PicoSure or PicoWay: which tattoo removal laser to choose?

At Ray studios, we only offer laser tattoo removal sessions and we only use PicoWay picosecond lasers from the company Candela. We made this decision after comparing and testing several machines developed by different companies. Taking the time to run that testing phase, carried out by our skin therapists over several months, proved to be the right call. It allows us today to offer an effective and safe treatment, with machines that our whole team knows inside out.

What is a picosecond laser?

Picosecond lasers produce energy pulses lasting one picosecond (a unit of time equal to one thousandth of one billionth of a second). The laser passes through the upper layers of the skin to reach the part holding the tattoo ink directly. The ink is broken down into very fine particles, which are then eliminated naturally by the body through the lymphatic system.

These lasers therefore produce extremely short pulses. They replace the nanosecond lasers (one billionth of a second) of the previous generation, often called Q-Switch lasers. As well as their increased performance, the impact time being a thousand times shorter is gentler on the skin, which limits pain and side effects while making healing easier. This is why the gap between two tattoo removal sessions is reduced to around eight weeks with this type of laser.

The picosecond laser can be set to different wavelengths, measured in nanometres (one billionth of a metre). Other elements can also be adjusted, such as the fluence and the spot size, to take into account the specifics of each treatment, such as how deep the tattoo sits in the skin, the colour of the pigments used or the customer's phototype (their skin colour). The treatment becomes less invasive and, above all, more effective.

All of this makes the picosecond laser the most effective and the safest on the market today. Even so, there are differences between brands within this latest generation of lasers, and they are not all equal. That is why, at Ray studios, we wanted to test several lasers and keep only the best one: the PicoWay laser from Candela.

Why we chose the PicoWay laser over the PicoSure

Two lasers had particularly caught our attention: the PicoWay from Candela, but also the PicoSure, developed by the company Cynosure two years earlier. We finally chose the first one, mainly because the PicoWay is a photo-acoustic pulse laser, where the PicoSure uses thermal pulses. This gives it several advantages:

• Colours are treated more effectively with the PicoWay, even though some light colours are particularly difficult to remove, or not removable at all in the case of white. The PicoWay has shown the best results across the whole spectrum compared with other lasers, including on blue and green. This is thanks to the fact that it can be set to four different wavelengths, where the PicoSure offers only three.
• The number of sessions needed to remove tattoos is also reduced with the PicoWay. Given that each session must be spaced around eight weeks apart, that can represent several months saved on the total treatment time.
• The larger number of available wavelengths and the shorter pulse duration are also gentler on the skin, which reduces pain during the session. Visible side effects after the treatment, such as redness, are less pronounced with the PicoWay and healing is quicker.

In short, it was clear to us that the PicoWay was superior, because it was more effective and less invasive than the PicoSure, for a shorter treatment time.

The choice of laser matters, but it is not everything

Choosing the right laser is a necessary condition for successful tattoo removal, but it is not enough on its own. How the treatment is handled before, during and after the session matters just as much. That is why, at Ray studios, we give as much importance to preparation and aftercare as to the session itself.

Before any first session, you have an initial consultation with one of our specialist skin therapists. They explain in detail how the treatment works, how long it takes and how the Full Remove plan works, with unlimited sessions at a single fixed price. They give you the guidance to follow and answer all your questions. For example, they will recommend a numbing cream to apply one hour before the tattoo removal session. This helps limit the pain or the tingling sensations caused by the laser being applied to the customer's skin. 

Using the best laser machines is one condition for success, but the assessment and experience of a properly trained skin therapist, working with the correct laser settings in a controlled environment, count just as much in how well a tattoo removal treatment goes. It is therefore important to follow their recommendations. After the session, your skin therapist also gives you a protocol to follow, so that your skin can heal in the best possible conditions before the next session (all sessions are spaced at least eight weeks apart). Individual results vary.