Why is PicoWay better than traditional Q-switched lasers?

Hi Eva.  We're glad you used that word (hype) as it relates to this new laser.  Our opinion is that a lot of the information about this Picosure laser is just that....hype.   The reason is that very little has changed in the technology.  This laser is a minor technology upgrade but is not worth the 2x - 3x cost of the treatments that are being charged.If we could digress to the technology for a moment.  Picosure uses Alexandrite laser technology (a 755 wavelength).  While this laser is ideal for green ink, with almost every other color it underperforms the Nd:Yg (532/1064) wavelengths in terms of number of treatments required to remove the tattoo.  The "picosure" name refers to the pulse width of the laser (the time it takes to fire a beam of light) and the fact that a picosecond is a trillionth of a second vs. traditional tattoo removal technology which is measured in billionths of a second.  This might be meaningful except that the pulse width of the Picosure is only about 30% - 40% faster than existing technology - not enough to make that true leap in technology terms or in the number of treatments that are required to remove a tattoo.For financial reasons, and unless your tattoo is green, we would stick with q-switched Nd:Yg technology.  Good luck.

The Q-switched YAG laser is still the gold standard laser for tattoo removal and with the R20 method, results are seen 4 times faster than before - as much as 75% of a dark tattoo gone in one session!  The Picosure laser is a picosecond laser which utilizes the 755 nm wavelength. Although claims have been made that this laser is faster at removal of tattoos than the nanosecond lasers, the experience of many patients has proven otherwise. Two other issues with this lasers are the fact that it does not treat red ink very well and that it is more likely to cause hypopigmentation (loss of the natural pigment of skin) due to the fact that the 755 nm wavelength is absorbed by melanin (the natural pigment of the skin).

Nano technology or Q switch lasers have slower pulses than Pico technology. The picoway laser is one of the best on the market to remove tattoos. It has the fastest pulses and highest energy available to shatter the tattoo ink. The picoway removes the tattoo faster often in half the number of visits compared to older lasers. It has less risk of burning, scarring, pigmentary issues and is less painful. I don't believe it is just hype. We clear the tattoos faster and better with less complications with the Picoway laser. 

The PicoWay uses 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.

This has a lot to do with the physics of the device. It has been know for almost a decade that picosecond lasers would remove tattoo ink quicker than the nanosecond q-switched lasers, but it has been impossible/ very expensive to make. In brief, the picosecond lasers are so fast that it breaks up the tattoo ink particles into fine dust and it allows our body to absorb the ink quicker, easier and more effective. I have seen results in ½ the time personally with our picoway laser over traditional nanosecond q switched lasers.

PicoWay or R20 method with traditional Q switched lasers ?I use the R20 method. What is the R20 method ?The “R” stands for Repeating or Rapid while the “20 “stands for 20 minutes. The R20 Method will do a single pass of the laser every 20 minutes with up to 4 passes. The technique crams 4 treatment sessions into 1. A 20 minute wait period is required because each pass of the laser produces very small nitrogen bubbles that looks like frost on top of the tattoo. The laser cannot penetrate through this frost until approximately 20 minutes later at which time a second and later third and fourth sessions are performed.

Because of the physics involved with laser tattoo removal, the quicker the laser energy is delivered to the tattoo, the more effective t is at tattoo removal and less collateral damage (scarring, dyspigmentation, blistering) will occur.  Picosecond lasers deliver their energy in a trillionth of a second as opposed to a millionth of second seen with the Q-switched lasers.  This significant decrease in time that the laser energy is delivered allows for substantial improvement in the time a tattoo will clear. The new PicoWay laser overcomes the limitations seen with the PicoSure through the multiple wavelengths (ND Yag 1064/532) capable of treating different colors including red, yellow, and orange. -Dr. Keaney

The Picosure laser is a new device that will
permanently remove your tattoo without causing harm to any surrounding area. I
recommend consulting with your doctor about the Picosure laser to determine if
this is best for you. Good luck!