Pico Laser

Pico laser suits adults who want to clear sun spots, age spots, or freckles, soften melasma, reduce redness and small visible vessels, even out tone, or remove a tattoo, microblading, or permanent makeup. It is often a good fit for people who still see stubborn pigment after topicals and peels, and for medium and deeper skin tones that were told other lasers were too risky.

Some people should wait. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, we will ask you to postpone. If you have taken isotretinoin (Accutane) in the past six months, have an active infection, cold sore, or open wound in the area, or have a recent tan, sunburn, or spray tan, we will reschedule until your skin is calm and untanned. Melasma patients should expect a management plan rather than a cure, and we will say so plainly before you book a series.

For sun spots and age spots, treated pigment typically darkens within hours, then flakes away over one to two weeks. Many patients see a clear difference after one session and reach their goal in two to four sessions spaced four to six weeks apart.

Melasma improves more gradually. Most plans call for three to five sessions, about four weeks apart, at lower energy. Because melasma is driven by hormones, heat, and light, it can return, and ongoing sun protection with occasional maintenance is part of the plan from the start.

Tattoo removal is the longest timeline. Most tattoos need six to ten sessions spaced six to eight weeks apart; cosmetic tattoos such as microblading usually need fewer.

At Jade Aesthetics, the pico laser is for pigment, redness, tone, and unwanted ink.

Sun spots and age spots. The flat brown spots on the face, chest, and hands are the most straightforward target.

Freckles. Dense freckling can be lightened and evened out, though it returns with sun exposure.

Melasma. The symmetrical patches on the cheeks, forehead, and upper lip. Pico laser is used at low settings over several sessions, usually alongside topical care, with control rather than cure as the goal.

Redness and visible vessels. Flushing, broken capillaries around the nose, and small red spots respond to the shorter wavelengths that target hemoglobin.

Uneven tone. A full-face pass brightens dull skin and refines pores.

Tattoo removal. Black and dark blue ink respond best, and many colors can be treated with the right wavelength. Partial fading for a cover-up is also an option.

Microblading and permanent makeup removal. Brows that have faded to gray, blue, or orange, or lip liner that no longer suits you, can typically be lightened or removed.

IPL is a broad flash of light that heats pigment and vessels, while a pico laser is an ultra-short pulse that fractures pigment with pressure. Both improve sun spots, redness, and overall tone with little downtime, so the choice depends on your skin and your goal.

IPL, short for intense pulsed light, covers a wide area in each flash and treats brown and red together. It works well for diffuse sun damage and flushing in lighter skin. Because it works by heat across a broad spectrum, it is typically limited to Fitzpatrick types I through IV and is not used on tanned skin.

A pico laser is more precise. It can be tuned to a specific depth and target, it is typically safe across a wider range of skin tones, and it reaches deeper pigment. It also removes tattoo ink and treats melasma with a low-heat approach, which IPL cannot do.

For sun spots, melasma, or pigment in medium to deep skin, pico laser is usually the better fit.

Tattoo removal with a pico laser is a series of short sessions spaced six to eight weeks apart, and the tattoo fades a little more each time rather than disappearing at once. Your provider first looks at the ink colors, density, age, and location; older tattoos and those closer to the heart typically clear faster.

Ink color matters. Black and dark blue absorb laser energy best and typically clear most completely. Red, orange, and purple respond well to the right wavelength. Green and light blue still need more sessions, though picosecond lasers handle them better than nanosecond lasers did. Yellow, white, and pastel inks are the most stubborn, and white ink can darken temporarily when treated, which is one more reason we test first.

The area is usually numbed with a topical cream, and the pass takes a few minutes for a small tattoo. Immediately afterward the treated ink turns white or gray for several minutes, an effect called frosting. It is caused by tiny gas bubbles forming as the ink fractures, it fades on its own, and it is a normal sign the laser reached the ink, not a burn.

For several days afterward the area may be red, swollen, and tender, and small blisters are possible early in the series. Keep it clean and covered with the ointment we recommend, do not pick, and avoid soaking until the skin has closed.

Complete removal is not guaranteed. A faint shadow or slight texture change can remain, especially with colored ink or scarring from the original tattoo, and we will tell you at the consultation whether full removal or a fade for a cover-up is the realistic goal.