Is picoway actually all it is said to be or are all you doctors blowing smoke...?

Question

So all the hype that you doctors made about picosure has been proven wrong by all these reviews almost everyone on this website who was told 3 or 4 treats to clear a tattoo or even as much as 5 or 6 treatments has been let down. I am hoping this new picoway is actually going to work how you people are advertising it. So are we going to actually see clearance in 3 or 4 treatments...or is this just another let down?

James E. Murphy, MD, FACS · Answer

The best way to learn about a specific laser is to educate yourself about it. PicoSure is a different technology and is THE  best there is to offer in the way of removing tattoos. You can read more about the technology on the Cynosure website. Just keep in mind,  tattoos are meant to permanent.  To have this advanced technology available to remove what should be permanent is nothing short of amazing. Not everyone will have the maximum result. As every person processes the ink differently. But if it can be removed, PicoSure will remove it.

Ariel Ostad, MD · Answer

PicoWay is an excellent laser that we use in our NYC practice for tattoo removal. In my opinion, it can treat tattoos with less follow up visits in comparison to other lasers. What separates PicoWay from other methods of tattoo removal is that this laser uses photo acoustic energy as opposed to thermal energy. Therefore, this laser shatters the tattoo particles into much smaller fragments. Depending on the tattoo, it is required to have a series of treatments (4-5 sessions) in order to see optimal results, with 1 month space between each session. When considering tattoo removal, it is important to seek consultation from a skilled, board certified dermatologist. Thank you for your question, best of luck!

Susan Fox, DO, RPVI · Answer

Picoway is a great laser but usually we say that the tattoo goes away in 5 treatment sessions.  It can take more depending on how new or old it is, how many layers of ink were used and other factors.  The Picoway is one of the best ways to remove tattoos but that being said every tattoo is different and each treatment is different to get rid of it.  When there are layers of colors or brand new tattoos this can take more sessions.  This Picoway is faster and removes tattoos better than nano technology, older Q switch lasers but no laser is an instant fix to remove a tattoo.  Tattoos are not meant to go away in one session and take a while to go away and fade.  Is it all that YES but nothing is going to make tattoos go away instantly I guess is the answer

Renita (Lourdhurajan) Rajan, MD, DNB · Answer

Picosecond lasers are the newest option for pigmentation/tattoo removal. Picoway is great for both of these concerns in ethnic skin, because of lesser chances for hyperpigmentation, as the elicited tissue reaction is very minimal for the amount of energy conveyed to the target pigment. We are seeing promising results even with darker skin types, and that is a definite advantage over the Q switched lasers where hyperpigmentation/ rebound pigmentation was always a concern.

Craig Mezrow, MS, MD, FACS · Answer

The PicoWay is a fantastic advancement in laser technology for removing tattoos because it has the greatest power and the shortest "Pico" pulse 
duration to destroy the ink particles into smaller particles as compared
 to Q Switched lasers and other Pico laser devices.  There is less pain and fewer treatments are necessary with this advancement in laser tattoo removal technology.

Chad M. Hivnor, MD · Answer

Actually yes.The picoway is a picosecond pulse duration versus a nanosecond pulse duration. The faster pulse duration theoretically breaks up the ink into smaller molecules.I have used the traditional tattoo laser for years and without a doubt I have had much more success resolving tattoos quicker, but also completely where there is no shadow or residual pigmentation.My experience is that it takes ½ the treatments which means ½ the time to resolution.I can feel confident I can resolve most if not all tattoos quicker.

Mark A. Blair, MD · Answer

Prior to purchasing the PicoWay laser, we used the ATV (Alex Tri-Vantage, 3 wave lengths 1064, 755 & 532) My findings regarding the effectiveness of this laser has multiple advantages.  First, the treatment is far less painful than the Tri-Vantage. There is far less tissue destruction and less healing time.  In addition, topical numbing is usually all that is necessary prior to treatment as opposed to injections.  We have found that far fewer treatments are necessary, but as everyone says; there is no way to guarantee how many treatments will be necessary as there are many factors about a tattoo and the area of the body where the tattoo is located.

Hratch Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Both PicoWay and PicoSure are picosecond lasers that use very short bursts of laser energy to shatter tattoo ink into the smallest particles that enable quicker removal by your skin.PicoWay is best for red ink, orange ink, yellow ink.PicoSure is best for blue and green inks. I like the Q switched lasers myself as the above are expensive and may only benefit those with the above colored inks. For traditional black ink tattoos nanosecond lasers may be just as good.

Terrence Keaney, MD · Answer

The quicker the laser energy is delivered
to the tattoo, the more effective the laser is at removing the tattoo with less collateral
damage.  Picosecond lasers
deliver their energy significantly faster than traditional tattoo removal Q-switch lasers. The advantage of the new PicoWay laser versus PicoSure is the ability to use multiple wavelengths (ND Yag 1064/532) capable of
treating multiple colors including red, yellow, and orange.   Despite the advancement in laser tattoo removal with the picosecond lasers, there is no way to predict how many treatments will remove a tattoo.  Every tattoo is different - variables such as amount of ink deposited and tattoo color influence the amount of treatments required.  - Dr. Keaney

Suzanne Kilmer, MD · Answer

Over the past 24 years I have
treated many tattoos and still have NO IDEA how many
treatments it will take to treat any one tattoo. They are all very different
depending on what kind of ink and how much was put in and where it was placed
and on what part of the body. It’s true that the picosecond lasers are better
than many of the QSwitched lasers at clearing ink, but in some cases a QS laser
may prove more beneficial. I tell every patient that the average number of
treatments is between 4-10 treatments but that I have NO WAY of predicting how
their tattoo will clear because of the above mentioned factors. Having said
that, the physics behind these laser treatments supports what we see clinically
in that the picosecond lasers are more likely to clear a tattoo with fewer
treatments.

Is picoway actually all it is said to be or are all you doctors blowing smoke...?

Answers (10)

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