If you've been quoted 15 sessions and a year of treatments to remove that tattoo you got at 22, you've been talking to a clinic running outdated equipment. PicoSure® cut average treatment counts almost in half — and it works on the colors that older lasers gave up on.
How PicoSure® Is Different
Traditional Q-switched lasers fire pulses in nanoseconds. PicoSure fires in picoseconds — one trillionth of a second. That's roughly 100× faster. The shorter pulse shatters tattoo ink into a finer dust your body can clear out, instead of breaking it into larger fragments that lock in pigment.
Real Numbers
- Average sessions: 4–8 (vs 10–15 with older Q-switched lasers)
- Time between sessions: 8 weeks
- Session length: 5–20 minutes depending on tattoo size
- Downtime: none — back to normal activity the same day
Colors That Were "Impossible" Before
The biggest leap with PicoSure is performance on blues, greens, and purples. Older lasers couldn't generate the right wavelengths to break those down. PicoSure handles them in the same number of sessions as black ink.
What a Session Feels Like
Most clients describe it as a hot rubber-band snap — quicker and less painful than getting the tattoo in the first place. We apply a topical numbing cream beforehand for larger pieces.
Aftercare
- The treated area will look frosted/white for 5–15 minutes — this is the laser interacting with the ink.
- Light scabbing is normal for 5–7 days. Don't pick it.
- Keep it covered with a thin layer of antibiotic ointment for the first 48 hours.
- Avoid sun exposure on the area for at least two weeks between sessions.
"I'd done four sessions at another clinic with an older laser — barely faded. Three PicoSure sessions at Man Calgary and the tattoo was 80% gone."
— David K., NW Calgary
Pricing
Pricing is by tattoo size, not session count. Single small tattoos start around $150 per session; we also offer package pricing that brings the per-session cost down significantly. Send us a photo for an exact quote.
Beyond Tattoo Removal
The same PicoSure platform also treats: