Reviewed 28 Sep 2026 · Updated 24 Oct 2026 · Dr Ong Jin Khang · MMC 45245 · LCP holder · The Retreat Clinic, Setia Alam
PicoSure delivers laser pulses measured in picoseconds, fractions of a billionth of a second. At that speed the energy shatters pigment mechanically rather than burning it out, so far less heat spills into the surrounding skin. That speed is the point of the technology, and it is why the pigment work at The Retreat Clinic in Setia Alam runs on this platform.
Pulses measured in picoseconds. Decisions still made in person.
At a glance
PicoSure, in six answers.
What it is
Laser pulses measured in picoseconds, which shatter pigment mechanically rather than burning it out.
Who it suits
Discrete sun damage: sun spots, age spots and freckles.
Not redness, visible vessels or laxity.
Sessions
One or two
For a discrete sun spot; diffuse damage or tattoo ink takes a planned course.
Downtime
Minimal
Sometimes a few hours of redness.
Performed by
Dr Ong
Every session, after examining the pigment's type and depth.
Timeline
The sessionAround twenty to thirty minutes, at the clinic in Setia Alam
The sensationQuick snaps against the skin, brief rather than lingering
Days and weeksThe body clears the fragments between visits
How it works
Faster than heat can spread.
The energy arrives faster than the pigment can spread it as heat, so far less heat spills into the surrounding skin.
0103
01
The pigment is read first
Dr Ong examines the pigment's type and depth before anything else. The recommendation is sometimes to wait, adjust the topical regime, or use a different modality entirely.
02
Pulses in picoseconds
Each pulse lasts a fraction of a billionth of a second. The pigment particle shatters mechanically instead of being burned out.
03
Cleared by the body
The fragments are small enough for the body to clear through its normal pathways over the days and weeks that follow.
Who it suits
Who it is for, and who it is not.
Brown marks look alike from a distance and behave differently under treatment, so the assessment carries the weight.
Where it fits
Discrete sun damage: sun spots, age spots and freckles, the marks with clear edges.
Diffuse pigment that leaves the skin duller and more uneven than it should be.
Selected tattoo inks, assessed case by case.
Selected acne scarring and surface texture, using the focusing mode.
Where it does not
Redness, visible vessels or skin laxity: each has its own tool.
A brown mark that is new, changing or unusual: it needs a medical look first.
Melasma pushed hard: an aggressive laser on the wrong case can leave the patch darker.
Anyone wanting one session to erase decades of sun exposure for good.
Compare
Pigment, surface and finish.
Each of these works on a different part of how skin looks. The assessment decides which, if any, is yours.
Skin quality: water content, collagen and evenness under light
How
A series of fine injections: biostimulators, strong hydrators and amino acids
Suits
Skin that is already healthy but wants a finish
The change
Hydration shows earliest, with collagen building over the following months
Will not
Lift laxity, fill volume or treat significant pigmentation as a primary concern
The full read
PicoSure, in full.
Who performs PicoSure here
At The Retreat Clinic, Dr Ong Jin Khang (MMC 45245, LCP for aesthetic practice from the Ministry of Health) has been the only doctor since the clinic opened in Setia Alam in April 2013. He performs every PicoSure session at the clinic himself, after examining the pigment's type and depth; for melasma he uses it cautiously, as one part of a longer plan. He has performed PicoSure at the clinic since 2020. The clinic was the first in Setia Alam to offer PicoSure, in 2020. Each first here is dated, with the post that announced it, in Dr Ong's record. His registration and LCP can be checked on the public registers: how to check them.
What it is
PicoSure is a picosecond laser. Its pulses last a fraction of a billionth of a second, and at that duration the energy arrives faster than the pigment can spread it as heat. The pigment particle shatters mechanically instead, into fragments small enough for the body to clear through its normal pathways over the days and weeks that follow. Older lasers relied more heavily on heat to do the same job, and the surrounding skin paid for it in irritation.
Less heat matters more here than in most places. Skin that tans easily also pigments easily in response to injury and warmth, so a device that treats pigment without heating everything around it starts with a safety advantage in Malaysian skin. That is one reason picosecond technology carries the pigment work at this clinic.
The platform also has a focusing mode, which concentrates the same energy into microscopic zones beneath the surface. Used this way, the treatment prompts the skin to remodel rather than clearing pigment, which is how PicoSure takes on selected acne scarring and surface texture. Same machine, different job, decided by the diagnosis. How the technology works, and where it stops, is set out in how Pico actually works.
What it does well
Discrete sun damage responds well: sun spots, age spots and freckles, the marks with clear edges that arrive after years of ultraviolet exposure. These tend to respond over a small number of sessions, because the pigment sits where the laser can reach it and the diagnosis is usually straightforward once it has been properly made.
Diffuse pigment is the quieter use. When the overall pigment burden across the face is making the skin look duller and more uneven than it should, a series of gentler passes evens the tone without drama. The change reads as rested rather than treated, which is the register this clinic aims for anyway.
Tattoo ink responds by colour. PicoSure works at 755 nm, and black, blue and green inks have the most evidence at that wavelength: in one published series, 12 tattoos with blue or green pigment showed at least 75 per cent clearance of that pigment after one or two treatments. Red, orange, yellow and skin-tone inks absorb 755 nm less well, so their response is less predictable. Ink depth and age change the picture too, so tattoo removal is assessed case by case, as tattoo removal with PicoSure sets out. Melasma can also be approached with PicoSure, cautiously and as one component of a longer plan. And in its focus mode it takes on selected acne scarring and surface texture, decided scar type by scar type.
What it does not do, and who it is not for
PicoSure does not treat redness, visible vessels or skin laxity. Each of those has its own appropriate tool, and pointing a pigment laser at them wastes both money and skin tolerance. It is also not the first step for a brown mark that has never been examined. A mark that is new, changing, or unusual in any way needs a proper medical look first, and sometimes a referral, before anyone discusses lasering it. Where pigmentation starts with a diagnosis, see pigmentation treatment in Setia Alam.
There is one question a patient can ask before any laser session on a pigmented patch: have you taken my trigger history?
The wrong melasma candidate is the clearest example of who should not have this treatment. Melasma is reactive, and an aggressive laser on the wrong case can leave the patch darker and harder to manage than before. Anyone promised fast, permanent melasma clearance by any device should hear that promise as a warning. Here, melasma work is measured, staged and honest about relapse.
It also suits the wrong expectations poorly. A patient who wants one session to erase decades of sun exposure for good, or who cannot commit to daily sun protection afterwards, will be disappointed, and we would rather say so at assessment. Recently tanned or sunburned skin needs to settle before treatment, and elective laser work is routinely deferred during pregnancy.
Our view
Pigmentation is the corner of aesthetic medicine where the wrong tool causes the most avoidable harm. Brown marks look alike from a distance and behave differently under treatment, so the assessment carries more weight here than almost anywhere else in the clinic. Dr Ong examines pigment type and depth before recommending the laser, the same reading set out under pigmentation treatment in Setia Alam, and the recommendation is sometimes to wait, adjust the topical regime, or use a different modality entirely.
The other half of our view concerns what the laser can honestly claim. It clears the pigment that is already there. It does not switch off the cells that made it, and those cells keep responding to sun, heat and hormones after the last session ends. A realistic pigment plan pairs the laser with protection and maintenance, and a patient who understands that from the start tends to stay satisfied with the result.
Practical notes
A session takes around twenty to thirty minutes. It is a short visit to the clinic in Setia Alam, Shah Alam, which suits a course of sessions spaced over weeks. Most patients describe the sensation as quick snaps against the skin, brief rather than lingering, and it settles once the pass ends. Downtime is minimal, sometimes a few hours of redness, and most people go back to their day directly.
Sun protection between sessions is part of the protocol, not an extra, and in this climate it is the part that decides how long the result holds. The number of sessions depends on what the pigment is and how deeply it sits: a discrete sun spot may clear in one or two, while diffuse damage or tattoo ink takes a planned course, spaced so the body can clear the fragments between visits. For pigmentation the sessions are four to eight weeks apart, depending on the type of pigment. For tattoos, the published trials used between one and ten sessions, spaced about four to eight weeks apart. Dr Ong sets the plan after seeing the skin, and reviews it as the skin responds.
Side effects and risks
Redness is the most documented change after a pigment laser. In a Singapore review of 29 patients with dermal pigment, 37.9 per cent had post-laser redness and 3.4 per cent had transient paler skin, with no permanent pigment change seen. Reviews also list blisters, swelling and pinpoint bleeding among the effects reported with tattoo treatment.
A 2026 review names pale patches, blisters and scarring as risks in skin of colour, and no dependable rate exists for picosecond lasers in Malaysian skin. Pale, confetti-like spots were reported in series with closely spaced schedules, and what reduces the risk is spacing treatments and not repeating them at short intervals. A new pale spot is a reason for review and not for another session.
Call the clinic for blisters or crusting that are not settling, pain that is building, a patch that is getting darker and not easing, new pale spots, or spreading redness. Pain, blur or light sensitivity in the eye needs an eye doctor the same day. The full account is in Pigment laser side effects on Asian skin: darker patches, pale spots and what reduces them.
Who should be doing this
Medical lasers used for pigment work, identified by wavelength, are named in Malaysia's Medical Device (Designated Medical Device) Order 2026, so operating one now requires a designated medical device permit as well as a registered device. What the Order covers, and the questions it hands you, is set out in our explainer. How to check any doctor's registration and credentialing before a laser treatment, and whether the doctor treats you personally, is set out in how to check an aesthetic doctor in Malaysia. Which procedures the Ministry of Health says only a registered doctor may perform, and what assistants may and may not do, is set out in our explainer. How to weigh a doctor's experience with a treatment is set out in how to choose an experienced doctor.
What it costs and why
Picosecond laser sessions are priced per session, by spot count against a full face and by the number of sessions the diagnosis calls for; the wavelength handpiece, the doctor's time and the designated laser permit are inside that fee, and the number for any one person is stated at consultation. How to read a laser fee, and the questions to ask any clinic, are on the cost guide.
Sun spots, age spots, freckles, general dullness from pigment, and selected tattoo inks. Melasma can be approached with it too, cautiously, and in its focus mode it treats selected acne scarring and surface texture. The assessment decides which of those applies to you.
Does PicoSure hurt?
Most patients describe quick snapping sensations rather than pain, and a session is short, usually twenty to thirty minutes. Any discomfort settles soon after the pass ends, and settings are adjusted to the skin in front of us.
Is PicoSure safe for melasma?
It can be used for melasma, but only with careful patient selection and a measured approach. Aggressive laser on the wrong melasma case can make it worse, which is why the clinic treats melasma slowly and as part of a longer plan rather than as a quick fix. Whether laser can make melasma worse is covered in the journal.
Is there any downtime?
Minimal. There is sometimes a few hours of redness after a session, and most patients return to their day directly. Strict sun protection between sessions is part of the treatment itself, not an optional extra.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on what the pigment is and how deeply it sits. A discrete sun spot may clear in one or two sessions, while diffuse sun damage or tattoo ink takes a planned course. Dr Ong sets the number after seeing the skin, not before.
Will the pigmentation come back?
The laser clears the pigment that is already in the skin. It does not switch off the cells that produced it, and those cells keep responding to sun, heat and hormones. Whether pigment returns depends on those triggers, which is why protection and maintenance are part of the plan.
Can PicoSure remove tattoos?
Selected tattoos, yes. Ink colour, depth and age all affect how well a tattoo responds, so removal is assessed case by case. It takes a course of sessions, spaced out so the body can clear the fragmented ink between them.
Does PicoSure work on acne scars?
In its focus mode, yes, for selected scar types. The work is planned scar type by scar type over a course, and where a different tool would serve a particular scar better, we say so and refer.
What are the risks and side effects of PicoSure or other pigmentation lasers?
The main risks are post-inflammatory darkening, which is more likely in the skin types common in Malaysia, and a melasma patch turning darker if the wrong case is treated aggressively. That is why settings, skin type and diagnosis are all weighed before treatment, and why an undiagnosed or unusual mark is examined rather than lasered.
Where can I get pigmentation or melasma laser treatment in the Klang Valley?
Melasma in particular needs careful handling, since aggressive laser on the wrong case can make it darker rather than lighter. At The Retreat Clinic in Setia Alam, Dr Ong uses PicoSure cautiously for selected melasma, as part of a longer plan rather than a quick fix, after examining the pigment first.
Is numbing cream used before PicoSure?
Yes. At The Retreat Clinic, numbing cream is applied before a PicoSure session to keep it comfortable.
Is there a minimum age for this treatment?
Eighteen is the usual age for aesthetic treatment at The Retreat Clinic, but there is no fixed limit: whether a treatment suits someone depends on the reason for it. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to consent.
Who performs PicoSure at The Retreat Clinic?
Dr Ong Jin Khang performs every PicoSure treatment at The Retreat Clinic himself. He has performed PicoSure at the clinic since 2020. The clinic was the first in Setia Alam to offer PicoSure, in 2020. He has been the clinic's only doctor since it opened in Setia Alam in April 2013; his Malaysian Medical Council registration (MMC 45245) and his Ministry of Health LCP for aesthetic practice can both be checked on public registers.
Disclosure: In September 2026 Cynosure Lutronic, which makes XERF and PicoSure, gave Dr Ong its XERF Innovation Leader and XERF Clinical Visionary awards at the Malaysian launch of XERF. How he thinks about ties like these: The quiet we kept: what shapes what your doctor recommends.
