PicoSure Pro® Pico Laser in Toronto & Markham

What Is PicoSure Pro, and How Does a Pico Laser Work?

PicoSure Pro is Cynosure’s newer pico laser. It fires bursts of light lasting a few hundred trillionths of a second. They’re so short that they break pigment apart mainly with a pressure wave, with much less heat reaching the skin around it. Surface pigment then flakes off with tiny crusts, and deeper pigment and ink are cleared gradually by the body.

Technically, it is a 755 nm picosecond alexandrite laser; 755 nm is a wavelength that brown pigment absorbs strongly, and the pressure-wave effect is called photoacoustic.

Two features make it more than a spot remover. The Focus lens array splits the beam into many tiny points of energy. These create micro-injuries in the upper layers of the skin (laser-induced optical breakdown, or LIOB), and the skin responds by making new collagen and elastin. That is the basis for smoother texture, smaller-looking pores and softer acne scars. Optional 532 nm and 1064 nm handpieces extend it to more tattoo ink colours.

Does PicoSure Pro tighten skin? Not the way a lifting device does. The Focus lens improves texture, pores and fine lines by stimulating collagen, but it doesn’t lift sagging skin. For that, Dr. Xu would discuss Sofwave, Ultherapy or Thermage.

Why less heat matters for Asian skin. Older Q-switched lasers work in nanoseconds and rely more on heat. Heat can stimulate pigment cells and leave post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), the most common worry for Fitzpatrick III–V skin. Picosecond pulses carry less heat, which is why they are the usual choice for pigment in Asian skin, provided the energy is set for your skin type.

Technology defines the possibilities; the physician defines the direction.— Dr. Dan Xu, MD, CCFP

PicoSure vs PicoSure Pro: What’s the Difference?

Both are 755 nm picosecond lasers from Cynosure, and we offer both. PicoSure Pro is the newer platform: Cynosure lists a Turbo mode for hard-to-treat tattoos and an upgraded Platinum Focus lens. If you were told you need “PicoSure”, the consultation is the same: Dr. Xu chooses the platform that suits your skin.

What PicoSure Pro Treats

As a pico laser treatment, PicoSure Pro helps with freckles, sun spots, post-acne marks, acne scars, enlarged pores, uneven tone and tattoos, and with melasma at low energy. Each concern needs a different energy, lens and number of sessions.

Where PicoSure Pro isn’t the right tool:

• White, yellow and light-blue tattoo ink, which absorb 755 nm poorly.
• Red and orange ink, unless the optional 532 nm handpiece is used; otherwise PicoWay’s 532 nm is the closer match.
• Active inflammatory acne, which we treat first.
• Melasma that is active or flaring, which usually starts with medical therapy such as topicals and tranexamic acid.

Dr. Xu will tell you plainly at your consultation if another treatment suits you better.

PicoSure Tattoo Removal

PicoSure Pro suits black, blue and green tattoo ink, usually over 5–10 sessions spaced 6–8 weeks apart. Tattoo sessions feel sharper than skin treatments and need 5–7 days of wound care, and multicolour tattoos often need PicoWay as well. Our laser tattoo removal page covers the full process.

How Many PicoSure Pro Sessions Will You Need, and When Will You See Results?

Most people need 3–6 PicoSure Pro sessions, 4–6 weeks apart. You’ll usually see the first lightening within 1–2 weeks of a session, and the full result 3–6 months after your last one. The gap between sessions gives your body time to clear the broken-up pigment, so a full course usually takes 4–8 months.

How long results last. Results last as long as the cause stays under control. Cleared freckles and sun spots can return with UV exposure, and melasma is a long-term condition. Daily SPF 50+ and a low-energy maintenance session every 3–6 months help hold the result.

Tattoo removal runs on its own timeline: fading happens session by session over 6–18 months, and older, single-colour tattoos usually clear sooner than new, multicolour professional work.

What a PicoSure Pro Appointment Feels Like

A PicoSure Pro appointment takes 30–45 minutes in total: about 20 minutes of numbing cream, then 10–25 minutes of treatment. With numbing, most people rate facial pigment treatments 2–4 out of 10, often described as a rubber band snapping.

• Tattoo sessions feel sharper, around 4–6 out of 10.
• Right after: redness like a mild sunburn for a few hours; treated spots may turn white briefly, then darken and flake off over 7–14 days.
• Back to normal: makeup the next day for facial treatments; tattoo sessions need 5–7 days of wound care.
• Higher-risk skin (Fitzpatrick IV–VI): a test spot comes before the first full session.

Before Your Appointment

• Avoid sun and tanning for 2–4 weeks.
• Pause retinoids, AHAs and BHAs 3–5 days before.
• Tell us about all medications and supplements, especially any that make skin sun-sensitive.
• Arrive with clean skin and no makeup on the area.
• If your skin is at higher risk of darkening, you may use a preparation cream such as Cyspera for up to 6 weeks first.

Aftercare in Brief

• First 24 hours: gentle moisturizer only, and no makeup on treated areas.
• First 48 hours: no sauna, hot yoga, hard workouts, hot showers or alcohol.
• First week: SPF 50+ every day; pause retinol, AHA, BHA and vitamin C for 5–7 days after treatment; let crusts fall off on their own.
• After day 7: daily SPF for at least 3 months, and any prescribed topicals (such as Cyspera for melasma) as directed.

You’ll receive written aftercare at every visit, and our PicoSure Pro aftercare guide covers each step in more detail.

PicoSure Pro vs PicoWay vs Q-Switched: Which Laser Suits You?

For freckles, sun spots, post-acne marks and skin texture in Asian skin, Dr. Xu most often starts with PicoSure Pro, and for melasma she uses it at low energy alongside medical treatment. PicoWay often adds something for deeper pigment such as Hori’s nevus and for warm-coloured tattoo ink. Q-switched lasers rely more on heat, so they carry a higher risk of darkening in Asian skin.

When pigment sits at more than one depth, PicoSure Pro and the PicoWay laser can be combined in a Dual Pico plan. Because the clinic has both, the choice follows your skin rather than the equipment. For melasma specifically, see PicoSure Pro vs PicoWay for melasma.

PicoSure Pro FAQ: Toronto & Markham

Your Physician: Dr. Dan Xu, MD, CCFP

Dr. Dan Xu founded ID Cosmetic Clinic in 2017 and is its medical director. She holds an MD with honours and is certified in family medicine (CCFP). Her practice focuses on Asian facial aesthetics and pigment treatment, drawing on clinical work in Canada, China and Korea. She has performed more than 80,000 treatment areas.

For PicoSure Pro, that experience shows in the details. She reads pigment depth under a Wood’s lamp, lowers the energy for Asian skin, and knows when a test spot or a different laser is the safer choice.

• Cynosure PicoSure Pro Key Opinion Leader in Canada
• Allergan / Juvéderm North America trainer
• Key Opinion Leader for Sofwave and Candela
• Clinical preceptor, McMaster University
• Speaker, IMCAS international aesthetic conference
• Registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

About Dr. Xu

References

1. Feng J, et al. Efficacy and safety of picosecond laser for the treatment of melasma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lasers in Medical Science. 2023. (This review found that 755 nm picosecond laser was not superior to topical lightening agents for melasma and could cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which is why we use it at low energy as one part of a plan.)
2. Jakus J, Kailas A. Picosecond lasers: a new and emerging therapy for skin of color, minocycline-induced pigmentation, and tattoo removal. Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2017.
3. Health Canada: PicoSure Pro is a licensed medical device in Canada. Medical Devices Active Licence Listing.