Clifton / DHA
Closest to you4.8(984)
3rd Floor, 4C, Khayaban-e-Tanzeem, Tauheed Commercial Area, DHA Phase-5
How does a picosecond laser treat acne scars?
A diffractive or holographic lens turns each picosecond 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.
In a split-face trial in people with skin type IV, a common shade of brown skin, it improved icepick, boxcar and rolling scars, and it beat a non-ablative fractional laser on icepick and boxcar scars. And the downtime is short.
Who shouldn’t have picosecond laser for acne scars?
It isn’t suitable during pregnancy, while acne is still active, with a skin infection or cold sore in the area, or soon after isotretinoin. Darker skin marks more easily, so your doctor adjusts the settings carefully.
Picosecond laser for acne scars, 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, taking 20–30 minutes.
- Course: a course of 3–5 sessions, spaced 4–6 weeks apart.
- Review: your doctor checks progress about three months after your final session.
Acne scar results and recovery
Your skin feels smoother within weeks, and the deeper change keeps coming: scars soften most over the three to six months after your course, as new collagen matures. The reward is scars that are far less visible in daylight and photos.
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.
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 picosecond 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.
- A plan made for you: your treatment is tailored to your goals, your skin and your health.
- 12 clinics in 7 cities: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad and Sialkot. 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.
