Picosecond · Nanosecond · Pacific Plaza
Pico laser and Q-switched laser both break up pigment, but a pico laser fires pulses about a thousand times shorter, which shifts the effect from heat towards pressure. This comparison explains what that changes in Asian skin, where the older Q-switched laser still earns its place, and how Dr Sin Yong chooses between them at Atelier, where both pulse types are in use.
If you have been offered "pico" in one clinic and "Q-switched toning" in another, this page explains what separates them. It is not a ranking. Q-switched lasers came first and remain in daily use; picosecond lasers added a shorter pulse. Which one fits depends on the pigment, the skin and the setting, not on which is newer. Choosing between toning and pico by pigment depth has its own article: laser toning or pico laser.
How Each Works
A Q-switched laser releases its energy in nanoseconds, billionths of a second. That is short enough to target pigment, but long enough for a share of the energy to become heat, some of which reaches the skin around the target. The effect is mainly photothermal, with some pressure.
A picosecond laser releases it in trillionths of a second, roughly a thousand times faster. The particle cannot shed the energy as heat in that time, so it is broken mostly by a pressure wave, a photoacoustic effect, and less heat spreads outward. The pico laser page covers the physics in full.
Both commonly work at 532 nm, absorbed strongly near the surface, and 1064 nm, which reaches deeper and is gentler on surface melanin. The DEKA TORO used at Atelier adds a 785 nm picosecond emission and also carries 532 and 1064 nm nanosecond emissions, so one platform delivers both pulse types.
Side By Side
| Pico laser | Q-switched laser | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy or mechanism | Picosecond pulses; mainly pressure (photoacoustic) | Nanosecond pulses; mainly heat (photothermal), some pressure |
| Depth / target | Discrete surface pigment at 532 or 785 nm; ink; fractional zones for texture | 532 nm for surface spots; 1064 nm deeper, used at low fluence for toning |
| Typical sessions | Set after assessment; response read between visits | Set after assessment; toning runs as a course with a stopping point |
| Comfort and numbing | Quick snaps; spot work sharper; numbing for fractional or tattoo work | Toning is mild and usually done without numbing |
| Downtime | Treated spots darken and flake over days; fractional redness for a day or two | Toning: skin usually looks normal within hours |
| When results show | Spots lighten as fragments clear over the following days and weeks | Toning: gradually, across a course of weeks to months |
| Who it suits | Discrete sun spots and freckles, tattoo ink, shallow texture | Diffuse uneven tone and brown post-acne marks through low-fluence toning |
| At Atelier | Offered at Atelier (DEKA TORO, T2 Frax Radiance) | Offered at Atelier (laser toning and R2 Glow, Q-switched 1064 nm Nd:YAG) |
Which Problem Suits Which
Asian Skin
In Fitzpatrick III to V skin, heat drives inflammation and inflammation drives post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, so the smaller heat load of a picosecond pulse removes one cause of darkening. It does not remove the others. Fluence, spot size, number of passes, the gap between visits and sun exposure still decide the risk, and a careless picosecond session can darken pigment as surely as a careless nanosecond one.
The risks the two share are darkening after treatment, pale spots after toning repeated too often, crusting, and blistering or texture change when energy is excessive. Treatment waits after a recent tan or sunburn, during active infection or inflammation, with photosensitising medicines, with a keloid tendency and in pregnancy. A changing, bleeding or irregular mark is examined, and referred for dermatological assessment if needed, before any laser. Pico laser for darker skin sets out the precautions in detail.
How Atelier Decides
At Atelier, Dr SY first establishes what the pigment is, how deep it sits and how reactive the skin is. Only then are the pulse length and wavelength chosen, sometimes picosecond for discrete spots and nanosecond toning for the background tone in the same plan. Because both come from platforms already in the clinic, the choice follows the pigment rather than the machine on hand. Sessions are spaced so each response can be seen before more energy is added.
Dr Sin Yong holds a Key Opinion Leader appointment with DEKA.
Atelier Aesthetics · Owned by AYA
9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza #12-01A, Singapore 228210 · +65 8023 7170
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