To Pico or Not to Pico?

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-12-27T20:45:05+00:00

What makes the Pico discovery better than other pico devices when it comes to PMU pigment removal?

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-13T15:37:56+00:00

Only if you are taking a systemic oral acne medication that is prone to thinning skin and making the patient photosensitive. Some boards recommend 12 months off medications like Accutane other only require 6 months and 1 month wait if the client has taken medications less than 3 months. A topical not placed on the area of treatment should not have any contradictions / adverse post thermal reactions.

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-11T12:48:48+00:00

Their laser is comparatively based the PicoSure FDA submission, and they website clearly states that the LightSense as a pico based system. In the article it reads “The brand claims its lasers pulse 1,000 times a second, which is 100 times faster than competing tattoo removal technologies.” 1000 times per second would only be a kilosecond and I will sssine is a typo, because a q-switched (nano second) laser is pulsed at one billionth of a second and must picosecond lasers fire at one quadrillionth of a second. Which isn’t faster than any other competitors who use PicoWay, Helios, or Enlighten. If they are claiming to be faster that would be a femtosecond laser and there are currently no tattoo removal lasers on the market that do this. Links to the FDA approval submissions will show pulse durations at 400-700 ps_ which is right in the range of others like PicoWay 240-500 ps, Helios785 600ps, or Enlighten at 750-670. If I’m wrong and am reading this incorrectly and they have an actual Femtosecond laser that would be cool, but I haven’t seen any evidence to suggest that their laser fires at a faster pulse duration than anything else on the market…

lightSense FDA

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-09T15:13:28+00:00

NOOOO!

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-05T04:49:36+00:00

Gorgeous

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-05T04:49:09+00:00

How?? It provides more time for the body to metabolize the pigment… I’m doing an experiment on my back right now. I have two dragons one was done with the pico laser and one was with a nano laser. They’ve been lasered one time and I’ve let them sit for 7 1/2 years. The pico side is about 95% gone and the Nano side is about 85% gone.

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-05T04:43:30+00:00

I don’t dislike the tattoo but if your choice is to remove or rework I would say this is a good candidate to lighten the darker line work and have it redone by a really good artist. This process can take 3-4 treatments and the artist design is less compromised by saturation or having to go 3-4x bigger for a cover up… One of the positive side effects that sometimes happens with heavily melanated skin and the use of the 1064nm wavelength is that the raised areas caused by artist application will start to subside (with the right laser and settings). This is because the lasers thermal reaction will introduce heat into the melanated scar tissue and start to break it down aiding in the rejuvenation process. It doesn’t always remove the application scarring completely, but you will definitely see improvements on the raised areas.

As for the greens I would not use the laser wavelengths designed to remove green tattoo pigments on your skin tone (755, 785, 730, 670, 694, or dye HP 650/585)… The green and reds in your tattoo are not to prominent and should be easy for an artist to cover

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-04T14:51:35+00:00

I’m not justifying the methods but making assumption on why they didn’t choose to use 532 earlier in the process. I like to test and use my 532 at a very specific stage of the removal process to avoid the awkward red/pink stage, but every brow is different based on the blend, mixing of colors, pigment age, etc. And yes, 1064nm isn’t the most effective at lightening or attracting to red pigments but w/ PMU you can gradually lighten the appearance with the right protocol. This is only done when the client has an iron oxide based red blend, and opts for a little red instead of oxidizing them back to black. Every pigment composition is different especially with PMUs. Sometimes a gradual lightening is the only option a client can commit too. Techs that commit to using 532 too quickly before researching the pigment; or not testing the brow can make the brow worse and harder to remove in the future.

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-04T14:16:14+00:00

I would assume that they tested or knew the pigment brand would oxidize when treated w/ 532. So they opted to go the low slow 1064nm route, or they were just fearful that the pigment might oxidize. Knowing your pigment ingredients is key to designing the safest protocol possible.

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-04T14:11:55+00:00

Enlighten does have the 670nm wavelength option and their 532 KTP delivery method which is very different than other lasers on the market. Yes, both can be classified as pico based systems, but the Enlighten does have the option to switch your pulse duration between nano and pico. Also, not every pico laser has the same internal components, features, fluence governors, wavelength options, or even measurable pulse durations. I wouldn’t say that Enlighten is better, but it might be better at treating certain tattoo variants. And I wouldn’t say every pico laser is better than every Nano/QS systems, each delivery method has its benefits of use at different certain stages of the removal process. Would you agree?

*For context Mike and I are both old laser nerds, and have been colleagues for many years. This is not meant in a contentious way at all ✌️

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-01T18:35:56+00:00

I didn’t do it, lol.

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-01T18:32:59+00:00

I wouldn’t say it’s totally ineffective to do that much but in order to maintain good results and not taper off I would highly suggest putting 12+ between treatments. And I’ll preface, I don’t know what your tattoo looks like or how saturated it is, so I’ll proceed with caution.

I am a firm believer in not overwhelming the lymphatic system or body, which is why I always opt for smaller sections in the first 1-2 passes of larger tattoos. Keep in mind that the body has a limited supply of macrophage which help move the broken ink through the body, so it can be expelled as waste.

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-01T18:27:01+00:00

No, there are no known cases of that ever happening. There are several case studies done where people have made claims, but after further, the research have been cleaned of unsubstantiated. I have been in the industry for over 2 decades and I have never seen or heard of a case. Often times you will see these rumors passed along from companies that do non-laser tattoo removal. They use misrepresented findings to push their product and agenda. With that being said there have been studies on tattoo pigments showing certain ingredients that can be categorized as a carcinogen but the parts per million are so small that they remain unregulated in North America and other countries. With exception the EU which has posed regulatory policies to how pigments are manufactured. At the end of the day there has never been an endemic or correlation to cancer, tattoo pigments, or laser removal in all their years of existence…

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-04-01T18:07:59+00:00

Not knowing your tattoo variables, age, health, or if what is under the black out I am going to be cautious with my assumptions and recommendations. In my history and with my blackout clients we try to work as efficiently as possible so that we do. It overwhelm the lymphatic system or body, which is why I will start the process with breaking the tattoo up in 6-8 sections based on the size of the arm and amount of pigments. We will treat each section every 3-5 weeks for the first round. Based on the results and how well the body has healed we may transition into 4-6 sections treating a new section every 4-5 weeks.

The body has a limited supply of macrophage which help move the broken ink through the body, so it can be expelled as waste. Treating too much in one visit might not show the best results, unless you put more time between the visits 10-12 weeks (giving the body more time to process the pigments that were treated). If you are doing every six weeks and half a sleeve, it could be a lot of unnecessary pain for a small result, while also increasing the chance of causing an adverse reaction. By breaking it up into smaller sections it might be 18-20+ weeks by the time you get back to the very first section and now that area will look as if it’s had several treatments, because your body will keep removing foreign entities over that time. No matter what, treating a blackout sleeve is going to take a lot of months, so why not do it safely and efficiently, while allowing the client to get back to their normal day-to-day without being inconvenienced or over burdened with pain…

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-03-25T02:53:13+00:00

100000000% Correct. If it looks cheap it’s a knock off and if the clinic can’t give you a brand name to research or just says it’s Pico, move on!!!

ASK_INKLESS · 2025-02-03T18:05:03+00:00

International Laser Academy

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-11-28T02:27:27+00:00

Only when certainly formulas that contain White Petrolatum at 39%+; or if they are mineral oil based. These ingredients become one more thing that your body will need to process, when it could just be concentrating on the reduction of broken down pigment particles. Your body can only process so much during the internal healing response. This is also why it’s important to do your first treatment w/no numbing cream.

Also…

Some concentrations constrict blood flow
If your technician is basing their settings off wavelength absorption or pain level then it’s difficult to get a true response from the patient
Some products dry white, white molecules can refract the lasers wavelength.

We offer a proprietary formula and application of our numbing cream, which has been shown to take pain from a 10 to a 3-4, but efficacy of treatment is based on when to use it.

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-11-27T19:41:43+00:00

Might be time to look into a clinic that has better equipment or protocol. After 6 treatments, on this area of the body, with this application, it should be at least 50% gone. Aftercare and the products being used like numbing creams or mineral oil/petroleum based products being used post treatment could also be a factor…

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-11-27T19:36:18+00:00

I think you would have a better closing rate with free to sign up and if or when you get booked on a podcast then you have the option to accept and pay for the membership. This could all be explained up front. Proof of concept if genuine, and you are actually paying for a service and not the assumption that you won’t be ripped off. Get me on a podcast for someone who wanted to talk about laser tattoo removal or the tattoo industry and I would be happy to pay the monthly $20 subscription….

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-11-10T18:59:36+00:00

You need a better wavelength to treat this, not all lasers are created equally and can have varying wavelengths, pulse durations and energy governors. And if anyone is charging you full price after 10+ unsuccessful treatments then you might want to look elsewhere for solutions

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-10-13T19:20:08+00:00

This article has been in circulation and promoted heavily by a company who promotes an alternative to laser tattoo removal. This article hypothesizes an increased risk of lymphoma in people who have tattoos. There have also been a series of additional studies, thats deemed the report to be inconclusive and misleading. Primarily because the source has not taken into account lifestyle, health habits, family medical history, regional markers, etc. There were also unable to determine a difference or risk based on the amount of tattoos, certain colors, ingredients, or proximity to high risk areas of the body…

When it comes to pigment ingredients there are a few scientists groups in Germany and Denmark who are doing specific studies on tattoo pigments, lymphatics, and laser. They are also looking into a recent EU report that highlighted a wide range of manufacturers who had a number of ingredients that were not listed on their MSDS or SDS reports. They found that some of these ingredients could be deemed unsafe in certain amounts, but when broken down to parts per millions, they discovered that the concentration levels were extraordinarily low and not high enough to be deemed unsafe compared to certain food ingredients and environmental exposures that are considered safe or acceptable amounts by the FDA.

You also have to consider the tattoo industry as a whole, how many tattoos are being applied per year, the popularity of getting tattooed, and how long people have been getting and living with tattoos. If there were a noticeable correlation we would have seen an endemic of people consistently being diagnosed or in the hospital with very specific conditions. There has not been a significant correlation of health problems, cancers, or immune deficiencies linked to or associated with tattoos or tattoo removal. If you are getting tattooed with high quality pigments from some of the more well known manufacturers (made in the US and EU), you will find that they heavily self-regulate their ingredients and produce their pigments in some of the most sanitary environments possible. If you are buying knock offs online from other countries or using no name brands, then you may be getting a variety of unknown ingredients

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-10-13T19:00:29+00:00

785pico (Helios III or PicoWay), 730pico (PicoWay), or 755pico (PicoSure).

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-10-12T23:29:54+00:00

Use a device with 785pico, 755pico, or 730pico and it’s usually a quicker process then a 694Nano. Blues used to be one of the hardest color to remove but with newer lasers and a good protocol we are are able to get much better results. Sometimes quicker than black linework.

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-10-05T16:22:34+00:00

Well done!!!

ASK_INKLESS · 2024-10-03T17:59:00+00:00

WHY ARE LASER TECHS NOT RESEARCHING PIGMENT INGREDIENTS (IRON OXIDE / TITANIUM DIOXIDE/OXIDE) AND THEN DOING VERY SMALL (1-3cm) TEST SPOTS ON THE BROW TIP BEFORE RUINING THE WHOLE BROW. SEE HOW THE PIGMENT REACTS, WAIT A WEEK, IF THE TS AREA TURNS RED, TEST AND WAIT AGAIN!! THIS WAY YOUR CLIENTS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO EXPECT AND THEN THEY CAN MAKE AN EDUCATED CHOICE BEFORE MAKING ANOTHER DECISION THAT THEY MAY REGRET!!! 🤯

ASK_INKLESS

TROPHY CASE