Category: Skin

Excision of a keloid is intuitively appealing. The lesion presents as unwanted tissue, and the obvious remedy is to remove it. That intuition is the source of one of the more damaging errors in scar management. Keloids treated by excision alone recur in the great majority of cases, and the recurrent lesion is sometimes larger […]

Written by Dr Bernard Ong. Medically reviewed by Dr Gerard Ee Ruby laser and Pico laser are often presented as competing technologies, but the comparison needs one clarification. Ruby describes a wavelength, 694 nm, whereas Pico describes pulse duration. A picosecond device can itself deliver a 694 nm ruby wavelength, while a traditional Q-switched ruby […]

Written by Dr Bernard Ong. Medically reviewed by Dr Gerard Ee Patients often compare Pico laser with yellow laser as though one is a stronger version of the other. They are not. Standard Pico wavelengths such as 532 nm and 1064 nm are selected mainly for melanin, so they are used for brown concerns including […]

Written by Dr Bernard Ong. Medically reviewed by Dr Gerard Ee Choosing between a Pico laser and a chemical peel is not really a question of which treatment is more powerful. The more useful question is where the pigment sits and why it formed. A superficial peel can improve pigment in the outer skin together with […]

Written by Dr Bernard Ong. Medically reviewed by Dr Gerard Ee Freckles are small brown spots caused by increased melanin in sun-exposed skin, and they respond well to pigment lasers such as Pico laser and Q-switched laser. Most patients in Singapore achieve clear lightening over a short course of sessions. Because freckles recur with continued […]