Published 31 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
Fractional CO2 laser cost in Singapore is set by the plan the examination produces: what is being treated, the depth and density of the settings, the zones, any subcision or TCA CROSS that must come first, the preparation your skin type needs, and the review. Singapore's rules restrict fee advertising, so no figure appears here. Dr Sin Yong quotes in writing after examining you on Orchard Road.
Singapore's rules on medical advertising restrict how doctors publish fees, and the same CO2 laser is used for very different jobs, from resurfacing deep acne scars across both cheeks to removing a single skin tag near the eyelid, so a figure without an examination cannot describe your treatment. A CO2 laser at 10,600 nm is absorbed so strongly by water that it vaporises tissue in a controlled way. Used fractionally, it removes fine columns of skin and leaves bridges between them; used as a focused point, it removes a small growth layer by layer.
The quote is therefore built after assessment. It is written and itemised, it can be taken home, and no decision is asked for at the first visit. The consultation is a medical visit with its own fee, stated when you book, and it decides whether fractional CO2 laser is advised at all. The practice-wide rules are on how fees are quoted. Where acne scars need several methods, the whole plan is costed on acne scar treatment cost; this page covers the CO2 laser itself.
Scars, lesions or texture: what the CO2 laser is for sets the plan
The indication is the first fee factor, because full-face fractional resurfacing and point ablation of a few lesions differ in zones, settings, doctor time and recovery. The table sets out where the Tetra Pro is used here and where something else is chosen.
Illustrative image — not a patient.
Concern
Role of the CO2 laser
Effect on the plan
Page
Deep ice-pick and boxcar acne scars
Fractional resurfacing within the S3 Resurfacing Lift
Release steps first; resurfacing staged by healing
Depth decides the laser, and the choice is clinical rather than commercial because both protocols run at this practice. A 2026 meta-analysis of four randomised trials with 98 participants found that fractional erbium-glass and CO2 lasers gave comparable improvement in atrophic acne scars, with less pain and shorter crusting and redness after erbium-glass. A superficial scar does not earn an ablative wound, and a deep one is not fixed by a gentle pass.
“Depth decides the laser. A superficial scar does not earn an ablative wound, and I would rather quote you the gentler tool.”
Dr Sin YongOn how fractional CO2 laser is quoted
Depth, density, zones and the SCAR3 sequence: the work inside a resurfacing plan
For acne scars, the fee follows the scar types and area mapped at assessment, the depth and density of the laser settings and the number of zones treated. Pulse Shape Design lets Dr Sin Yong choose how each pulse rises, dwells and tails off to match the geometry of a scar, so the settings are an output of the map rather than a preset.
At this practice the Tetra Pro anchors the resurfacing step of the SCAR3 protocol, after the steps a laser cannot do. Each step is itemised on the quote:
Subcision releases tethered scars, because a laser cannot cut a band.
TCA CROSS treats ice-pick tracts before the surface is resurfaced.
Fractional CO2 then resurfaces skin that is free to remodel, and the next stage is timed to the healed skin rather than to a calendar.
No fixed number of sessions is promised at the start. Active acne is brought under control before scar work begins, because resurfacing a face that is still breaking out treats scars that are still being made. DEKA, the maker of the Tetra Pro, has invited Dr Sin Yong to share his clinical expertise with other doctors, and he performs every treatment himself; that physician time is part of the fee.
Skin type, preparation and aftercare: why they belong in the quote
In Fitzpatrick III to V skin, temporary darkening after ablative resurfacing is the main concern, so skin preparation, settings and strict sun protection are part of the treatment rather than extras. A 2017 retrospective study from the National Skin Centre, Singapore, of 107 patients with Fitzpatrick skin types II to V treated with fractional CO2 for acne scars recorded adverse events in 15%, with hyperpigmentation the most common. A 2015 randomised split-face trial in 40 people with skin type IV found post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation less frequent on the side given a short course of topical corticosteroid after the laser, which shows how much the aftercare plan matters.
Other parts of the plan follow from the medical history. Anyone who has had cold sores is commonly advised antiviral cover before ablative laser on the face. Recent isotretinoin and photosensitising medicines are discussed, freshly tanned skin is not treated, and a keloid tendency, poorly controlled diabetes or smoking changes the plan. What healing looks like phase by phase is on CO2 laser downtime, how pigment risk is managed on CO2 laser in Asian skin, and the daily routine on CO2 laser aftercare.
How to compare fractional CO2 laser quotes, and what is not charged
Two fractional CO2 laser quotes can only be compared line by line: which device, fractional or fully ablative, which depths and densities over which zones, what is done before the laser, who performs it, and what aftercare and review are included. A figure that leaves these out describes a different treatment. Before booking anywhere, it is reasonable to ask:
Which laser is used, and is it on the Health Sciences Authority register?
Are my scars mapped by type, and do any need subcision or TCA CROSS first?
Why CO2 rather than a non-ablative laser for my scars?
Who performs the treatment, and how is pigment risk managed for my skin type?
What is excluded, so that nothing is added later?
How CO2 differs from other fractional lasers is set out on Fraxel vs CO2 vs Tetra. Not on a quote at this practice: packages sold on the day, promotions, incentives for reviews or referrals, and resurfacing the examination does not support. The treatment takes place at the clinic on Orchard Road, Singapore, and the quote can be taken away and considered.
Your next step
1. MessageWhatsApp +65 8023 7170 with what is bothering you. A reply comes from the clinic, not a bot.
2. AssessmentDr Sin Yong examines you himself on Orchard Road, with ultrasound where earlier filler is involved.
3. A plan in writingWhat he would do, what he would not, the fee factors, and the option of no treatment.
Every treatment is performed by Dr Sin Yong personally. Singapore Medical Council registered · invited to share his clinical expertise internationally for CLASSYS, DEKA, Fotona, Hironic and Ilooda.
Singapore's rules restrict fee advertising, so no figure is given here. Fractional CO2 laser cost depends on what is being treated, the scar types and area mapped, the depth and density of the settings, the zones, any subcision or TCA CROSS needed first, the preparation your skin type needs and the review. Dr Sin Yong gives a written, itemised quote after examining you.
Yes. CO2 laser resurfacing for acne scars treats zones of the face with fractional settings, after release steps where needed, and is staged by healing. Point ablation of a skin tag, mole or syringoma treats individual lesions once they are confirmed as benign. The device is the same, but the work, recovery and fee differ.
Depth decides the laser. Superficial scars and texture change often suit the FSX Laser, which heats the dermis while leaving the surface intact, with a shorter recovery than ablative CO2. Deep ice-pick and boxcar scars suit the S3 Resurfacing Lift on the Tetra Pro. Some faces need both at different stages, and the written plan says which and why.
Each step in the plan is itemised. Tethered scars are released by subcision and ice-pick tracts treated with TCA CROSS before CO2 laser resurfacing, because a laser cannot cut a band or close a deep tract. A face with only boxcar scars may need neither, and the quote then reflects that.
Not necessarily. A lower CO2 laser figure may describe a different device, one setting for every scar, fewer zones, no release steps for tethered scars, or someone other than a doctor holding the handpiece. Ask which laser is used, how the scars were mapped, what comes first and who performs it, then compare like with like.
Darker skin is not excluded from fractional CO2 laser, but ablative resurfacing carries a higher risk of post-inflammatory pigment change in Fitzpatrick III to V skin. Settings, skin preparation and strict sun protection are planned around that, and a non-ablative option may be preferred for superficial scars. Freshly tanned skin is not treated.
References
Treatment of Facial Acne Scarring With Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser in Asians, a Retrospective Analysis of Efficacy and Complications. Dermatologic Surgery (Ochi H, Tan L, Tan WP, Goh CL), 2017. source
Topical corticosteroids minimise the risk of postinflammatory hyper-pigmentation after ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing in Asians. Acta Dermato-Venereologica (Cheyasak N, Manuskiatti W, Maneeprasopchoke P, Wanitphakdeedecha R), 2015. source
Efficacy and Safety of Er:Glass versus CO2 Lasers in the Treatment of Atrophic Acne Scars: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Xue D, Yu Y, Li X, et al.), 2026. source
About this page: written and medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong, MBBS (NUS), MRCS (Edinburgh) · Last reviewed 31 October 2026 · Illustrative images only, not patients · Editorial policy
