Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed · 7 min read
Published 6 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
A picosecond laser delivers its energy in pulses lasting trillionths of a second, roughly a thousand times shorter than the nanosecond pulses of a Q-switched laser. Because the pulse ends before much heat can spread, the pigment particle is fragmented mainly by a pressure effect rather than cooked, which matters in Fitzpatrick III–V skin, where heat drives post-inflammatory pigmentation. It is used for solar lentigines, freckles, some dermal pigment, tattoo ink and, in fractional mode, texture.
Illustrative image, not a patient. Pigment on the body is assessed the same way as pigment on the face.
Key facts
Pulse duration
The picosecond domain, around a trillionth of a second; about a thousandfold shorter than a Q-switched nanosecond pulse
Mechanism
Photomechanical rather than photothermal: the pigment particle is shattered by a pressure wave with less heat spreading outward
Wavelengths
532 nm for superficial epidermal pigment; 1064 nm for deeper pigment with less epidermal absorption; 785 nm between the two
Modes
Spot treatment of a discrete lesion, low-energy toning across the face, and fractional delivery for texture
Platform used here
DEKA TORO, with 785 nm picosecond emission and 532 and 1064 nm nanosecond emissions, as the T2 Frax Radiance protocol
What a picosecond laser is, and what pico refers to
Pico is not a brand, a protocol or a category of treatment. It is a unit of time. A picosecond laser delivers its energy in pulses of around a trillionth of a second, about a thousand times shorter than the nanosecond pulses of the Q-switched lasers that preceded it, and everything else follows from that specification. When energy arrives that quickly, the pigment particle absorbing it has no time to shed heat into the tissue around it, so the effect is predominantly photomechanical: the particle is shattered by a pressure wave rather than heated.
Less heat spreading outward means less inflammation in the surrounding skin, and in Fitzpatrick III–V skin inflammation is precisely what produces the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that patients came in to avoid. That is the case for picosecond technology in this population, stated properly: a difference in how energy is delivered, not a promise about what will happen to a given face. The pico laser guide sets out the physics in full.
How a picosecond laser is used in aesthetic medicine
Wavelength is chosen for where the pigment sits. 532 nm is absorbed strongly by melanin and is directed at superficial pigment such as solar lentigines and freckles; 1064 nm penetrates further and is absorbed less by epidermal melanin, which makes it the more conservative choice in darker skin and for deeper pigment; 785 nm sits between them. In spot mode a discrete lesion is treated at higher energy; in toning mode low energy is passed evenly across the face for diffuse pigment and tone; in fractional mode a diffractive optic creates discrete zones of laser-induced optical breakdown within the skin, with intact tissue between them, to prompt remodelling for texture.
Dr Sin Yong delivers pico laser treatment as his T2 Frax Radiance protocol on the DEKA TORO, using the 785 nm picosecond emission for pigment and tone, with the 532 and 1064 nm nanosecond emissions and a longer thermal pulse available on the same system. Picosecond lasers are also used for tattoo removal, where the short pulse fragments ink particles for the body to clear, and toning is not run on an open-ended schedule because frequent repeated toning has been linked to pale, mottled spots.
“A pico laser breaks up pigment that is already there. It does nothing about the reason your skin made it — which is why melasma comes back and a sun spot usually does not.”
Dr Sin YongOn what the technology does and does not reach
What a picosecond laser is often confused with
PicoSure, PicoWay and similar names are brands within the same class of laser, not different treatments. They differ in which wavelengths they emit, how short their pulses are and what optics they offer for fractional delivery; the photomechanical principle is shared, and the useful question is whether the wavelength and energy suit the pigment and the skin type, not the logo on the handpiece.
A Q-switched laser is the nearest relative. It fragments pigment on the same principle but over nanoseconds, so more of the work is thermal and more heat spreads into surrounding tissue, which matters in darker skin; it remains the right tool for certain pigment depths and tattoo work. Pico toning is one way of using a picosecond laser rather than a separate device. And a fractional CO2 laser is a different instrument altogether: ablative, built for texture and scarring, not for pigment.
When a picosecond laser is not the answer
A pico laser breaks up pigment that is already there. It does nothing about the reason the skin made it, which is why melasma so often disappoints: melasma is a chronic condition with hormonal, vascular and ultraviolet drivers that no laser touches, and it is provoked by heat and over-treatment, so an approach that clears a sun spot can leave melasma darker. Where laser has a role in melasma it is a conservative one within a longer plan built around photoprotection and topical therapy.
It is not a treatment for laxity or sagging, which sit in deeper layers and answer to other energy-based approaches, and it does not treat redness from blood vessels or active acne. Any pigmented lesion that is changing in size, shape or colour, bleeding or irregular is examined first and referred for dermatological assessment where needed, before any laser is considered. Treatment is deferred with a recent tan, active infection or inflammation in the area, photosensitising medication, a tendency to keloid scarring and during pregnancy. Which applies is settled by examination rather than by the device name.
Frequently Asked Questions
A picosecond is a trillionth of a second. A picosecond laser delivers its energy in pulses of that order, about a thousand times shorter than the nanosecond pulses of a Q-switched laser, so pigment is fragmented mainly by a pressure effect rather than by heat.
Pulse duration. Both fragment pigment, but a Q-switched laser works over nanoseconds, so more of the effect is thermal and more heat spreads into surrounding tissue. The picosecond pulse is roughly a thousand times shorter, which matters most in darker skin, where heat drives post-inflammatory pigmentation.
No. Melasma is a chronic condition driven by hormones, blood vessels and ultraviolet, and no laser addresses those drivers. A picosecond laser can reduce the visible pigment, but the mechanism continues, and over-treatment reliably makes melasma worse. It is managed over time with laser, if used, as one conservative component.
Pico toning is one way of using a picosecond laser: low energy delivered evenly across the face in several passes for diffuse pigment and overall tone. Spot treatment uses higher energy on a single lesion and fractional mode targets texture. The device can be the same; the setting, target and aftercare differ.
