Laser Skin Resurfacing: Types, Cost, Recovery and Results

In the ablative form Cleveland Clinic describes, laser skin resurfacing removes the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, while heating the layer beneath it, the dermis.

Cleveland Clinic describes how the laser energy stimulates the growth of new collagen fibers, producing new skin that is smoother and firmer.

The same page calls the procedure a laser peel, lasabrasion or laser vaporization.

ASDS, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, names the two most common resurfacing lasers as CO2 lasers, used for wrinkles, scars, warts and other conditions, and erbium lasers, used for superficial and moderately deep lines and wrinkles on the face, hands, neck and chest.

Erbium lasers cause fewer side effects than CO2 lasers, according to ASDS.

The biggest split in the category is ablative versus non-ablative.

ASDS defines ablative resurfacing as treatment that removes layers of skin, and non-ablative laser rejuvenation as treatment that creates heat without injuring the skin surface, used for age spots, scars, sun damage and wrinkles.

Because one wounds the skin surface and the other does not, the two approaches carry very different recovery times and side-effect risks.

Fractional describes how the beam is delivered rather than a separate laser type.

Cleveland Clinic explains that traditional CO2 and erbium resurfacing injure the whole treatment area uniformly, while fractional CO2 treatment drills many narrow columns into the skin, leaving the surrounding skin untreated and intact.

Regulatory status is a device question, not a drug question: CO2 resurfacing lasers are 510(k)-cleared medical devices, not FDA-approved drugs.

As an example, FDA cleared the Candela/Syneron CO2RE fractional CO2 system (K181523, 2018) for dermatological procedures requiring ablation, coagulation and resurfacing of soft tissue including skin.

A cleared indication describes the device's category of use, not the result any one person will get.

Cleveland Clinic lists the concerns that make someone a good candidate for laser resurfacing as acne scars, chickenpox scars, uneven pigmentation, age spots, sun damage, and fine lines around the eyes, forehead or mouth.

For scars specifically, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says laser treatment can make a scar less noticeable but cannot get rid of it, and that results can take months to appear.

The same sources are direct about who usually is not a good candidate.

ASDS and Cleveland Clinic both say people with active acne or very dark skin usually are not good candidates for ablative laser resurfacing.

Cleveland Clinic also lists deep wrinkles and excessive or sagging skin as reasons someone may not be a good candidate.

Skin tone deserves its own caution.

Cleveland Clinic notes that darker skin carries a greater risk of healing with hyperpigmentation and that erbium may be a better choice for darker skin.

Skin type is a real limit here: ASDS says very dark skin usually makes someone a poor candidate for ablative resurfacing, and a 2026 systematic review of facial laser complications found post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation was the most common complication, particularly in Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI.

Preparation is part of candidacy.

Cleveland Clinic advises avoiding tanning and using broad-spectrum sunscreen for 4 weeks before treatment, not taking photosensitizing medicines such as doxycycline or minocycline for at least 72 hours beforehand, starting antiviral medicine if you have a history of cold sores, and possibly applying a topical retinoid in the 4 weeks before treatment.

For laser treatment of scars, the AAD adds quitting smoking for at least 2 weeks before, stopping vitamin E, aspirin and other products that delay healing as directed, stopping retinoid or glycolic acid products for 2 to 4 weeks, and not being treated with a tan or sunburn.

The clearest published figure is the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' (ASPS): the average cost of skin resurfacing procedures like laser skin resurfacing is $1,829, according to ASPS's latest statistics.

That number is a plastic-surgeon fee, not a med spa price, and ASPS says it excludes related costs such as facility fees, anesthesia and prescriptions.

ASPS's page also does not separate ablative from non-ablative treatment or CO2 from other lasers, so it is a category average rather than a quote.

We could not confirm a national med spa price for laser resurfacing from the sources for this guide.

When you collect quotes, it is worth asking what each one includes, because the ASPS figure excludes facility, anesthesia and prescription costs and a med spa quote may bundle those differently.

Several things change the size of a quote.

The laser matters, because the sources describe CO2, erbium, fractional and non-ablative resurfacing as different procedures with different recovery demands.

So does the area treated: Cleveland Clinic's own time estimates run from 30 to 45 minutes for a partial face to 1.5 to 2 hours for a full face.

The number of sessions a provider proposes matters too, since the ASPS figure is a procedure fee that excludes facility, anesthesia and prescription costs.

Insurance is its own track: Cleveland Clinic says insurance does not cover cosmetic resurfacing, and the AAD says insurers treat laser treatment of scars as cosmetic as well.

Our sources give no single session count for laser resurfacing, because the answer depends on the laser and the concern being treated.

What they describe is a spread rather than a rule.

For fractional treatment, the trial evidence is a useful reality check.

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

For non-ablative lasers, the AAD says a series of treatments is often required, and that results can take months to appear.

That guidance comes from the context of scar treatment, where the AAD also cautions that laser treatment can make a scar less noticeable but cannot get rid of it.

On the other end of the timeline, Cleveland Clinic says skin may continue to improve for up to a year after resurfacing, and that the improvement may last for several years.

Normal aging brings new wrinkles, so Cleveland Clinic's wording, that improvement "may last for several years," is deliberately not a promise of a permanent result.

The AAD adds one more timing point for ablative treatment: tightening and fewer wrinkles appear within 2 weeks after healing.

Our sources describe the numbing rather than the pain itself.

Cleveland Clinic describes resurfacing as an outpatient procedure done with local anesthesia, often plus oral or IV sedation, and says general anesthesia may be used for a full-face treatment.

ASDS notes topical anesthetics are used to numb small treatment areas, with a nerve block or conscious sedation considered for larger treatments.

Ask your provider what numbing they plan to use for the laser, settings and area they are proposing.

The time involved is measurable: Cleveland Clinic says a partial-face treatment takes 30 to 45 minutes and a full face takes 1.5 to 2 hours.

Recovery estimates differ by source and laser, so the ranges are worth seeing side by side rather than merged:

• ASDS says healing takes 3 to 10 days depending on the depth of resurfacing and the type of laser, with daily soaks, ointment and re-dressing.
• Cleveland Clinic gives recovery as up to two weeks for traditional CO2 resurfacing and one full week for erbium and for fractional resurfacing, with treated areas generally healing in 5 to 21 days.
• The AAD says ablative laser resurfacing requires staying home for 5 to 7 days and calls it the most effective non-surgical procedure for tightening loose skin, at the cost of a greater risk of side effects such as scarring.

Cleveland Clinic's day-by-day description goes like this: the skin is red, sensitive and sunburn-like at first and may be raw, ooze yellow fluid and blister; around days 5 to 7 it becomes dry and peels; the new skin appears pink and lightens over the following 2 to 3 months.

The aftercare Cleveland Clinic describes includes sleeping with an extra pillow for the first 4 days, cool compresses for the first 24 to 48 hours, petroleum jelly or similar until the skin heals, avoiding activities that cause flushing for 2 weeks, avoiding tretinoin or glycolic acid for 4 weeks, not picking at crusts and not smoking.

Makeup can be worn once the areas have healed, and green-based, oil-free makeup helps hide redness.

Redness is the long tail: Cleveland Clinic says it generally fades in 2 to 3 months but can take 6 months to a year to disappear, and that it lasts longer in people with blonde or red hair.

Shorter recovery is not zero recovery.

In Cleveland Clinic's estimates, fractional resurfacing still takes one full week of recovery time, and the 28-person split-face trial above found a single fractional session reduced wrinkle depth around the eyes by only about 20%.

Cleveland Clinic lists the possible complications of laser resurfacing as milia (which it notes can appear up to a month after treatment), hyperpigmentation and, rarely, hypopigmentation, reactivation of cold sores (especially after treatment around the mouth), bacterial infection, swelling and, very rarely, scarring.

It notes that antivirals are often started before treatment to prevent cold sores from reactivating.

ASDS lists a similar set of possible complications: swelling, a burning sensation, itching, scarring, pigmentation issues, infection and bumps from blocked sweat glands.

The largest recent review found a clear pattern by skin type and device.

A 2026 systematic review of facial laser complications (13 studies, 2,010 cases treated between 2019 and 2025) found post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation was the most common complication, particularly in Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI, and that ablative lasers (CO2 and Er:YAG) carried the highest risks of scarring and infection.

Eye injuries were less common but among the most severe complications.

Those patterns describe groups of cases; they do not predict what will happen in any individual treatment.

Which risks matter for you depends on the device, the depth, the area treated and your skin, which is the conversation to have with the provider before you book.

Within the laser family, the real comparison is between how much surface injury a treatment causes and what that injury buys, because that trade drives both the results and the recovery:

• Traditional ablative CO2 treats the whole area and removes layers of skin; Cleveland Clinic gives it up to two weeks of recovery, and the AAD calls ablative resurfacing the most effective non-surgical procedure for tightening loose skin, with 5 to 7 days at home and a greater risk of side effects such as scarring.
• Erbium treats superficial and moderately deep lines on the face, hands, neck and chest, with fewer side effects than CO2 per ASDS, and one full week of recovery per Cleveland Clinic.
• Fractional CO2 treats narrow columns and leaves the surrounding skin intact, with one full week of recovery per Cleveland Clinic; one randomized trial found a single session had a limited effect around the eyes, and its authors concluded multiple sessions may be needed.
• Non-ablative lasers create heat without injuring the skin surface, used for age spots, scars, sun damage and wrinkles; the AAD says they often require a series of treatments, with results taking months to appear (its guidance for scar treatment).

Non-laser options cover overlapping concerns.

For acne scars specifically, the AAD lists chemical peels, fillers, laser resurfacing, topical retinoids or salicylic acid for mild scarring, microneedling (covered in our microneedling guide), radiofrequency and RF microneedling, PRP as an add-on, and scar surgery, noting that microdermabrasion does not treat acne scars.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) often appears in the same conversation but is not a laser.

ASPS defines IPL as a non-laser light treatment that emits multiple wavelengths, with energy absorbed by target cells and converted to heat, aimed at pigment, blood vessels and hair follicles.

Which option fits depends on the concern being treated, your skin, the downtime you can take and the devices a practice offers, and those are questions for a licensed provider who has examined your skin.

Cleveland Clinic's candidate list is a fair starting point: acne scars, uneven pigment, age spots, sun damage and fine lines are on its good-candidate list, while deep wrinkles and excessive or sagging skin are on its list of reasons someone may not be a good candidate.

The questions below matter whether you are considering a physician's office or a med spa for laser resurfacing near you.

Who may operate a resurfacing laser in a med spa is decided state by state, not by FDA.

Our research found no national rule for who may perform ablative resurfacing, and the rules run through state medical and nursing boards.

Before you book, ask who will operate the laser, what license they hold and who supervises them, and your state medical or nursing board can confirm what your state allows.

Questions worth asking any provider before you book:

• Which laser will be used, and why that one for your skin type and concern?
• What is this specific device cleared for? CO2 resurfacing lasers are 510(k)-cleared medical devices rather than FDA-approved drugs, and a cleared indication covers a category of use, not a promised result.
• Who will operate the laser, under whose supervision, and what eye protection is used?
• How many sessions are proposed, at what interval, and at what total price, including numbing, dressings and follow-up?
• What does recovery look like for your skin type, and how will pigmentation risk be managed?

One more thing to know while you look at before-and-after photos: under the FTC's endorsement guidance, an ad that shows a before-and-after picture alongside a results claim conveys that the result is typical, and if consumers cannot generally expect such results the ad would be deceptive.

Treat every photo as one patient's outcome, not a preview of yours.