What is pico laser for acne scars and how does it work?
A pico laser fires pulses lasting trillionths of a second. For scars, a special diffractive or holographic lens turns each pulse into a grid of tiny, intense beams. Each beam makes a microscopic pocket inside the skin while the surface stays intact, and as it heals your skin builds new collagen and elastin right beneath the scars, so recovery takes days, not weeks.
Pico laser scar removal benefits
- Softer acne scars: rolling, boxcar and icepick scars look shallower over a course.
- Smaller-looking pores: texture feels smoother and pores look refined.
- Fading pimple marks: brown marks left by breakouts lighten as pigment breaks up.
- Surface stays intact: the energy works beneath the skin, so healing is quick.
- Short downtime: two to three days of redness and tiny pinpoint marks.
- Tuned to your skin: your doctor sets the laser for brown skin tones.
Laser pimple scar removal for brown skin
Most pimple scars are rolling, boxcar or icepick scars, and a pico laser can soften all three. In a split-face trial in people with skin type IV, common in Pakistan, it improved icepick, boxcar and rolling scars, and beat a non-ablative fractional laser on icepick and boxcar scars. Brown skin marks more easily after any laser, so your doctor keeps the settings gentle and spaces sessions four to six weeks apart. Very deep icepick scars often need TCA CROSS as well.
Pico laser before and after: acne scars
Straight after a session your skin looks pink, with tiny pinpoint marks for two to three days. Texture feels smoother within weeks, and scars soften most over the three to six months after your course, as new collagen matures. In a clinical study, three sessions improved texture and pores on 3D skin scans. Compare photos at the end of your course, not after one visit. Our patients share their own results in the videos below.
Acne scar laser price in Pakistan
Pico laser for acne scars costs from about Rs 12,000 a session in a course of 3, or Rs 14,995 for a single session, the same at all 12 of our clinics.
Full face
Acne scars, open pores and pimple marks across the face
Rs 14,995 per session
3 full-face sessions Save Rs 8,997
About Rs 12,000 a visit
Rs 44,985 Rs 35,988 for the course
Free consultation first · Any current offer is explained at the clinic
Who shouldn’t have pico laser for acne scars?
It isn’t suitable during pregnancy, while pimples are still active, with a skin infection or cold sore in the area, or soon after isotretinoin. Tell your doctor if you tan easily or have had dark marks after treatments before.
Your pico laser treatment, step by step
- Free consultation: your doctor maps your scar types and checks your acne is under control.
- Preparation: the skin is cleansed and numbing cream is left on to take the edge off.
- Treatment: the fractional handpiece passes over the scarred areas; about 30 minutes in all.
- Course: usually 3–5 sessions, 4–6 weeks apart.
- Review: your doctor checks progress about three months after your final session.
Results and recovery
Redness, mild swelling and tiny pinpoint marks fade within two to three days; most people are back at work the next day and wear make-up again after 24 hours. Your skin then feels smoother within weeks, and the deeper change keeps coming over three to six months, leaving scars far less visible in daylight and photos.
Aftercare
- Protect healing skin with SPF 30+ daily
- Skip make-up until the next day
- Avoid gym, sauna and steam for 2 days
- Pause retinol and acids for 5 days
Why choose Cutera Aesthetics
- Doctor-led: your pico laser treatment is assessed, planned and performed by our qualified doctors.
- Free consultation: an honest assessment and a clear plan before you commit to anything.
- Acne scar laser near you: at all 12 clinics in 7 cities, at the same price. Find your nearest clinic.
Sources
- Bernstein EF, et al. Treatment of acne scarring with a novel fractionated, dual-wavelength, picosecond-domain laser incorporating a novel holographic beam-splitter. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2017; 49(9): 796–802.
- Lee CH, et al. Efficacy and safety of treatment with fractional 1,064-nm picosecond laser with diffractive optic element for wrinkles and acne scars: a clinical study. Annals of Dermatology, 2021; 33(3): 254–62.
- Shi Y, et al. Comparison of fractionated frequency-doubled 1,064/532 nm picosecond Nd:YAG lasers and non-ablative fractional 1,540 nm Er:glass in the treatment of facial atrophic scars: a randomized, split-face, double-blind trial. Annals of Translational Medicine, 2021; 9(10): 862.
- Dierickx C. Using normal and high pulse coverage with picosecond laser treatment of wrinkles and acne scarring: long term clinical observations. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2018; 50(1): 51–55.
- American Academy of Dermatology. Acne scars: consultation and treatment. Why acne is controlled before scars are treated.
