ORLANDO – The applications for picowavelength lasers are expanding, with emerging data on their uses for cosmetic indications other than tattoo removal, according to Anne Chapas, MD, who is in private practice in New York.
First introduced and cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for tattoo removal, “picowave devices ... are now being studied in multiple different cosmetic conditions, including their use in acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, and melasma,” Dr. Chapas said in a video interview at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The No. 1 thing dermatologists need to know is that these types of lasers are delivering energy extremely quickly,” at 1,000 times faster than nanosecond lasers, she said. Another difference between the two is that “the laser tissue interaction between the two types of devices is completely different.”
In the interview, she highlighted other important points about picowave lasers, including less downtime after treatment.
At the meeting, Dr. Chapas spoke during a session entitled “the Science Behind New Devices in Dermatology.”
Her disclosures include serving as a consultant and investigator for Syneron and Candela.