PicoLaser — Tattoo Removal & Acne Scars

PicoLaser picosecond laser treatment at Sona Medical Aesthetics in Newcastle, WA, for tattoo and permanent makeup removal and acne scar improvement. Ultra-short picosecond pulses generate photoacoustic energy that shatters pigment particles more efficiently than nanosecond Q-switch lasers. Also used for skin rejuvenation. Sessions run approximately thirty minutes depending on the area.

Sona Medical Aesthetics offers PicoLaser — a picosecond-pulse laser platform — for tattoo removal, permanent makeup removal, and acne scar treatment. Unlike traditional Q-switched nanosecond lasers that deliver energy in nanosecond pulses (billionths of a second), picosecond lasers emit energy in pulse widths measured in picoseconds (trillionths of a second) — pulse durations approximately one thousand times shorter. This extreme brevity produces a predominantly photoacoustic rather than photothermal effect: the ultra-rapid energy deposition creates a pressure shock wave within the pigment particle that shatters it into far smaller fragments than nanosecond lasers can achieve with comparable fluence. The smaller pigment particle size after picosecond treatment allows the immune system's macrophages to clear the fragments more efficiently, reducing the number of sessions required for tattoo clearance compared to Q-switch laser protocols. For tattoo removal, the laser is targeted at the tattoo ink chromophores: the 1064 nm wavelength is effective for dark inks (black and dark blue), while shorter wavelengths (typically 532 nm and 755 nm where available) address red, orange, yellow, and purple inks. Professional multi-colour tattoos and cosmetic permanent makeup including eyebrow microblading and lip liner are treated with wavelength selection based on ink colour mapping. For acne scars, the picosecond laser is used with a diffractive lens array (FOCUS lens) that converts the beam into an array of micro-focused spots, generating laser-induced optical breakdowns in the dermis that trigger a wound-healing collagen response without ablating the skin surface — a non-ablative approach to scar remodelling that produces gradual textural improvement over a series of sessions. The clinic also uses the PicoLaser for IPL-like skin rejuvenation and redness reduction. Sessions run approximately twenty to thirty minutes. Number of sessions varies widely by tattoo complexity and scar severity.