What is Picoway?
PicoWay is an FDA-cleared picosecond laser that treats acne scars, wrinkles, benign pigmented lesions (dark spots) and tattoo removal. PicoWay first became known for its tattoo and pigment removal capabilities, but it is now growing in use for acne scars and wrinkles.
PicoWay uses different handpieces and laser wavelengths for treatment of these conditions. The PicoWay Zoom handpieces treat tattoo removal and dark spots. And the PicoWay Resolve handpieces treat acne scars and wrinkles.
PicoWay has the shortest pulse durations* of any available picosecond laser for aesthetic use. PicoWay offers effective treatments with low to no downtime following treatment. Learn more about how PicoWay can help you transform your skin.
Before and After
Frequently Asked Questions
All PicoWay treatments use a picosecond laser with high power and the shortest laser pulses available. A picosecond is a trillionth of a second! The ultra-short pulses with PicoWay are important because they lead to a “photoacoustic” effect that avoids heating the skin rather than a photothermal (or heat) approach that heats the skin and can lead to side effects, such as downtime and scarring.
Because PicoWay uses ultra-short laser pulses, the result is a laser that has low to no downtime after treatment. Users can resume normal activities and even apply makeup over acne scar or wrinkle treated skin within a day of treatment.
The PicoWay laser reaches under the skin for its impact, leaving the outer layer of the skin intact. The ultra-short pulses vaporize their targets before the skin has the chance to overheat. Targets can be pigment from a tattoo, melanin in the skin that causes dark spots, or areas in the dermis (a layer under the outer skin) where tiny spaces can be created to allow room for new collagen and elastin growth in the treatment of acne scars and wrinkles.
PicoWay® uses a high power laser beam with ultra-short pulses* to transform your skin from the inside out! PicoWay effectively treats acne scars, wrinkles, dark spots and removes unwanted tattoos – all with low to no downtime.
Low to no downtime
PicoWay® uses a photoacoustic, rather than a photothermal effect, which means the skin doesn’t overheat and lead to long downtime. PicoWay users have low to no downtime after treatment.
Acne Scars
Did you know that nearly 40% of those with acne have some degree of scarring? Many acne scars result from a loss of collagen in the skin. PicoWay Resolve is an ultra-short, picosecond laser that reaches below the surface of the skin to stimulate production of collagen and elastin, without breaking the outermost layer of the skin. In clinical studies, 94% of treated areas improved and patients were highly satisfied with results.
Wrinkles
Millions of people each year seek treatment for their wrinkles. Wrinkles can be caused by a loss of collagen and elastin in the skin.
PicoWay Resolve is a non-invasive, needle free treatment option for wrinkles. Resolve uses ultra-short laser pulses to reach under the skin, without breaking the outer layer of the skin. Picosecond lasers are proven to stimulate collagen and elastin.
Dark Spots
Skin discoloration is common, yet treatable. Dark spots, or benign pigmented lesions, such as freckles, liver spots (age spots), and café-au-lait (brown patches), appear in many people on different areas of the skin. Some spots are related to excessive sun exposure. Others, like melasma, can be caused by hormone changes, often impacting women following pregnancy. Many of these skin discolorations can be distressing and affect quality of life.
Tattoo Removal & Microblading Removal
PicoWay is a high power lower with ultra short pulses that shatters tattoo ink, but leaves the outer layer of the skin intact. PicoWay treats a wide range of tattoo colors across a broad range of skin types. Over a series of brief treatments, PicoWay can eliminate most tattoos. That’s why PicoWay is the tattoo removal laser of choice by the nation’s leading tattoo removal provider network, Invisible Ink Tattoo Removers.
Traumatic Tattoos
Traumatic tattoos, also known as foreign body tattoos or explosive powder the saurismosis, are caused by occupational and various accidents that cause small particles of foreign bodies such as sediment, cinder, stone, metal, gunpowder, asphalt, dust or petroleum products to splash at high-speed. Pigmentation diseases caused by injection or following trauma into the deep layers of the skin can also be wrapped to form granulomas in the deep layers of the skin. In fact, both tattoos and traumatic tattoos are a type of hyperpigmentation, which is caused by skin lesions caused by foreign pigments.
PicoWay Zoom
The Zoom handpieces of PicoWay target pigment in the skin. Pigment can naturally formed, caused by too much melanin in the skin. This appears as dark spots on the skin that can either be seen at birth or form over time from sun damage (sometimes called sun spots), aging, or even be a result of medical conditions (such as melasma). Pigment can also be added to the skin, in the form of ink in a tattoo. In either case, the PicoWay laser targets the pigment and shatters it into tiny particles that are no longer seen through the skin
PicoWay Resolve
The laser beam in PicoWay Resolve is formed from the same beam-type used in the PicoWay Zoom handpieces, but it is split into over 100 identical beams, or beamlets. These beamlets reach below the skin’s surface in areas that are spaced evenly apart. Because the laser is so fast and powerful, it leads to tiny areas under the skin vaporizing using a non-thermal (not heating) effect, called a “photoacoustic” effect. Tiny open spaces are created under the skin that are then filled in over time with the growth of new collagen and elastin. PicoWay literally works from the inside out. The treatment does not cause the outer layers of the skin to break, so patients enjoy low to no downtime after treatment.
A short pulse of intense red light emitted by a laser PicoWay is selectively absorbed by the tattoo ink localized in the dermal skin. This laser energy causes the tattoo ink to fragment into smaller pigment particles that are removed by your body’s immune system. Dark tattoos can have larger ink masses and may require several sessions of treatment to break the ink into small enough particles for the body to dispose of. One will note that the tattoo gradually fades from one session of treatment to the other.
Q-Switch technology requires numerous treatment sessions, causes significant discomfort during treatment and, in many cases, incompletely removes tattoos and pigmented lesions. Picosecond technology, has ultra-short pulse durations, 100 times shorter than Q-switch lasers, and in the trillionths of a second. These bursts of energy create a photoacoustic impact which breaks up the tattoo ink or pigmentation into smaller, more easily absorbed particles. PicoWay’s unique, proprietary mode of action has the highest peak power and the shortest pulse duration of any picosecond device on the market for superior efficacy, safety and comfort. PicoWay is the answer physicians are looking for to combat the reluctance patients may have to treat tattoos or more complex pigmented lesions.
Pigmented lesions that can be treated with PicoWay include, but are not limited to the following: Laser Skin Toning, Solar or Senile Lentigines, Freckles (Ephelides), Café au lait, Nevus of Ota, Beckers Nevus.
