How Much Does Laser Resurfacing Cost?

ASPS publishes one national number for this, and it comes with strings attached.

ASPS's laser skin resurfacing cost page puts the average cost of skin resurfacing procedures like laser skin resurfacing at $1,829, according to its latest statistics.

That is a plastic-surgeon fee, not a med spa price: it excludes related costs such as facility, anesthesia and prescriptions, and the page does not split the figure by laser type or by ablative versus non-ablative treatment.

We could not confirm a national average med spa price for laser resurfacing.

ASPS's figure is not a med spa price, and a quote can move with the device, the area treated, the number of sessions and what the practice includes.

If you are still working out which treatment you are actually comparing, the laser resurfacing guide covers the laser families first.

A quote is built from a few moving parts, and each one can change the number.

The first is the laser itself.

ASDS names CO2 and erbium as the two most common resurfacing lasers: CO2 is used for wrinkles, scars, warts and other conditions, while erbium treats superficial and moderately deep lines on the face, hands, neck and chest and is described as having fewer side effects than CO2. ASDS defines ablative resurfacing as removing layers of skin and non-ablative laser rejuvenation as creating heat without injuring the skin surface.

Cleveland Clinic describes a third pattern: fractional CO2 drills many narrow columns into the skin and leaves the surrounding skin untreated and intact.

The second is the area treated and the anesthesia that comes with it.

Cleveland Clinic times a partial-face treatment at 30 to 45 minutes and a full-face treatment at 1.5 to 2 hours, done as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia with oral or IV sedation, and general anesthesia may be used for a full face.

ASDS says topical anesthetics are used to numb small treatment areas and that larger treatments may use a nerve block or conscious sedation.

Anesthesia and facility costs are among the items ASPS's $1,829 average leaves out — prescriptions are another.

The third is how long the plan takes, in the room and afterward.

Cleveland Clinic gives recovery of up to two weeks for traditional CO2 resurfacing and one full week for erbium or fractional treatment, with areas generally healing in 5 to 21 days.

ASDS puts healing at 3 to 10 days depending on the depth of resurfacing and the laser used.

The American Academy of Dermatology calls ablative resurfacing the most effective non-surgical procedure for tightening loose skin, but notes it requires staying home for 5 to 7 days and carries greater risk of side effects such as scarring.

Finally, your skin is part of the conversation about which device is on the table.

ASDS and Cleveland Clinic both say people with active acne or very dark skin usually are not good candidates for ablative resurfacing, and Cleveland Clinic adds that erbium may be a better choice for darker skin.

No national per-session or per-series price for laser resurfacing could be confirmed, so this is a question to settle in writing with the practice.

What the evidence does show is why a series comes up at all.

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, and the authors concluded that multiple sessions may be needed for full effect — which, they noted, cancels out fractional lasers' proposed advantage of less downtime.

Deeper ablative treatment is a different conversation: it involves days to weeks of healing, and Cleveland Clinic says skin may keep improving for up to a year after resurfacing, with results that may last several years.

When you compare quotes, ask whether a price covers one session or a full plan, how many sessions the plan assumes, and what the practice charges if you stop after the first one.

Start with what is certain: Cleveland Clinic says insurance does not cover cosmetic resurfacing, so this is an out-of-pocket cost and the quote in front of you is the number that matters.

We could not confirm package or membership pricing for laser resurfacing, so treat any package as a set of questions rather than a default yes.

Is the price for one session or the whole plan?

How many sessions does it assume?

Are numbing, aftercare products and follow-up visits included?

What happens to unused sessions, and what does a single session cost on its own if you decide to stop?

If a series is the plan, the total is the comparison, not the per-session figure.

For paying over time, read the terms before signing anything.

Our financing options guide explains how medical credit plans and other financing work and which terms to read first.

A price far below the ASPS surgeon-fee average of $1,829 is not automatically a red flag, but it is a reason to ask what exactly is being quoted.

Two treatments differ from ablative resurfacing: ASPS defines intense pulsed light (IPL) as a non-laser light treatment that emits multiple wavelengths, and ASDS describes non-ablative laser rejuvenation as using a laser to heat the skin without injuring its surface.

Neither is described as ablative — removing layers of skin — so a low quote can mean a different treatment rather than a discount on the same one.

Ask which device will be used, in which mode, before you compare.

The device matters beyond price, too.

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

Ask how your skin type and medical history were assessed, and who will operate the laser, before you pay for anything.

The only national figure we could verify is ASPS's surgeon fee, so comparison happens quote by quote.

Ask each licensed provider for a written, itemized quote: the device and mode, the areas, the number and price of any planned sessions, anesthesia or numbing, facility and aftercare items, and what a single session costs on its own.

Then compare like for like: same device, same area, same number of sessions.

Our research found no national rule for who may perform laser resurfacing in a med spa: who may operate the laser is decided under state law through the state medical and nursing boards, and the rules differ by state.

Our state med spa laws guide explains how the state-by-state rules work before you book.