When a trillionth of a second can change the way we treat skin
PicoPretty® laser represents a major advance in aesthetic laser technology, using picosecond pulses—energy delivered in trillionths of a second. A picosecond is one millionth of one millionth of a second: 0.000 000 000 001 seconds. To put that extraordinary timescale into perspective, one second is to approximately 31,700 years as one picosecond is to one second.
But why does speed matter in dermatology?
Because delivering laser energy in such an extraordinarily short pulse changes the way that energy interacts with tissue.
Traditional laser treatments often rely substantially on thermal effects: energy is absorbed and converted into heat, producing a controlled thermal injury. Picosecond technology takes a different approach. At appropriate treatment parameters, the extremely short pulse duration can produce highly concentrated photomechanical effects, including pressure waves and, with sufficiently high peak irradiance, plasma-mediated effects. Rather than simply heating a large volume of tissue, the objective is to create a highly localised mechanical effect.
This distinction is important because it helps explain why picosecond lasers can address both pigment and skin quality.
More than a pigment laser
Picosecond lasers were initially developed and widely adopted for tattoo removal, where their very short pulses help fragment pigment particles so that the body's natural clearance mechanisms can remove them. Their applications have subsequently expanded to include benign pigmented lesions, photodamage, rejuvenation and scar treatment.
This makes picosecond technology particularly interesting for patients who want more than simply the removal of a brown spot.
Depending on the wavelength, handpiece and treatment settings, picosecond laser technology can be used to target unwanted pigmentation such as solar lentigines and other benign pigmented lesions, as well as tattoo pigment. Specific indications depend on the particular device and its regulatory clearance. For example, the FDA-cleared PicoPretty® system has indications covering tattoo removal and benign pigmented lesions, while also being very effective for wrinkles and scars.
Clinical research has shown that fractional picosecond treatments can produce measurable improvements in skin texture and acne scarring, accompanied by histological evidence of increased dermal collagen and changes in elastic fibres.
That is where the concept of skin remodelling becomes particularly important.
How can a laser improve the structure of skin?
The key is not simply the fact that the laser is "powerful". It is the combination of pulse duration, wavelength, energy, focusing and treatment pattern.
When picosecond energy is delivered through a fractional optical system, the laser does not treat every microscopic point of the skin uniformly. Instead, it creates a pattern of precisely controlled microscopic treatment zones separated by areas of untreated tissue.
This fractional approach has two important advantages.
First, concentrating energy into very small areas can generate intense local photomechanical effects. Second, leaving intervening areas untreated helps preserve healthy tissue and provides a reservoir of cells that can participate in the subsequent healing and remodelling process.
The resulting biological response can include stimulation of dermal remodelling, including changes in collagen and elastin architecture. Research into picosecond rejuvenation supports the concept that these treatments can produce skin remodelling without relying on the extensive thermal injury associated with some conventional resurfacing technologies.
The result is not simply "less pigment". The goal can be better-quality skin.
From pigmentation to collagen remodelling
This is one of the most compelling aspects of picosecond technology.
A patient may initially seek treatment because of pigmentation, sun damage or a tattoo. Yet, following treatment, clinicians have observed improvements in the overall appearance and texture of the treated skin.
Research supports the use of picosecond lasers for a range of rejuvenation applications, while studies of fractional picosecond treatment have demonstrated improvements in acne scarring and objective evidence of dermal remodelling.
For example, a meta-analysis of fractional picosecond laser treatment for atrophic acne scars found that its clinical improvement was broadly comparable with other fractional laser approaches, while reporting lower pain scores and a lower incidence of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in the studies analysed. Importantly, however, the evidence does not establish picosecond treatment as universally superior to every other laser; treatment selection should depend on the patient's skin type, scar characteristics and clinical objectives.
That distinction is important. Scientific credibility does not come from claiming that one technology does everything better. It comes from understanding where the technology has a genuine clinical advantage and how it should be used.
Why fractional treatment matters
Fractional treatment is particularly valuable when the objective extends beyond pigment clearance.
Instead of delivering the laser uniformly across the entire surface, the fractional approach creates thousands of microscopic treatment points while leaving intervening areas untreated. This allows the treatment effect to be concentrated precisely where it is needed while limiting the amount of tissue affected at any one time.
The biological response to these microscopic zones can promote a process of controlled tissue remodelling.
Over time, this can translate into improvements in:
- Fine lines
- Skin texture
- Enlarged-appearing pores
- Photodamage
- Uneven skin quality
- Atrophic acne scars
- Overall skin smoothness and refinement
The scientific literature supports collagen remodelling and clinical improvement in several of these applications, although the strength of evidence varies by indication and device.
What makes PicoPretty® different?
The real innovation is therefore not simply that PicoPretty® uses a "fast laser".
It is that ultra-short pulse delivery allows energy to interact with tissue on an exceptionally short timescale, creating highly localised photomechanical effects while potentially minimising the amount of unwanted thermal diffusion.
This provides a fundamentally different way of approaching skin treatment.
Instead of thinking only in terms of removing something from the skin—such as pigment—we can think about removing unwanted pigment while simultaneously encouraging the skin to remodel and improve its architecture.
That combination is what makes picosecond technology particularly exciting in modern aesthetic dermatology.
PicoPretty® Complete Treatment
When the objective is to improve the quality of an entire area rather than treating only individual pigmentation spots, we refer to this as PicoPretty® Complete Treatment.
The word "Complete" reflects the treatment philosophy: rather than selectively treating isolated imperfections, the technology is applied across the relevant area of skin to address its overall quality.
Depending on the treatment protocol, this may combine pigment targeting with fractional photomechanical stimulation designed to encourage skin remodelling.
The aim is not to make the skin look artificially "resurfaced". It is to encourage a more gradual biological improvement in the skin's appearance and structure.
In practical terms, this means targeting several of the features that contribute to ageing or damaged-looking skin at the same time: uneven pigmentation, fine lines, texture, pores and selected forms of scarring.
The future of laser rejuvenation: treating skin biology, not just skin colour
The evolution of picosecond laser technology illustrates an important change in aesthetic medicine.
Laser treatment is no longer simply about removing a brown spot, breaking up tattoo ink or resurfacing the outermost layer of skin. Increasingly, the focus is on understanding how precisely delivered energy can interact with tissue and trigger a controlled biological response.
Picosecond technology offers an elegant example of this principle.
Its extremely short pulses can produce highly localised photomechanical effects, while fractional delivery allows those effects to be concentrated into microscopic treatment zones. The subsequent wound-healing and remodelling response can contribute to improvements in collagen architecture, skin texture and scarring.
The evidence is encouraging, but treatment should always be individualised. Different wavelengths, handpieces and settings have different indications, and outcomes depend on factors including skin type, pigmentation, the condition being treated and the treatment protocol. Picosecond technology should therefore be viewed as a sophisticated platform rather than a one-size-fits-all procedure.
PicoPretty® Complete Treatment represents this next-generation approach: using extraordinarily short pulses and precisely controlled energy delivery not simply to remove unwanted pigment, but to help improve the overall quality and architecture of the skin.