Fitzpatrick IV–VI · PIH Prevention · Pacific Plaza
Pico laser can be used on darker skin, including Fitzpatrick IV to VI and many Asian skins, but the margin before post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is narrower. This page explains which settings Dr Sin Yong changes for darker skin at Atelier, how a test patch is read, and who should wait.
In darker skin the surface layer holds more melanin, and that melanin soaks up part of every pulse meant for the target. The surplus becomes heat, heat inflames, and inflamed melanocytes make more pigment. That darkening (PIH) can appear weeks after a session and last for months.
A picosecond pulse spreads less heat than a nanosecond one, as the pico laser page explains, but that is a difference in delivery, not a promise. Fluence, the energy per area, decides how much heat is left behind, so it is set for each person and never copied from someone else. Published series in darker skin vary, from little pigment change to PIH in some patients.
At A Glance
What Changes
At 532 nm, melanin absorbs strongly and close to the surface, so that wavelength is kept for superficial spots in lighter skin. At 1064 nm, surface melanin absorbs less and the light reaches deeper, which makes it the more conservative choice in darker skin; 785 nm, the picosecond emission of Atelier's DEKA TORO, sits between the two. A larger spot reaches deeper with less energy at the surface.
| Setting | Lighter skin | Fitzpatrick IV to VI |
|---|---|---|
| Wavelength | 532 nm possible for surface spots | Longer wavelengths preferred |
| Fluence | Set for the lesion | Lower, set for that person |
| Spot size | Smaller for discrete marks | Larger where possible |
| Mode | Spot treatment common | Toning favoured; spot work sparing |
| Interval | Paced by response | Longer |
| Test patch | If the response is uncertain | Used more often |
The Decision
Darker skin is not a reason to refuse pico laser; these are reasons to wait:
A changing, bleeding or irregular mark is examined first and referred for dermatological assessment if needed. Melasma, common in darker skin, follows its own rules.
Dr Sin Yong holds a Key Opinion Leader appointment with DEKA.
On The Day
Risks
Redness, warmth and mild swelling are expected; treated spots may darken and crust before shedding. Less common are PIH, pale spots after repeated toning, blisters or pinpoint bleeding when energy is higher or the fractional mode is used, and a flare of melasma. If an area darkens, no more energy goes in: it is protected from the sun and reassessed. See post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Contact the clinic if blisters appear, if crusts turn thick, yellow or weepy, or if pain, swelling or warmth keeps increasing.
Atelier Aesthetics · Owned by AYA
9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza #12-01A, Singapore 228210 · +65 8023 7170
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