PicoSure Promises Faster Tattoo Removal

By: Jessica Meyer

With more research comes a new and hugely improved laser for tattoo removal. The PicoSure laser is now at Derick Dermatology and is the only one in the Chicagoland area! This laser can remove up to 75% of the ink in just one session, dramatically reducing the amount of time it takes to remove a tattoo. This means that someone who used to need 10-15 treatments to completely remove the tattoo would now need 3-5.

The new technology uses picoseconds, which are one trillionth of a second. This allows pressure waves to target the ink 100 times faster than with the Q-switched laser that uses nanoseconds. The best way to describe the effect that picoseconds have on breaking up tattoo pigment is to compare it to nanoseconds. Picoseconds shatter the pigment into tiny particles like grains of sand, compared to nanoseconds, which fractures the pigment into pebbles. The body is able to digest these tiny particles much easier because they are so small. This is why the ink fades twice as quickly. Traditional lasers, like the Q-switched, also use photothermal energy to break up the ink by heating it. The PicoSure uses their patented PressureWave technology to break up the ink, like an earthquake, into much smaller particles.

A great example of the different between the Q-switched laser and the PicoSure laser can be seen in the photo below. This tattoo had previously gone through 20 Q-switched laser treatments and was still visible. After six treatments with the PicoSure laser, the tattoo was completely removed without a trace of it ever being there in the first place. This shows that this short picosecond pulse width does not damage the skin in anyway and still cuts the removal process in half. It also shows that stubborn tattoos that have been treated before will still respond to the PicoSure laser.

Something special about the PicoSure is that it works especially well on difficult, colored ink like blues and greens. In one of their tests, a green four-leaf clover was completely removed in just three treatments. A tattoo like this with a Q-switched laser could take over a year to remove.

Cynosure’s PicoSure laser is also approved to lighten benign pigmented lesions like age spots, birthmarks, and freckles. An amazing photo from the PicoSure testing shows a birthmark that is drastically lightened in only one treatment.

With this amazing new technology, your tattoo can be removed in months instead of a year of more. Don’t let any body ink hold you back from career and life goals. Derick Dermatology offers free consultations, so you can come in to get more information and find out if PicoSure is for you!

Photos all from Cynosure, Inc.