How the 755 nm PicoSure laser compares with other pico platforms is set out in a separate guide.
For what each mode feels like and what is done for comfort, see is pico laser painful.
Published 31 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
Pico laser benefits come from one property: a pulse lasting around a trillionth of a second breaks pigment up mainly by pressure rather than heat. That suits sun spots, freckles and some post-acne marks, and a thermal or fractional mode can work on texture. It does not cure melasma, shrink pores, lift skin or treat vessel redness. Dr Sin Yong examines the pigment first.
Pico is a unit of time: one picosecond is a trillionth of a second, and a pico laser delivers its energy in pulses of around that length. That is roughly a thousand times shorter than the nanosecond pulse of a Q-switched laser. The pulse is over before much heat can travel from the pigment particle into the skin around it, so the particle is broken up mainly by a rapid pressure wave, a photoacoustic effect, rather than by burning. The body then clears the fragments through its normal processes.
So what does pico laser do, in practical terms? It acts on pigment that is already sitting in the skin. It does not stop the skin making new pigment, and it cannot tell a harmless spot from one that needs a diagnosis; that is the doctor's job. The same word is also used loosely on clinic menus, which is why two people who both say they had pico may have had quite different treatments.
The modes behind the name
Spot treatment: higher energy aimed at one discrete mark, such as a sun spot, which darkens and forms a fine crust.
Pico toning: low-energy passes across the face for diffuse, uneven tone.
Fractional or thermal delivery: energy split into points, or a longer thermal pulse, for texture around pores rather than for colour.
At this practice the picosecond emission is 785 nm on the DEKA TORO, delivered as Dr Sin Yong's T2 Frax Radiance protocol. The same platform carries 532 nm and 1064 nm nanosecond emissions and a thermal mode. The wider guide to which pigment suits it is on pico laser in Singapore.
Pico laser benefits: what the evidence supports
The clearest pico laser benefit is in discrete surface pigment, such as sun spots and freckles, where a short pulse fragments the deposit with less heat spread. A 2023 review of 62 studies in Lasers in Medical Science set out the evidence for picosecond lasers in tattoo removal, epidermal and dermal pigment and collagen remodelling, and also drew attention to their downsides. That balance is the honest starting point.
Illustrative image — not a patient.
Where the benefit is clearest
Sun spots (solar lentigines) and freckles: well-defined, superficial pigment that a short pulse can reach.
Post-inflammatory marks: brown marks after acne or irritation, once the cause is controlled.
Uneven tone: low-energy toning across the face, used within limits rather than on an open-ended schedule.
Texture around pores: in a fractional or thermal mode, through a response in the dermis rather than through the picosecond effect on pigment.
Where the evidence is more modest
Picosecond does not always outperform the older nanosecond pulse. A 2018 randomised split-lesion trial of paired lesions in 30 Asian patients with solar lentigines found no significant difference in pigment clearance between a 532 nm picosecond and a 532 nm Q-switched nanosecond laser; patient satisfaction was higher with the picosecond side, and pain and side effects were similar. In other words, the device is one part of the plan, and naming the pigment correctly matters as much as the pulse length.
For pores, a 2022 case-control study of 25 Asian patients treated with a fractional 1064 nm picosecond laser reported a measurable reduction in pore size on three-dimensional imaging, without pigment change or scarring. That study used a different configuration from the one used here, and a smaller-looking pore is not a smaller pore; why that distinction matters is on what pico laser cannot do.
“A pico laser is a way of delivering energy, not a diagnosis. Whether it helps depends on whether the mark in front of me is pigment a short pulse can reach.”
Dr Sin YongOn what pico laser can and cannot do
Benefits of pico laser by concern: a side-by-side table
The benefits of pico laser depend on the concern, because sun spots, melasma, pores and acne scars sit at different depths and have different causes. The table sets out what a picosecond pulse does for each, who it tends to suit, who it does not, and where each concern is covered in full.
Concern
What pico laser does
Suits
Not for
Page
Sun spots and freckles
Fragments discrete surface pigment, mainly by pressure
Well-defined spots on skin that is not freshly tanned
A spot that is new, changing or irregular, until examined
Tattoo removal is a separate evaluation on the same platform, planned by ink colour rather than by pigment type, and is covered on T2 Laser Tattoo Removal.
Pico laser benefits: questions people ask before booking
The questions below are the ones people most often type after reading about pico laser benefits. Each answer says what the evidence supports and where it stops.
Does pico laser boost collagen?
In fractional mode it can prompt remodelling. When picosecond pulses are delivered through a diffractive or fractional optic, energy concentrates into many small zones of laser-induced optical breakdown in the epidermis and upper dermis, with intact skin in between, and the healing response remodels those zones. In a 2015 study of 20 patients with facial acne scarring treated with a 755 nm picosecond laser and a diffractive lens array, biopsies showed increased dermal collagen, mucin and a greater density of elastic fibres (Brauer 2015). That is a remodelling effect on surface texture. It is not tightening or lifting, because a picosecond pulse leaves too little heat in the dermis to contract collagen the way radiofrequency does. On the DEKA TORO, the fractional mode is part of the T2 Frax Radiance protocol.
Is pico laser better than other lasers?
Not for every pigment. Its advantage is how the energy is delivered: a shorter pulse passes less heat to the surrounding skin, which matters in Fitzpatrick III to V skin, where heat and inflammation lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The trial evidence is mixed. In a split-face randomised trial of 20 patients with solar lentigines, a 532 nm picosecond laser cleared lesions better than a 532 nm Q-switched laser on a quartile scale, and darkening was seen less often on the picosecond side, although that difference did not reach statistical significance (Kim 2020). Other trials have found no difference in clearance. The diagnosis, the wavelength and the energy still decide more than the pulse; see Q-switched laser vs pico laser.
Do the benefits of pico laser last?
They last as long as the cause stays quiet. A cleared sun spot can stay lighter, but new spots form with sun exposure. Post-acne marks fade once the acne is controlled, and return if it flares. Melasma is managed rather than removed: its hormonal, vascular and light-driven causes continue, which is why pico laser for melasma is a conservative adjunct within a longer plan. Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, a topical plan where the skin darkens easily and review appointments are what keep a result.
Why the benefit matters in Asian skin
The pico laser benefit matters most in Fitzpatrick III to V skin, the range most common in Singapore, because less heat spreading outward means less of the inflammation that drives post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Injured skin makes more melanin, and Asian skin makes it readily. A pulse that does its work before heat has time to spread changes that calculation, although it does not remove the risk.
Wavelength still has to suit the skin. Shorter wavelengths are absorbed strongly by melanin and are directed at superficial spots; longer ones travel further and are absorbed less by pigment in the upper skin, which makes them the more conservative choice in darker skin and for deeper pigment. The evidence in melasma shows why this matters. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of six randomised trials found that a 1064 nm picosecond laser reduced melasma severity scores without significant side effects, while a 755 nm picosecond laser did not outperform topical lightening agents and was associated with post-inflammatory darkening. The pulse length is the same; the wavelength and the diagnosis made the difference.
That is why the settings are chosen for the skin in front of the doctor rather than applied from a fixed programme, and why a test patch is used where appropriate. More on skin type is on pico laser for dark skin and on the Fitzpatrick scale.
Is pico laser painful, and what happens to the skin afterwards?
Most people describe pico laser as a rapid snapping sensation with some warmth, and how much it is felt depends on the area, the mode and the energy. Low-energy toning is usually the gentlest; spot treatment is sharper over each mark; fractional and thermal delivery feel more intense. Topical anaesthetic is applied where the area or setting calls for it, and you can ask to pause at any point.
What the skin does afterwards also follows the mode, and it is described here in stages rather than days, because the timing varies from person to person:
Toning: warmth and redness that settle on their own.
Spot treatment: the treated mark darkens and forms a fine crust that flakes away by itself and should not be picked.
Fractional or thermal mode: pinpoint redness, mild swelling and a rough feel while the skin renews.
Strict sun protection is part of the treatment, not an extra, because ultraviolet light on freshly treated skin is one of the usual causes of darkening. Thick, yellow or oozing crusts, blisters, or pain and swelling that increase rather than settle are reasons to contact the clinic. The stage-by-stage checklist is on pico laser aftercare, and the visit itself on what to expect at a pico laser visit.
Where the benefits stop: melasma, pores, laxity and redness
Pico laser breaks up pigment that is already in the skin; it does not switch off the reason the skin made it. Four limits come up most often in consultation:
Melasma: a chronic condition with hormonal, vascular and ultraviolet drivers that no laser addresses; laser is a conservative adjunct at most, within the plan on melasma treatment.
Pore size: a pore can look less visible, but it is not made smaller or closed, and oil production is unchanged.
Laxity: pico laser is not a lifting or tightening treatment for sagging.
Vessel redness: haemoglobin is not the picosecond target; inflammation-directed laser such as R2 Glow is assessed instead.
Deeper acne scars need resurfacing or subcision rather than pico laser alone. Each limit is set out in full on what pico laser cannot do.
How Dr Sin Yong decides whether pico laser will help
Dr Sin Yong decides from the pigment, not the device: he takes a history, examines the skin in appropriate light with a dermatoscope where needed, and names the pigment before any mode is chosen. He sees patients himself at the clinic on Orchard Road, Singapore, and performs every treatment personally.
The written plan states the mode (spot, toning or thermal), the wavelength for where the pigment sits, the alternatives, including topicals, photoprotection or no laser at all, and the review. A test patch is used where appropriate, and you are not expected to be treated on the day. Where pigment sits with ongoing inflammation, T2 Frax Radiance is weighed against R2 Glow, as on T2 Frax Radiance or R2 Glow. Any spot that is new, changing or irregular is examined first and referred to a dermatologist where needed.
The number of visits is not quoted in advance, because it depends on what the pigment is, how deep it sits and how the skin responds; what decides it is on how many pico laser sessions. What sets the fee is on pico laser cost factors.
Your next step
1. MessageWhatsApp +65 8023 7170 with what is bothering you. A reply comes from the clinic, not a bot.
2. AssessmentDr Sin Yong examines you himself on Orchard Road, with ultrasound where earlier filler is involved.
3. A plan in writingWhat he would do, what he would not, the fee factors, and the option of no treatment.
Every treatment is performed by Dr Sin Yong personally. Singapore Medical Council registered · invited to share his clinical expertise internationally for CLASSYS, DEKA, Fotona, Hironic and Ilooda.
Avoid tanning before the visit; a recent tan means pico laser is deferred. How consultations work.
Pico lasers are medical devices, and in Singapore every medical device except the lowest-risk Class A devices must be registered with the Health Sciences Authority before it can be supplied. Every energy-based device used in treatment at this practice is registered with HSA as a medical device, and the pico laser used is named to you at consultation. When comparing clinics, ask for the device name and check it on HSA’s Singapore Medical Device Register.
The benefits of pico laser come from its very short pulse, which fragments pigment mainly by a pressure effect with less heat spread. That suits sun spots, freckles and post-inflammatory marks once the cause is controlled, and a thermal or fractional mode can work on texture around pores. Pico laser does not cure melasma, shrink pores, lift sagging skin or treat vessel redness, so the pigment is named at examination first.
Pico laser delivers energy in pulses of around a trillionth of a second. Pigment particles absorb it and are broken up mainly by a rapid pressure wave, and the body clears the fragments gradually. Toning mode leaves warmth and redness, spot treatment darkens the mark into a fine crust that flakes away, and a thermal mode heats the dermis to prompt a collagen response for texture.
Pico is short for picosecond, a trillionth of a second. A pico laser fires pulses of around that length, roughly a thousand times shorter than the nanosecond pulse of a Q-switched laser. The word describes how the energy is timed, not a brand, a wavelength or a protocol, which is why it is worth asking which platform and which mode a clinic means when it offers pico.
Pico laser is usually described as a rapid snapping sensation with some warmth, and tolerance varies with the area, the mode and the setting. Low-energy toning tends to be the gentlest, while spot treatment and thermal or fractional modes feel more intense. Topical anaesthetic is applied where the area or setting calls for it, and you can ask Dr Sin Yong to pause at any point.
Pico laser does not change your natural skin colour. Low-energy pico toning can even out diffuse, uneven tone, and spot treatment acts on discrete marks, but the skin's baseline pigment and its tendency to tan stay the same. Sun protection is part of the plan, because ultraviolet light keeps producing new pigment after any laser treatment.
Pico laser can help brown post-inflammatory marks left after acne once the acne itself is controlled, because inflamed skin keeps producing new pigment. Red marks are a different problem, post-inflammatory erythema, which is vascular and is assessed for inflammation-directed laser instead. Depressed acne scars need resurfacing or subcision rather than pico laser alone, so the type of mark is identified first.
Pico laser is used routinely in Fitzpatrick III to V skin, which covers most patients in Singapore, but it is not free of risk. Darker skin darkens more readily after injury, so the wavelength and energy are chosen for the skin, a test patch is used where appropriate, toning is not open-ended, and a recent tan means treatment is deferred. Strict sun protection afterwards reduces the risk of darkening.
No number of pico laser sessions is quoted in advance, because it depends on what the pigment is, how deep it sits, the skin type and how the skin responds. Ongoing sun exposure keeps new freckles forming, deeper pigment needs gentler visits spaced further apart, and in melasma laser is an adjunct rather than the main treatment. Each next step is decided at review.
Only a little, and only at the surface. In fractional mode the picosecond pulse can soften fine texture and crepey patches over a course, which is why fine lines appear on some benefit lists. It does not lift skin or fill deeper folds. Where lines come from laxity or volume loss, Dr Sin Yong assesses lifting first, with the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift and the Time Freeze Laser LCLR®.
Not directly. Rosacea redness comes from dilated vessels and inflammation, and the picosecond pulse is aimed at pigment and ink, not blood. Low-energy toning can help brown marks that sit alongside rosacea, but the redness itself needs a different approach. Dr Sin Yong uses R2 Glow for redness and inflammation, after the rosacea is settled with skincare and medicine where needed.
References
Picosecond lasers in cosmetic dermatology: where are we now? An overview of types and indications. Lasers in Medical Science (Haykal D, Cartier H, Maire C, Mordon S), 2023. source
Q-switched double frequency Nd:YAG 532-nm nanosecond laser vs. double frequency Nd:YAG 532-nm picosecond laser for the treatment of solar lentigines in Asians. Lasers in Medical Science (Vachiramon V, Iamsumang W, Triyangkulsri K), 2018. source
Efficacy and safety of picosecond laser for the treatment of melasma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lasers in Medical Science (Feng J, Shen S, Song X, Xiang W), 2023. source
Quantitative assessment of the long-term efficacy and safety of a 1064-nm picosecond laser with fractionated microlens array in the treatment of enlarged pores in Asians: A case-control study. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (Palawisuth S, Manuskiatti W, et al.), 2022. source
Use of a Picosecond Pulse Duration Laser With Specialized Optic for Treatment of Facial Acne Scarring. Brauer JA, Kazlouskaya V, Alabdulrazzaq H, et al. 151(3):278-284. JAMA Dermatology (PMID 25409158), 2015. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
A Split-Face, Single-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Comparison of 532 nm Picosecond Nd:YAG Laser versus 532 nm Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser in the Treatment of Solar Lentigines. Kim JY, Yang J, Huh G, Choi YJ, Kim WS. 32(1):8-13. Annals of Dermatology, 2020. doi.org
About this page: written and medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong, MBBS (NUS), MRCS (Edinburgh) · Last reviewed 6 November 2026 · Illustrative images only, not patients · Editorial policy
