Acne scars Picosure At A Glance
- Best Results2-5+ sessions
- Treatment Recovery0-3 days
- Procedure Time10 min
- Skin SpecialistDermal Therapist, Nurse
- Duration of ResultsMany years to permanent
- AnaestheticTopical
- Back to WorkNext Day
- Cost$ - $$
Acne scars Picosure
I love pico lasers, just not for meaningful acne scars. Probably the biggest hype & BS in the context of moderate to severe acne scars. Pico lasers are, however, useful in treating pigmentation associated with acne, also known as grade 1 acne scars.
FactsFacts on Pico Lasers For Acne Scars Picosure
- Pico lasers are useful for pigmented scars, namely grade one scarring
- Pico can reduce pigmentation after acne
- In the context of atrophic scars, there are many other options that are far more effective & cost less than pic laser
- These lasers do very little for the correction of moderate to severe acne scars
- I employ pico lasers post ablative resurfacing to improve skin texture & reduce dark pigmentation
- Pico lasers can also be used to treat enlarged pores & pits
Acne Scars Picosure
It depends on the type & age of scarring. Pico lasers are effective in improving skin color changes associated with acne- acne scarring. This is known as Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation.
Pico laser can also be effective in treating early & mildly depressed acne scars. In fact, even simple microneedling can be used to treat mild scars. Pico Lasers have very little impact on atrophic & depressed acne scars, however, they can improve skin quality-texture.
How many treatments will I require?
For grade one acne scars, 2-5 sessions will suffice. Note, pico is good at treating pigment. If you have moderate to severe atrophic & tethered scars, you are better off with another treatment. Even simple DermRoller is more effective than Pico in this context.
How often should I get Picosure - pico laser?
For pigment reduction, every 2-4 weeks. For the management of mild & early scars, 2 to 6 weeks. Leaving a gap between treatments allows your skin to remodel scars, generate collagen, & exfoliate pigment.
What can I expect after a pico laser?
Mild bruising, redness and swelling as well as tingling sensations similar to sunburn are normal and will resolve shortly thereafter. There may be slight darkening (bronzing) of the skin that is noticeable 3-10 days post treatment which will resolve. This setting is only used for patients with mild scars in lighter skin types.
In the context of pigment reduction, I do not like higher settings, so expect mild redness to settle within a few hours.
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What is the best laser for acne scars?
The best laser is a CO2 laser, followed by fractional erbium lasers. I run 4 types of CO2 lasers for treating acne scars, from super powered lasers like the eCO2 & Ultrapulse to ‘finesse’ lasers like the Mixto & CO2 CORE.
The second group of lasers I use are called erbium lasers, namely Profractional & Profile by Sciton; not to be confused with HALO laser, which is really underpowered for scars.
I hardly use the non-ablative lasers in the practice including erbium Glass 1550 & 1440 lasers (Fraxel Dual 1550). Even though they are marketed as ‘acne scar lasers’, other lasers perform better. If you really would like to ‘try out’ these lasers, consult my nursing staff.
What is pico laser good for, if it is really not great for acne scars?
Lasers are tools. Each tool has its own specific applications. Pico lasers are great for the following conditions-
- Non-specific pigmentation in darker skin types.
- Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation: can speed up resolution
- Resistant cases of melasma (only in conjunction with medical therapy)
- Some forms of birthmarks (marginal advantage over nano lasers)
- Enlarged pores in ethnic skin types
- Tattoos (quicker resolution, especially in the first few sessions)
- Early & mild acne scars
Why do we have so many pico lasers?
Each pico laser has a specific setting that it excels in. For example the Picoway by Candela is better than the Picosure or the Picosure Pro from Cynosure. Picosure is better at other pigment tasks.
Davin’s viewpoint on Pico Lasers for Acne Scars
Picosure was the very first Gen One pico laser. It was released 6 years ago. It was marketed heavily as a ‘do it all lasers’, including treatment of acne scars. In fact the whtie paper stated it was just as good, if not better than fractional CO2. Maybe the way I pressed the pedal was wrong, but results were dismal at the very best.
I don’t hate pico lasers, in fact I love them. This is my laser of choice for treating pigment, fine lines & even enlarged pores in ethnic skin types. This is the first laser of choice for my skin (along with CO2 fractional). In the context of acne scars, I only use them in the management of pigmented scars (grade 1), or PIH. They are my ‘finishing’ lasers after a series of treatments. They can improve the smaller details, such a pores & enlarged pits.
If you do have significant acne scarring, possibly pico should not be your first choice. There are many other options that are far better & more cost effective.
