Both even out tone with gentle, repeated passes. Dr Sin Yong explains what the shorter picosecond pulse changes, what it does not, and how a toning course is planned safely.
WhatsApp to Enquire →Key facts ↓Laser toning and pico toning are the same technique, low-energy, large-spot passes over the whole face repeated across a course, with different pulses. Laser toning usually uses a Q-switched 1064 nm laser with nanosecond pulses that act mainly by heat; pico toning uses picosecond pulses that act mainly by pressure, with less heat spread. Both even out tone gradually, both need sun protection, and both can be overdone.
Both are “toning”: a technique in which a pigment laser is passed over the whole face at low energy with a large spot, several times, and repeated across a course of sessions. The aim is to break up a little excess pigment at a time and even out the tone without visible injury to the skin. The difference is the pulse.
Laser toning, in the sense most clinics use it, means toning with a Q-switched laser, usually at 1064 nm. Q-switched pulses last a few nanoseconds (billionths of a second) and break pigment mainly by very rapid heating. Pico toning uses a picosecond laser, with pulses roughly a thousand times shorter, measured in trillionths of a second. The pulse ends before much heat can spread, so pigment is broken mainly by a pressure (photoacoustic) effect, into finer particles.
In practice the two are close relatives. Both rely on the same principle of selective photothermolysis, both can lighten diffuse pigment and dullness gradually, and both can cause problems if overused. For how each laser type is used beyond toning, including spot treatment, see pico vs Q-switched vs laser toning.
| Laser toning (Q-switched) | Pico toning (picosecond) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse length | Nanoseconds | Picoseconds (about a thousand times shorter) |
| How pigment breaks | Mainly rapid heating (photothermal) | Mainly pressure (photoacoustic), with less heat spread |
| Usual wavelength for toning | 1064 nm | 1064 nm, sometimes 785 nm or 755 nm |
| Typical uses | Dull, uneven tone; selected melasma care; some acne marks | The same, plus finer pigment and some texture benefit with fractional optics |
| Feel | Light snapping, warmth | Light snapping, usually less warmth |
| Downtime | Pinkness for hours | Pinkness for hours |
| Main risks | PIH if too strong; mottled pale flecks after long, frequent courses | PIH if too strong; long-term data on mottling are fewer |
| Evidence base | Longer history, especially in Asian melasma | Newer, growing; short-term results in melasma are promising |
| At IN Eternity Clinic | DEKA TORO (Q-switched 1064 nm) | Picosecond platforms: DEKA TORO and Fotona StarWalker PQX |
Neither is simply stronger. A gentle Q-switched toning course and a gentle pico toning course can look very similar on the skin, and both can be overdone. What changes the outcome is what the pigment is, how often the skin is treated, and how well it is protected from the sun in between.
Low-fluence Q-switched 1064 nm toning has been studied in Asian melasma for over fifteen years. Studies show it can lighten melasma over a course, with recurrence common once treatment stops. A case series from Hong Kong described a different problem: scattered pale flecks (mottled depigmentation) in women who had received many toning sessions, between six and fifty, often at short intervals, and laser toning had not improved the melasma of the five patients treated for it. That paper is a large part of why toning is now planned with a defined course and review points.
Picosecond toning is newer. In a randomised split-face trial in melasma, weekly picosecond laser added to a lightening cream made the treated side lighter than cream alone at the end of treatment, but the difference was no longer present at follow-up. Reviews of picosecond lasers in Asian patients report good results for many benign pigmented lesions with a low rate of lasting side effects. The honest summary is that pico toning may achieve similar or quicker short-term evening with less heat, but it does not change the long-term nature of melasma, and both techniques need sun protection and maintenance.
| If your main concern is | Usually considered | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dull, slightly uneven tone with no clear spots | Either; often a short toning course with a facial or booster | Diffuse pigment and surface scatter respond to gentle, repeated passes |
| Melasma | Gentle toning, either type, only alongside sun protection and topical care | Heat can darken melasma; toning is supportive, not the main treatment |
| Sharply edged sun spots or freckles | Spot treatment rather than toning | Toning lightens slowly; spot settings clear defined pigment faster |
| Post-acne brown marks | Topical care first; gentle toning for resistant marks | Reviews place laser after topical treatment for PIH in darker skin |
| Enlarged pores and fine texture with tone | Fractional pico in a planned course | Fractional optics add a texture effect that plain toning lacks |
| Deep blue-grey pigment such as Hori’s naevus | Picosecond or Q-switched spot settings at longer wavelengths | Dermal pigment needs energy that reaches it; toning alone is too gentle |
If several types of pigment are present, which is common, the plan combines them: spot settings for defined spots, toning for the background, and topical care throughout. Laser toning in Singapore and pico laser in Singapore describe the two techniques as used at IN Eternity Clinic, and pigmentation treatment in Singapore explains how each pigment type is approached.
“Toning is a technique, not a machine. The pulse decides how the pigment breaks; the plan decides whether the skin stays even.”
A toning course is usually several sessions spaced one to a few weeks apart, followed by maintenance at longer intervals. The exact number depends on the concern, the skin type and how the skin responds. Two principles apply to both types of toning.
Recovery after either type is usually pinkness for a few hours. The detailed day-by-day picture, including other pico settings, is in pico laser downtime, day by day.
General clinical observations used at consultation; they describe what is checked, not any individual result.
Most uneven tone is cosmetic. A few patterns suggest something else and are assessed before toning.
Where any of these apply, the cause is investigated and treated first.
Pico toning is often priced higher than Q-switched toning, because picosecond platforms cost more to buy and maintain. The total cost of a course depends more on how many sessions your skin needs, whether spot treatment or topical care is added, and how often maintenance is planned. At IN Eternity Clinic the course is set out after assessment, with the platform chosen for your pigment rather than for the price list. The consultation fee is S$120, waived with any medical treatment.
Not in every case. Pico toning breaks pigment with less heat spread and may even out tone a little faster, but Q-switched toning has a longer track record, especially in Asian melasma. Both can be overdone. The diagnosis, the settings and sun protection matter more than the type of pulse.
Pico toning is a low-energy, large-spot technique using a picosecond laser, passed over the whole face several times and repeated across a course. Picosecond pulses break pigment mainly by pressure rather than heat. It is used for dull, uneven tone and, carefully, as part of melasma care.
Laser toning is a technique, usually done with a Q-switched 1064 nm laser at low energy. The same Q-switched laser can also be used at higher energy on individual spots, which is a different treatment with more downtime. Pico lasers can be used in both ways too.
Usually a course of several sessions, spaced one to a few weeks apart, then maintenance at longer intervals. The number depends on your pigment, skin type and response, and is reviewed partway through rather than fixed in advance.
It can lighten melasma as part of a plan that includes sun protection and topical care, but it does not remove the tendency. In studies, improvement faded without continued treatment. Melasma is managed rather than cured, and strong settings can make it darker.
Usually only pinkness and warmth for a few hours. Make-up can often be worn the same day. Sunscreen is needed every day, and retinoids or exfoliating acids are usually paused for a few days around each session.
It can, uncommonly. Scattered pale flecks have been reported after long courses of frequent Q-switched toning. This is why toning is planned as a defined course with review points and spaced-out maintenance, rather than continued every week indefinitely.
Both are available. Q-switched 1064 nm toning is done on the DEKA TORO, and pico toning on the clinic’s picosecond platforms, the DEKA TORO and Fotona StarWalker PQX. The choice is made at assessment by the doctor, based on your pigment and skin.
IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210. By appointment with Medical Director Dr Sin Yong. Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8pm. WhatsApp or call +65 8815 3008. The consultation fee is waived with any medical treatment.
These sources describe mechanisms and general evidence. They are not a promise of any individual result; suitability is decided at an in-person assessment.