Pico laser types in Singapore, compared by wavelength and pulse width

What makes one pico laser different from another?

Pico lasers differ in three published specifications: the wavelengths they emit, the length of each pulse and how the beam is delivered to the skin. All of them fire pulses shorter than a nanosecond, so the differences lie in which targets each can reach and how its energy is spread.

Whatever the brand, the study evidence on pico laser benefits for sun spots, acne scars and texture is summarised in our pico laser price guide.

Whatever the brand, laser tattoo removal usually takes several sessions spaced weeks apart; our guide explains how the number is estimated.

Whatever the brand, the plan matters more than the name: our pico laser treatment guide sets out wavelength, mode and spacing by concern.

• Wavelength, in nanometres (nm), decides which colour absorbs the light. SkinRev's pico laser page describes 532 nm for superficial brown pigment and red ink, 785 nm for melanin and blue or green ink, and 1064 nm for deeper pigment and black ink.
• Pulse width is how long each pulse lasts, given in picoseconds (ps, one trillionth of a second). Q-switched lasers work in nanoseconds (ns, one billionth of a second), a thousand times longer.
• Laser type. Four of the five pico platforms on this page are built around an Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, and 532 nm when the frequency is doubled). PicoSure is built around 755 nm. Several add handpieces or modules for other wavelengths: 595, 660, 694, 730 or 785 nm.
• Delivery. A full-beam handpiece spreads energy evenly across the spot; a fractional or lens-array handpiece concentrates it into many small points.

A 2017 review in Laser Therapy explains why pulse length matters. Picosecond pulses are shorter than the time a pigment particle needs to relieve mechanical stress, which is why they were developed to break up ink and pigment with less damage to the surrounding tissue. The same review noted that the pulse widths of current devices are still relatively long for the picosecond range, and called for more basic research.

Pico laser types compared by published specification

The table below sets out five pico laser platforms, and the Q-switched laser they are often compared with, using only figures published by each maker or reported in a published paper. Where the maker page we opened does not publish a figure, the cell says so rather than estimating it. Specifications vary between versions and countries, so treat the table as a snapshot of what each maker published, checked in November 2026.

Sources: DEKA's TORO product page; Candela's PicoWay product page; Lutronic's July 2017 PicoPlus announcement; Quanta System's Discovery Pico page; and, for PicoSure and PicoWay figures, a 2016 review in Medical Devices: Evidence and Research. Full references are listed at the end of this page.

No column in this table is a measure of quality. A shorter pulse, an extra wavelength or a wider spot is a different tool for a different target. Which of them suits a given person depends on what is being treated, how deep it sits and the skin type.

DEKA TORO: the pico laser platform SkinRev Lab uses

The DEKA TORO is the pico laser platform SkinRev Lab uses. Made by DEKA in Italy, it combines a 785 nm picosecond output with 532 nm and 1064 nm nanosecond outputs, so one platform covers both picosecond and Q-switched work.

DEKA's product page lists round spots of 2 to 6 mm for the 785 nm handpiece, a round zoom handpiece of 2.5 to 8 mm, square spots of 2 to 7 mm and fractional handpieces of 8 and 9 mm. It does not publish a pulse width, so the table says so rather than estimating one.

At SkinRev Lab, Dr Sin Yong uses the TORO for two protocols. T2 Frax Radiance is a two-step protocol for pigment and texture: Tone, then Tighten. T2 Targeted Tattoo is laser tattoo removal that uses both pulse types. On SkinRev's tattoo removal page, 1064 nm is described for black and dark blue ink, 532 nm for red and orange, and the 785 nm picosecond output for blue and green, while yellow, white and flesh tones need a test area first.

Pico laser at SkinRev Lab is performed by Dr Sin Yong, medical adviser, after a consultation, and is priced at consultation as a course. See pico laser at SkinRev Lab for sessions, aftercare and who it suits.

PicoSure and PicoSure Pro: built around 755 nm

PicoSure is a picosecond laser made by Cynosure and built around a 755 nm wavelength; a 2016 review lists an optional 532 nm wavelength. SkinRev Lab does not offer PicoSure or PicoSure Pro.

A 2016 review of PicoSure in Medical Devices: Evidence and Research gives it a pulse duration of 550 to 750 picoseconds.

The same review summarised the early tattoo studies. It described results mainly in dark and blue-green tattoos, reported adverse effects that were generally mild, such as transient hypopigmentation or blister formation, and drew on small studies, including animal studies.

PicoSure laser explained covers it in more detail. For pigment or tattoo ink at SkinRev Lab, the platform used is the DEKA TORO, and Dr Sin Yong chooses the wavelength after examining the pigment or ink.

PicoWay: Nd:YAG with 785 nm and 730 nm handpieces

PicoWay is a picosecond laser made by Candela that is built around an Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm and 532 nm, with separate 785 nm and 730 nm handpieces. SkinRev Lab does not offer PicoWay.

Candela's product page lists a Zoom handpiece at 532 nm and 1064 nm with spots of 2 to 10 mm, 730 nm and 785 nm handpieces with 2, 3 and 4 mm spots, and Resolve, a fractional handpiece with a 6 × 6 mm area at 532 nm and 1064 nm, plus a Resolve Fusion version at 532 nm. The product page does not give a pulse width for each wavelength. The 2016 review reported pulse widths of about 450 ps at 1064 nm and 350 ps at 532 nm for PicoWay.

PicoWay's 785 nm handpiece and the TORO's 785 nm output share a wavelength, but sharing a wavelength does not make two platforms interchangeable: the spot sizes, handpieces and published figures differ, and the settings are chosen for each person.

SkinRev's tattoo removal page sets out, colour by colour, which TORO output Dr Sin Yong uses for which ink. Tattoo removal at SkinRev Lab is priced at consultation; tattoo removal price in Singapore explains what changes the cost.

PicoPlus: four wavelengths at 450 picoseconds

PicoPlus is a picosecond Nd:YAG laser made by Lutronic with four wavelengths: 1064, 532, 595 and 660 nm. SkinRev Lab uses the DEKA TORO.

In a July 2017 announcement, Lutronic gave PicoPlus a pulse width of 450 ps, with a maximum energy of 800 mJ at 1064 nm, and listed five handpieces, including a fractional handpiece called Focused Dots. The announcement does not say how the 595 nm and 660 nm wavelengths are produced, so this page does not describe that.

Two of PicoPlus's wavelengths, 1064 nm and 532 nm, are the same as the TORO's nanosecond outputs, but the TORO delivers them as nanosecond pulses, while PicoPlus delivers them as picosecond pulses. That is a difference in how each platform is built; which pulse type suits a given pigment is a clinical decision.

For pigment and tattoo concerns that people often research PicoPlus for, the option at SkinRev Lab is pico laser on the DEKA TORO, planned after Dr Sin Yong examines the pigment or ink. Pico laser for melasma explains how pico laser is used for melasma, and its limits.

Discovery Pico: Nd:YAG with a 694 nm option

Discovery Pico is a picosecond Nd:YAG laser series made by Quanta System, with 1064 nm and 532 nm wavelengths and a 694 nm wavelength on the Plus version. SkinRev Lab uses the DEKA TORO.

Quanta System's product page gives pulse widths of 450 ps at 1064 nm and 370 ps at 532 nm, and a maximum energy in pico mode of 800 mJ at 1064 nm and 300 mJ at 532 nm. It lists up to four emission modes, or up to six with its VarioPulse option, so the platform offers more than one pulse type. The page lists square, round and fractional handpieces but does not publish spot sizes, so the table says so.

Like the TORO, Discovery Pico offers more than one pulse type on one platform. Unlike the TORO, it does not list a 785 nm wavelength, and its 694 nm option sits on the Plus version only. These are differences in build, set out so you can compare what you read elsewhere; they are not a ranking.

At SkinRev Lab, Dr Sin Yong uses the DEKA TORO for pico laser. If you have had treatment elsewhere on a different platform, bring any records you have to the consultation, so that he can see which wavelengths and settings were used before planning further treatment.

Fractional pico handpieces: what lens arrays and fractional tips do

Fractional pico handpieces split the beam into many small, concentrated points instead of an even spot, and makers present them for skin treatments rather than tattoo ink. Each maker uses its own name: Resolve on PicoWay, Focused Dots on PicoPlus, and 8 and 9 mm fractional handpieces on the DEKA TORO.

The idea is that concentrating the energy into points treats a fraction of the skin at a time and leaves the skin between the points untouched. The figures the makers publish for these handpieces are mostly spot or array sizes, such as PicoWay's 6 × 6 mm Resolve area or the TORO's 8 and 9 mm fractional handpieces; the pattern of points and the energy per point are not published on the maker pages we opened.

At SkinRev Lab, pico laser for pigment and texture is given as T2 Frax Radiance, the two-step protocol in which Tone (for pigment) is followed by Tighten (for texture). Pico laser downtime explains what the skin usually looks like in the days after each step, and the pico laser page answers whether pico laser thins the skin.

As with full-beam handpieces, the number of passes, the energy and the spacing between sessions are set by the doctor for each person rather than fixed by the device.

Pico or Q-switched: why the wavelength matters more than the brand

The wavelength and pulse type decide what a laser can target; the brand name alone does not. SkinRev's pico laser page puts it plainly: ask which wavelength will be used and why, since that matters more than the machine brand.

Q-switched nanosecond lasers remain in use alongside pico lasers. At SkinRev Lab, laser toning uses a 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG for uneven tone, and the TORO's own 532 nm and 1064 nm outputs are nanosecond. The 2017 Laser Therapy review described current picosecond lasers as a possible major advance for tattoo removal, while noting they may be less suited to melasma and some cosmetic uses. Pico vs Q-switched laser compares the two pulse types concern by concern.

Questions worth asking before any pico laser course:

1. Who performs the laser: a doctor, or someone else?
2. What is the diagnosis, and has any new, changing or irregular spot been examined first?
3. Which wavelength and pulse type will be used, and why?
4. How many sessions are expected, and how far apart?
5. What is the price for the whole course, not just one session?

In Singapore's strong sun, daily sunscreen between sessions also matters. Your doctor will advise on aftercare for your skin type.

Pico laser at SkinRev Lab: who performs it, price and what is not offered

At SkinRev Lab, pico laser is performed by Dr Sin Yong, medical adviser, on the DEKA TORO, after a consultation, and is priced at consultation as a course rather than a single session. The clinic is at #B1-28 CityLink Mall, 1 Raffles Link, by City Hall MRT, open daily 11am to 8pm.

• Offered: pico laser on the DEKA TORO, as T2 Frax Radiance for pigment and texture, and T2 Targeted Tattoo for tattoo ink; laser toning with a 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG.
• Not offered: PicoSure, PicoSure Pro and PicoWay. For tattoos, surgical excision is not offered, and Dr Sin Yong does not use dermabrasion or salt abrasion.
• A separate course: R2 Glow is a separate brightening course on the Fotona StarWalker Nd:YAG platform.

At the consultation, Dr Sin Yong examines the pigment or ink, asks about your skin and medical history, and explains which TORO output he would use, how many sessions are likely and how they are spaced. If pico laser does not suit the concern, he explains the alternatives.

For prices across Singapore and what a fair quote should list, see pico laser price in Singapore. To ask a question first, message the clinic on WhatsApp at +65 8266 9585.