The short version

The middle road: meaningful results over a series with a few days of redness, at a meaningful cumulative cost. Pigment risk is real but manageable with the right wavelength and settings.

What the cost figure means

$1,829 skin-resurfacing category average. ASPS category average for resurfacing procedures; a 3–5 session plan can cost several times this. Excludes numbing, aftercare, and maintenance. ASPS publishes this national average physician fee on its cost page as its latest statistic without stating the survey year, and its 2025 report no longer includes minimally invasive fees.

Advertised prices on file

$320–$1,600+ per session

Clear + Brilliant, Moxi, LaseMD, and Fraxel Dual across six menus; Fraxel sits at the top of the range.

Read from 6 published U.S. clinic menus on September 1, 2026. A convenience sample, not a national survey: prices vary by city and provider, packages are usually cheaper per session, and menus change without notice.

Total course = per-session fee × planned sessions + consultation + product, cartridge, or serum + anesthesia or facility + prescriptions and aftercare + expected maintenance. Ask for the plan price in writing.

Healing and results timeline

Appointment
About 30–60 minutes including numbing
Downtime
Redness and swelling for 2–4 days; sandpaper texture for about a week
Healing
Sunburn-like redness and swelling peak over 1–2 days, bronzed or rough texture flakes off over 5–7 days, and collagen remodeling continues for months.
Results appear
Gradual, often over 2–6 months after a series
Duration and maintenance
Maintenance varies; aging and UV exposure continue

Benefits, limitations, and risks

Realistic benefits

  • Lower downtime than ablative resurfacing
  • Wavelength can be matched to texture, scars, or pigment
  • Untreated skin between columns speeds healing

Limitations

  • Subtler than ablative resurfacing
  • Several sessions add up
  • 'Laser' alone does not tell you the wavelength or indication

Common effects

  • Redness and swelling
  • Rough, bronzed texture
  • Dryness

Serious risks

  • Burns or blistering
  • Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation
  • Infection, herpes reactivation, or scarring

Candidacy and pause signs

Usually considered for: Adults with texture, scarring, or sun damage who prefer a series with short downtime, including deeper skin tones with adjusted settings.

Pause before booking if

A pigmented lesion has not been diagnosed, you are tanned, you have active infection or a cold sore, recent isotretinoin without review, or the exact device and wavelength are not disclosed.

Operator, setting, and regulation

Who performs it in the U.S.: Dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and trained clinicians under physician oversight. State rules on delegation to nurses or estheticians vary.

Regulatory status: FDA-cleared devices for specific indications; radiation-emitting product standards apply. Check the exact device and cleared uses.

Rules differ by state and by country. A product approved in one market may be unapproved in another, and the same device can be used within or outside its cleared indication.

Questions to ask before you pay a deposit

  1. Which device and wavelength, and what is it cleared to treat?
  2. How will you adjust density and energy for my skin tone?
  3. How many sessions are in the quoted plan, and what does maintenance cost?

Open the complete safety checklist →

Sources on file

These links support the claims above. Reviewed September 1, 2026. Where a figure comes from a survey, the caveat is in the file, not in a footnote.

  1. American Society for Dermatologic Surgery — laser resurfacing (opens in a new tab)
  2. American Academy of Dermatology — ways to firm sagging skin (opens in a new tab)
  3. American Society of Plastic Surgeons — laser skin resurfacing cost (opens in a new tab)
  4. U.S. FDA — medical lasers (opens in a new tab)
  5. JAMA Dermatol 2017 — isotretinoin and timing of procedures: consensus (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)

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