Are the Revlite and Picosure Lasers Used for Tattoo Removal the Same or Similar?

Hi PR.  We agree with Dr. Ibrahimi.  The Picosure is a slightly different technology but as such is unproven.  If you were to pay twice as much for a treatment and have half the treatments, the cost would be equal.  The problem is we don't know how many less treatments the Picosure can do the job in.  For now, we would suggest the Revlise or even the Medlite C6.    

PicoSure is a great laser and is able to treat some colors, especially blue and green ink,  very well with less tissue reaction and good clearing.  I find the nanosecond 1064nm and  532nm to be more effective for black and red ink than the PicoSure Laser. 

The Picosure is far superior at removing blue and green ink. The Revlite (or Medlite C6) Qswitched ndYag lasers are similar and do not do as good a job with these colors.  We have used the Qswitched ndYag lasers for many years and are very impressed with the clearance obtained after just one or two treatments with the Picosure.  A big consideration is your skin type.  If you have darker skin, then the Qswithced ndYag 1064 wavelength would be safer. 

  At the Laser & Skin Surgery of New York in NYC we have been using the device for over a year and a half as we performed the original trials that led to FDA clearance. The results are far superior to the Revlite except for red colors where we still use the Revlite. We use both lasers at the same session. Almost all patients find the difference to be very dramatic.

Picosure is not only proven, but the benefit above and beyond other tattoo lasers, even the Revlite, is obvious. I just got off the phone with the woman who TRAINS all over the country to use multiple different lasers and the first thing she said to me when she heard I have the Picosure was "I am SO JEALOUS!". She has been going all over the country training doctors to use their new Picosure lasers and she said the difference in technology is mind boggling. It's also not half of the number of treatments. It's 1/4 to 1/3 of the number. Some tattoos disappear after a single treatment. Keep in mind not only the dollar cost but also the time cost in the investment to go through getting a tattoo removed. Some tattoos have taken 15 to 20 treatments to fade (not disappear) with traditional lasers. Picosure specializes in treating tattoos that linger, and can disappear them in just a few treatments. It's worth it.

The picosure is a newer laser that has a picosecond laser pulsewidth while the Revlite is a nanosecond pulsewidth. Both work for tattoo removal. The Picosure is thought to be better than the Revlite but by how much remains to be studied. However, you will almost certainly be paying a much higher per treatment price for treatment with a Picosure laser because it is several times more expensive than a Revlite laser.