$88 Pico Laser Trials – Just a Gimmick or Worth Trying?

If you are quite active on social media, I am sure you have encountered numerous advertisements offering Pico laser trials at a discounted rate of $88 in recent months. I do have a number of patients who wonder whether these laser trials really work, or if they are merely too good to be true.

Some of them stumbled upon articles written by competitor clinics expressing strong opinions and cautioning against the effectiveness of all $88 Pico laser treatments.

Undoubtedly, if clinics decide to offer laser packages at extremely low prices, potentially sacrificing quality for quantity to accommodate as many treatments as possible, then these treatment programmes may not be effective, and may leave patients with unsatisfactory results or even undesirable side effects. Such a business model is not only unethical but also dangerous, tarnishing the reputation of laser treatments and the aesthetic medicine industry as a whole.

However, does this mean that all $88 pico laser treatments, particularly trial sessions, cannot be trusted? More importantly, why are we also offering $88 pico laser trials here at SL Aesthetic Clinic? Let me help you understand more about Pico laser treatments in this article, so that you can make an informed choice and decide for yourself if our $88 pico laser trial is worth trying.

Not all Pico laser treatments are the same

There are a few factors patients consider when selecting an aesthetic clinic:

1. Price of services
2. Reputation and experience of the clinic and doctor
3. Range of available treatments for their concerns
4. Accessibility and reviews of the clinic

For the most part, point 1 is what initially attracts patients to enquire.

Attractive prices and promotions do catch our attention sometimes. However, patients sometimes only compare absolute pricings, assuming they are comparing apples to apples, which is often not the case. Pico laser is just a term for the laser technology, and not all Pico laser treatments are the same.

For effective treatment, it depends on:

1. Accurate assessment and diagnosis of skin condition
2. The settings used during the treatment – appropriate wavelengths, suitable modes, adequate number of shots tailored to the individual
3. Regular review and reassessment of the progress of skin condition and treatment outcomes, adjusting treatment settings as necessary for each session
4. Utilising additional approaches (other devices, medications, topical creams) and knowing when to introduce them for optimal results through combination treatment
5. The doctor’s ability to give good skin care and lifestyle advice to ensure good recovery and sustained results following clinic treatment

In essence, for Pico laser treatment to work effectively, it is a lot more than just the Pico laser beam hitting your face. It is very dependent on who is doing it, what is being done and how it is being done.

Do not just look for the lowest-priced treatment – the price tag attached may reflect the value you receive. When something seems too good to be true, it often is.

So why SL Aesthetic Clinic for your Pico laser treatments?

Here at SL Aesthetic Clinic, we not only offer evidence-based treatments, we are also SAFE.

Suitable – treatments recommended by our doctors after proper assessment, not by sales consultants. We only recommend treatments that are suitable for you, and there is no need for unnecessarily large treatment packages.
Authentic – only genuine machines are used. We are also transparent about the modes performed and the number of shots administered, so that you know what you are exactly paying for.
Follow-up – meticulous customer care after procedures by our medical and service teams.
Excellence – keeping abreast with the latest evidence based technologies and innovations to deliver the best results to our patients.

Why do we also offer a $88 Pico laser trial?

We decided to price our trials as such because we know how overwhelming it can be to commit to a full laser package or pay the regular price for a laser session (which will normally amount to hundreds of dollars), especially if it is your first time trying out a new laser.

As such, our $88 trial is to allow patients to be able to experience what a full laser treatment is like. We want our patients to:

• Understand and experience the entire treatment process
• Be comfortable with our clinic environment, our service staff and doctors
• Have the opportunity to have a personalised, detailed assessment and consultation with our doctors about your concerns
• Feel safe committing to a treatment plan only after experiencing and knowing that it is relatively painless and comfortable with minimal downtime (nothing beats trying it out yourself!)

We feel that it is important to give an opportunity, particularly to those who are new to Pico lasers and aesthetic treatments, to experience the above at a much lower and palatable price point. In essence, our trials are a reflection of our actual sessions, complete with full consultation and full laser treatment (including multiple modes if needed), to target all the concerns that Pico laser can tackle.

Can I tell if the laser is effective right after the trial session?

The purpose of the trial is really to experience the laser and treatment process, and have the opportunity to discuss a personalised long term treatment plan with our doctors.

It is important, both for the doctor and the patient, to set realistic expectations. It is very unlikely that a single pico laser session can resolve your skin concerns. While you might notice brightening and glow a few days later, most skin concerns like deep pigmentation and pores do require multiple sessions done at regular intervals to see and maintain improvements.

This means that it may be difficult to judge effectiveness and unrealistic to expect impressive improvements from just 1 session alone. For significant improvements, most skin concerns require longer duration of treatments (just think about how long it took for the pigments to build up and accumulate; how can years of pigments vanish only after a few weeks?)

It is also important to note that not all pigments are the same – you may have read testimonials online or heard from friends that they have tried Pico lasers before and their pigments “disappeared” after 1-2 sessions.

Yes, there are certain pigments that are very superficial (e.g. sunspots, freckles) that respond well and can lighten significantly with certain settings, but your pigments may not be suitable for those settings. All in all, it is important to have a proper assessment and discussion with your doctor to understand your skin condition, and have confidence in your treatment plan.

Always find a right fit for yourself

I think it is very important for doctors and patients to have effective communication and open discussion. Finding the right doctor might be challenging at the beginning, but once you meet a doctor whom you’re comfortable with and share a strong rapport – someone who understands and addresses your needs, and whom you can trust – I strongly advise against doctor hopping (sometimes solely to enjoy new promos offered by other clinics). Doing so makes it difficult for us to monitor your progress and tailor subsequent sessions based on your progress.

Stick with a good doctor and you’ll find that you can reach your skin goals a lot faster.

I hope this article gave you some clarity on pico laser treatments, and you can now make an informed choice and decide for yourself if our $88 pico laser trial at SL Aesthetic Clinic is worth trying.

Do you have any questions? Please feel free to write in to us or drop us a call at +65 9850 7112.