beforehand, avoiding photosensitizing drugs such as doxycycline and minocycline for at least 72 hours, starting antivirals if you have a history of herpes, and possibly a topical retinoid for about 4 weeks. Prescriptions are among the costs ASPS's average leaves out.

We found no national data on how much provider experience or city changes CO2 resurfacing prices specifically, so comparing local quotes is the way to gauge those two factors.

We could not confirm a typical number of sessions for CO2 resurfacing, and no source we checked prices a series.

The best evidence is a small trial, not a pricing rule: in a randomized split-face trial of 28 people, a single fractional CO2 or fractional Er:YAG session around the eyes reduced wrinkle depth by about 20%, with no meaningful difference between the two lasers.

The authors concluded multiple sessions may be needed, which offsets fractional lasers' proposed advantage of less downtime.

Results also unfold over time: Cleveland Clinic says skin may keep improving for up to a year after resurfacing, and the improvement may last several years, though normal aging brings new wrinkles.

Ask whether each quote covers a single session or a course, and what a repeat session would cost.

Start with what is certain: Cleveland Clinic says insurance does not cover cosmetic resurfacing, so this is an out-of-pocket purchase.

On packages, we did not find verified CO2 package pricing from any national source or chain.

If a practice offers one, compare its total against the per-session price times the session count, and ask about expiry, refunds and unused sessions.

Financing changes the price rather than just spreading it.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found in May 2023 that many medical credit cards use deferred ("springing") interest over 6 to 18 month promotional periods: if any balance remains, all interest since the purchase date is charged.

The CFPB reported $1 billion in deferred interest paid on healthcare purchases from 2018 to 2020, and a typical medical credit card APR of 26.99% versus about 16% for general-purpose cards.

CareCredit's own terms, stated as accurate as of May 30, 2024, show the pattern: no interest if the promotional balance is paid in full within 6, 12, 18 or 24 months, otherwise 32.99% interest charged from the purchase date.

Before signing anything, compare financing options such as CareCredit, Cherry, PatientFi and Affirm.

A quote far below the others is a reason to ask more questions, not a reason to book.

The sources give you three concrete checks.

First, downtime honesty.

Cleveland Clinic puts recovery at up to two weeks for traditional CO2 and one full week for fractional.

Marketing that claims ablative CO2 needs no recovery time does not match those figures.

Second, screening.

ASDS and Cleveland Clinic say people with active acne or very dark skin usually are not good candidates for ablative resurfacing, while the good-candidate concerns are acne scars, uneven pigmentation, age spots, sun damage and fine lines around the eyes, forehead or mouth.

A practice should assess your skin before quoting.

Third, who performs it.

Our research found no national rule for who may perform CO2 or other ablative laser resurfacing in a med spa: who may do it is decided under state law through the state medical and nursing boards, not by FDA, and the rules differ by state.

Ask who will operate the laser on you, and check your state's rules before you book.

The complications are worth pricing in too: Cleveland Clinic lists milia, hyperpigmentation and rarely hypopigmentation, cold sore reactivation especially around the mouth, bacterial infection, swelling and very rarely scarring, and notes antivirals are often started before treatment.

We found no national med spa price for CO2 resurfacing, so a local comparison means collecting quotes yourself.

The ASPS average is a surgeon survey statistic, not a menu of local med spa prices.

Make quotes comparable by asking each practice for the same details in writing:

Compare the same area and the same type of resurfacing across practices, because a fractional quote and a traditional full-face quote are different purchases.

If a practice will not put an itemized price in writing, treat that as information too.

A licensed provider is the only one who can price your case — and tell you whether resurfacing suits your skin.