You are asking how long to see the effects after your carbon dioxide laser resurfacing. Interestingly, most patients improve for six to 12 months, or more, after resurfacing. The lines still exist but there better than before surgery, most of the time. However, there is a period of looking better than it actually is. Around the third to fourth week, when there is no open wound, and the skin is red, there is still microscopic swelling (edema) and this fluid plumps up the skin such that the fine lines are not easily seen! When the next month arrives, even though you are improving compared to the skin's appearance before surgery, you may think the lines are coming back because you're comparing it to the period after surgery that it was artificially looking too good .