It is generally believed that ablative laser therapies result in prolonged healing and greater adverse events when compared with nonablative lasers for skin resurfacing. To evaluate the efficacy of ablative laser use for skin resurfacing and adverse events as a consequence of treatment in comparison to other modalities, a PRISMA-compliant systematic review (Systematic Review Registration Number: 204016) of twelve electronic databases was conducted for the terms ablative laser and skin resurfacing from March 2002 until July 2020. Studies included meta-analyses, randomized control trials, cohort studies, and case reports to facilitate evaluation of the data.