Lasers in Singapore:
which laser for which problem, and every guide

Who these guides are for

These guides are for three kinds of reader. The first has a brown mark, a red mark, a scar, a pore pattern or a dull tone and has been told, by a friend or by an advertisement, that a particular laser fixes it; they want to know whether that is true for their mark, in their skin. The second has darker or Asian skin and has either had a dark patch after a laser elsewhere or has been told they are not a candidate; they want to know which lasers are safer in Fitzpatrick IV to VI and which carry the most risk of post-inflammatory darkening. The third is deciding between a laser and something else altogether: a lift, an injectable, a cream, or a referral.

A laser is the right tool when the target absorbs its wavelength and the surrounding skin does not. That is the whole logic of the table below. It is the wrong tool when the problem is in a layer the laser cannot reach, which is why no laser here is sold for melasma without a diagnosis first, why a tethered scar is released by subcision before any resurfacing, why an ice-pick scar goes to TCA CROSS, and why a face that has dropped is assessed for lifting before a skin laser is offered. The laser for dark skin guide sets out the skin-type logic that runs through every page.

What the guides have in common is the approach: the diagnosis is made in person, often with a Wood's lamp or dermatoscope, the wavelength and settings are chosen by Dr Sin Yong for the skin in front of him, a test patch is used where the skin type calls for it, and the plan is reviewed rather than counted. No session numbers or fees are quoted before assessment; the how we quote page explains why. WhatsApp enquiries are answered in English and Chinese.

Which laser for which problem

Each row names the laser or protocol usually considered on this site for that problem, the thing it cannot do, and the page to read. It is a reading guide; the actual choice is made after the skin is examined, and more than one row often applies to the same face.

Three rules that run through every row

• Diagnosis before device. A brown patch can be melasma, a sun spot, PIH or Hori's naevus, and only one of those is a straightforward pigment-laser target. The pigmentation removal page matches laser to pigment type.
• Depth decides the laser. For acne scars, depth decides FSX versus S3, a tethered scar is released by subcision first, and an ice-pick scar goes to TCA CROSS. The acne scar laser page sets this out.
• Skin type sets the settings. Fluence and density matter more than the device name in Fitzpatrick III to V skin. The Fitzpatrick scale entry explains the grading every laser decision is built on.

“A laser does not know what a brown mark is. It only knows what absorbs it. So the diagnosis is mine to make before the laser is switched on, and if the diagnosis is melasma, the laser waits.”

Dr Sin YongOn choosing a laser

Every laser guide on this site

Pico laser

• Pico laser in Singapore: what the picosecond laser suits, what it does not, and how it compares with toning, R2 Glow and CO2
• T2 Frax Radiance: the pico protocol on the DEKA TORO, picosecond delivery for pigment and a thermal pulse for texture
• Am I suitable for pico laser, and which pico?: how the platforms differ by wavelength and pulse width
• Pico for melasma, for PIH, for freckles, for acne scars and for dark skin: the spoke pages by indication
• T2 Frax Radiance or R2 Glow?: pigment deposit versus inflammation
• Pico with CO2: sequencing pigment and texture work
• How many pico sessions?: what decides it, not a number
• What to expect at the visit, pico aftercare, what pico cannot do and pico gone wrong
• Pico vs Q-switched, LaseMD vs pico vs R2 Glow and BBL vs IPL vs pico: the comparisons
• Why pico can darken Asian skin and the picosecond laser glossary entry

Tone and inflammation: R2 Glow, R2T2, laser toning, yellow laser

• R2 Glow: long-pulsed 755 nm and 1064 nm energy directed at the inflammation behind dull, uneven tone
• R2T2: R2 Glow and T2 Frax Radiance run as one plan, with the glossary entry
• Laser toning: low-fluence 1064 nm for uneven tone, PIH and melasma, and why it is not skin whitening
• 少女光 laser: the 675 nm DEKA RedTouch Pro for redness, pores and tightening
• Yellow laser vs pico vs pulsed-dye and Excel V vs Vbeam vs yellow laser: which targets haemoglobin and which targets pigment
• Facial red veins and red acne marks (PIE): the vascular targets

Fractional CO2, FSX and S3

• CO2 laser in Singapore: fractional CO2 on the DEKA SmartXide Tetra Pro, what it treats and safety in Asian skin
• S3 Resurfacing Lift: the fractional CO2 protocol for deeper acne scars, with the glossary entry
• FSX Laser: 1540 nm and 1927 nm for fine lines, pores and superficial scars, with the glossary entry
• Acne scar laser treatment: FSX or S3: how depth decides
• CO2 laser for pores: what it can do and the trade-off
• Fractional CO2 in Asian skin: why density matters more than energy
• What to expect at a CO2 visit, CO2 downtime and CO2 aftercare
• 4D Scar Reconstruction: surgical scars, keloids, acne scars and stretch marks each routed to a method
• S3 vs Secret RF, subcision vs laser, FSX vs VF Lift – Vertical Facelift for droopy eyelids, Clear + Brilliant vs Fraxel vs Tetra Pro and Tixel vs CO2 vs RF microneedling
• Fractional laser, fractional CO2 and erbium laser: the glossary entries

Lifting and remodelling lasers

• Time Freeze Laser LCLR®: the long-pulsed 755 nm and 1064 nm lifting protocol with a Sculpting mode, for sagged jowl fat and for biostimulator overfill, with the glossary entry and aftercare
• VF Lift – Vertical Facelift vs Time Freeze Laser LCLR®, hyaluronidase vs Time Freeze Laser LCLR® for pillow face and microliposuction vs Time Freeze Laser LCLR®: when the laser is chosen and when it is not
• Ultherapy vs Thermage vs VF Lift – Vertical Facelift vs Time Freeze Laser LCLR®: where the laser sits against ultrasound and radiofrequency lifting
• Fotona 4D: the four Er:YAG and Nd:YAG modes explained, and how the protocol compares with the Time Freeze Laser LCLR® and the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift
• Luminescence Laser: the non-ablative skin and scar protocol

Wavelength pages

• Nd:YAG laser, 1064 nm: the darker-skin wavelength for hair, vessels and toning, with the glossary entry
• Long-pulsed alexandrite, 755 nm: hair removal and selected pigmented spots, with the glossary entry
• Q-switched laser and IPL: nanosecond pulses, and why a flash lamp is not a laser

Hair removal and tattoo removal

• Laser hair removal: wavelength by skin type, every area; the hair removal hub lists the area, dark skin, sessions and aftercare pages
• Diode vs alexandrite vs Nd:YAG: the wavelength comparison
• Tattoo removal: ink colours and wavelengths, with suitability, downtime, cost factors and aftercare
• H2LT hair laser: follicle stimulation for thinning hair

Lesion removal by laser

• Mole removal: dermatoscope first, then CO2 laser, radiofrequency, shave or excision by type
• Skin tag removal and wart removal: snip, electrosurgery or CO2 laser by site
• Seborrhoeic keratosis and sebaceous hyperplasia: the raised lesions that are confirmed before removal
• Vaginal tightening: how laser and radiofrequency differ from vaginoplasty

Skin type, risks and recovery

• Laser for dark skin: which lasers are safer in Fitzpatrick IV to VI and which carry PIH risk
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: the mark a laser can leave, and treat
• White spots after laser and scab care after laser: what is normal and what is not
• Aftercare guides: every post-laser and post-device page in one place
• Lasers and pigmentation: 30 questions answered
• Pigmentation and redness: every guide and acne and scars: every guide: the concern hubs the laser pages feed into
• Device fact sheets: energy type, tissue layer and which protocol runs on each platform