Nd:YAG lasers treat pigment, tone and unwanted hair, depending on how the energy is pulsed. At IN Eternity Clinic, Dr Sin Yong chooses the mode and settings after identifying what is being treated.
WhatsApp to Enquire →Key facts ↓A YAG laser usually means the Nd:YAG laser, which emits light at 1064 nm. The wavelength reaches deep and is absorbed less by surface pigment, so it suits Asian skin. What it does depends on pulse length: Q-switched and picosecond pulses break up pigment and ink, while long pulses heat hair follicles for laser hair removal. The diagnosis decides which mode is used.
“YAG laser” almost always means the Nd:YAG laser, named after its crystal: yttrium aluminium garnet doped with neodymium. It emits invisible near-infrared light at 1064 nm. Passed through a second crystal, the same laser can be frequency-doubled to 532 nm, a green wavelength used for pigment near the surface.
What makes 1064 nm useful in skin is that it reaches deep and is absorbed relatively weakly by melanin in the surface layer. More of the energy passes through the epidermis to its target in the dermis, which is why Nd:YAG is the wavelength most often chosen for Asian and darker skin. The same property means it needs careful settings: energy that is too high for the target spreads as heat into surrounding skin.
Two other “YAG” lasers cause confusion. The Er:YAG (erbium) laser, at 2940 nm, is a different device that is absorbed by water and removes skin layer by layer. And the YAG laser used by eye doctors after cataract surgery, a YAG capsulotomy, uses Nd:YAG inside the eye; that is an ophthalmology procedure, done by an eye specialist, and not something an aesthetic clinic offers.
The wavelength is only half the story. How long each pulse lasts decides what the laser does to its target, because a target heats and cools at its own rate. This is the principle of selective photothermolysis: match the pulse to the size of the target, and the heat stays where it is wanted.
| Mode | Pulse length | How it acts | Used for | At IN Eternity Clinic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q-switched Nd:YAG | Nanoseconds (billionths of a second) | Very short, intense pulses shatter pigment with limited heat | Pigment, low-fluence laser toning, tattoos, carbon laser peel | DEKA TORO; Fotona StarWalker PQX |
| Picosecond Nd:YAG | Picoseconds (trillionths of a second) | Mainly a pressure (photoacoustic) effect, with even less heat | Pigment, tattoos, fine textural work | Fotona StarWalker PQX (R2 Glow); the DEKA TORO adds picosecond output at 785 nm |
| Long-pulsed Nd:YAG | Milliseconds (thousandths of a second) | Gentle, sustained heating of a larger target | Laser hair removal, especially in darker skin | Lutronic Clarity II, alongside 755 nm Alexandrite |
| Frequency-doubled 532 nm | Nanoseconds | Absorbed near the surface by melanin | Sun spots, freckles and other surface pigment | DEKA TORO (Q-switched 532 nm) |
Melanin absorbs shorter wavelengths more strongly. At 1064 nm, less energy is taken up by the pigment in the surface of Fitzpatrick III to V skin, so there is less risk of burning the epidermis on the way to a deeper target such as dermal pigment or a hair follicle. That is the main reason Nd:YAG is so widely used in Singapore.
It still carries risks. Repeated low-fluence Q-switched treatment given too often or too strongly has been linked to mottled white spots (hypopigmentation) in Asian patients, and any laser can trigger rebound darkening after inflammation. At IN Eternity Clinic, the type of pigment is identified first, energy is kept conservative, intervals are respected and sun protection between sessions is treated as part of the treatment.
For uneven tone and some kinds of pigment, low-fluence Q-switched 1064 nm is passed over the whole face in repeated sweeps, breaking up melanin a little at a time with minimal heat. This is laser toning, given as a course one to a few weeks apart. It can be part of melasma treatment when used cautiously alongside medical care, since melasma is managed rather than cured.
For discrete brown spots, deeper dermal pigment such as Hori’s naevus, and tattoos, higher-energy Q-switched or picosecond pulses are used on targeted areas. Sun spots often need one to three sessions; dermal pigment and tattoos need a longer, spaced course. The broader options are on pico laser and laser for pigmentation.
In laser hair removal the target is the pigment in the hair follicle, and the pulse is lengthened to milliseconds so the follicle heats steadily. The long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG reaches deep follicles and passes the surface pigment of darker or tanned skin more safely than shorter wavelengths, which is why it is the wavelength of choice for darker phototypes.
At IN Eternity Clinic the Lutronic Clarity II combines this 1064 nm Nd:YAG with a 755 nm Alexandrite laser, and the wavelength is chosen for your skin and hair rather than by what a single-wavelength machine allows. Hair reduction takes a course because only follicles in the growing phase respond at each session. See laser hair removal Singapore and Clarity II laser hair removal.
“Nd:YAG is a wavelength, not a treatment. The same 1064 nm that evens tone at low energy can leave white spots if it is pushed, so the setting matters more than the name.”
Common effects are redness and warmth for a few hours, and sometimes pinpoint bleeding or light crusting after higher-energy pigment treatment. Less common are blistering, rebound darkening and, with over-treatment, white spots. Eye protection is worn by everyone in the room, because 1064 nm light is invisible and can injure the retina.
Treatment is usually postponed on recently tanned skin, over active infection or inflammation, during pregnancy for elective treatment, and with certain photosensitising medicines. Any brown spot that is changing, irregular or bleeding is examined first, and removed for testing if needed, rather than lasered.
It depends entirely on the job. Laser toning is a course of gentle sessions; many sun spots need one to three; dermal pigment, melasma care and tattoos need longer, spaced courses; and laser hair removal takes a course over months because hair grows in cycles. Each plan is reviewed against baseline photographs and adjusted to how your skin responds.
Cost depends on what is being treated, the size of the area, the mode and platform used, the number of sessions and whether the laser is combined with skincare or other treatments. A course of laser toning, a single sun spot session and a full laser hair removal course are planned and costed quite differently. At IN Eternity Clinic the plan and its cost are explained after assessment, and the consultation fee is waived with any medical treatment. See pigmentation removal cost for the factors in detail.
Not exactly. A pico laser is defined by its very short picosecond pulse; many pico lasers use the Nd:YAG wavelengths of 1064 and 532 nm. A YAG laser can also run in Q-switched (nanosecond) or long-pulsed (millisecond) modes, which do quite different jobs.
It is an Nd:YAG laser that releases energy in very short, intense nanosecond pulses. These shatter pigment and ink with limited heat. At low energy over the whole face it is used for laser toning; at higher energy on small areas it treats spots and tattoos.
The 1064 nm wavelength is the one most often chosen for darker skin because surface melanin absorbs it less. It still needs conservative settings, proper intervals and sun protection, because over-treatment can cause darkening or white spots.
Most people describe quick snapping or warm prickling. Laser toning is gentle; targeted pigment and tattoo treatment feels sharper; hair removal on the Clarity II uses integrated cooling. Numbing cream can be used where needed.
No. A YAG capsulotomy is an eye procedure performed by an ophthalmologist. IN Eternity Clinic uses Nd:YAG lasers for skin and hair only, so please see an eye specialist for that treatment.
Nd:YAG emits 1064 nm light that passes deep into the skin and targets pigment, ink or hair follicles. Er:YAG emits 2940 nm light that is absorbed by water at the surface and removes skin layer by layer. They are different lasers for different purposes.
For laser toning, usually a few hours of mild redness. After targeted pigment treatment, small spots may darken and flake over about a week. After laser hair removal, redness and small bumps around follicles usually settle within a day or two.
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.