WHAT IS PICO LASER
Pico lasers got its name from the SI unit measurement, pico. The pico unit is rather unheard of as it is really so minute, unlike the mili, micro and nano units which are much more common. To give you an idea of how really tiny the unit measurement is, a picosecond is one trillionth the speed of a second! This definitely gives you an idea of how fast the laser is. Pico lasers deliver laser shots (“pulses”) that are short, fast and high-powered. When the pulses are short and fast, more laser shots can be delivered to the treatment area and hence, the skin problem can be resolved quicker.
On the other hand, traditional lasers uses nanosecond pulse widths. You may have come across the term “Q-Switched Laser” or simply nanosecond lasers – these are the traditional lasers used in most aesthetic treatment centres today before the emergence of the pico laser. With a nanosecond being one billionth of a second, the laser shots in traditional lasers are also delivered in very high speeds.
The Advantage of Pico Laser
Pico lasers work more effectively:
- pico laser pulses are shorter, faster and more powerful, resulting in fewer treatments as the skin becomes free of the problem quicker when it receives more laser shots
- pico lasers also have an additional third wavelength pulse, 755nm, that targets a specific problem compared to traditional lasers that have just two wavelengths
- pico lasers uses radiopulse technology to breaks up pigmentation, instead of traditional lasers that works by forcing the pigmentation to absorb light and heat energy to appear lighter yet still visible
Because the skin’s pigment absorbs heat from traditional lasers, customers have to wait longer between sessions to allow the skin to heal and lose redness before undergoing another session. There is also a risk of the heat damaging the surrounding tissues. On the contrary, there is no downtime for customers who undergo pico laser treatment – a session typically takes 15 minutes and customers can even apply makeup on the treated skin right after that without experiencing any effect or discomfort.
How Does Pico Laser Work?
Beverly Wilshire’s pico lasers, PicoWay, tackle various skin problems in two ways:
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Of all skin conditions mentioned, those who are seeking tattoo removal will benefit the most from pico lasers as the laser pulses are especially ideal for the removal of blue and green coloured pigments, which have always been a challenge to completely remove using traditional laser treatments.
