Sponsored by Quanta System
The award-winning Discovery Pico laser platform from Quanta System (Milan, Italy) is in a class of its own. With unmatched peak power at 1.8 GW and four emission modes, Discovery Pico has the ability to drive picosecond results, as well as traditional applications requiring nanosecond pulse structures. It is the first to offer up to three wavelengths with 1064 nm and 532 nm lasers, plus a true Ruby 694 nm wave- length for improved tattoo removal.
“Discovery Pico is the fastest and most versatile device on the market,” said dermatologist Jordana Herschthal, MD, of The Herschthal Practice Aesthetic Dermatology (Boca Raton, Fla.). “With it we have the fullest capability to treat wrinkles and fine lines, pigment and tattoos or acne scars, as aggressively or gently as the individual case calls for. The different handpieces and spot sizes make it even more versatile, and with the erbium and IPL handpieces you can build a very comprehensive platform.”
Quattropulse Technology describes the four emission modes with distinct application- specific pulse structures. These include Pico (1064 nm Nd:YAG and 532 nm only) and Q-switched, with OptiPulse and PhotoThermal providing longer pulses. Beam homogeneity is generated by OptiBeam II technology, which maintains the ideal flat-top beam profile regardless of spot size. The combination of full spots and fractional handpieces (in Pico mode) guarantees maximum safety and efficacy even for difficult pigmentation cases – superficial or deep.
With these, the device is a workhorse in the practice. “We have this going all day long,” Dr. Herschthal noted. “Practicing in South Florida we have a daily need to treat brown spots and other signs of photo-aging. Discovery Pico is also the best out there for tattoos with the three wavelengths at Q-switched and the two in Pico mode. It is also a great semi-ablative treatment for wrinkles and acne scarring, especially for patients who don’t want the downtime of a fractional CO2 laser or scalpel surgery.”
The power of picosecond lasers comes from the ability to harness a photoacoustic (rather than photothermal) effect seen when the laser-tissue interaction causes cavitation bubbles from plasma formation that do not promote thermal necrosis. Treatment is relatively comfortable because of the manageable heat and cleaner ablation even at higher fluence, especially at depth, using the picosecond mode. This also translates into better, faster healing than seen with traditional ablative laser therapies.
“As dermatologists, the treatments we offer are mostly nonsurgical or minimally invasive,” Dr. Herschthal pointed out, “so a device like this fills a lot of niches in our office. And as we progress, more and more patients want less risk and downtime.
“The paradigm is also shifting from the corrective to the preventative, so we can use a device like Discovery Pico to ward off more aggressive treatment or surgery, and patients these days are on board with that,” she continued. “The patient base is getting younger and coming in earlier in their life, before things get out of hand, allowing us to better address any developing issues with the powerful tools we have. This has driven the explosion in the non- or minimally invasive market.”