Picosecond laser
What is a picosecond laser?
A picosecond laser is a high-energy light that gets absorbed by pigment in the skin (melanin). The term picosecond refers to how quickly the energy is delivered, a technological advancement that was designed to speed up the tattoo removal and has made treating pigment on the skin safer in skin of color.
What can picosecond laser treat?
Picosecond laser is most commonly performed to treat sun spots. It is also very useful to treat tattoos. It can also be combined with other treatments to treat challenging pigmentation like postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and melasma.
The PicoSure device that we use has two handpieces – one to target hyperpigmentation precisely (“Zoom”), and the other to gently improve skin texture over the entire area of treatment (“Focus”). We often use both handpieces with the goal of providing the best improvement per treatment.
During your consultation, the expected improvement, number of treatment sessions, expected recovery and risks will be discussed in detail.
What is the recovery like after picosecond laser?
On the day of treatment, we review the procedure with you, sign forms and take photos in our dedicated photo studio. Often, topical numbing cream is applied for a few minutes to make the procedure more comfortable. The skin is cleansed, your eyes are shielded and a cold air device is used to make the process more comfortable. When we shine laser light on the skin, it feels like a hot pinprick or a small elastic band being released. A stingy feeling like a sunburn develops – we quickly cool the skin with cold compresses after the procedure.
All patients should expect more redness and some swelling, no more than 2 days. Areas of pigment may look darker for a few days, and can feel a bit rough. We avoid treating tanned skin and advise to avoid direct sun exposure to minimize rare risks of hyperpigmentation from the device. Blistering and scarring are rare risks with any laser procedure and care is employed to avoid them.
Curious to see if you are a candidate for picosecond laser? Contact our office for a consultation.
