Non-Surgical · Texture

Pico Fraxel for Acne Scars

The fractional mode of a picosecond laser, and where it fits in a scar plan

Gangnam, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
KHIDI-registered for international patients · Apgujeong Rewind

Pico Fraxel Pico Fraxel Pico Fraxel Pico Fraxel Pico Fraxel Pico Fraxel 
Fraxel

Pico fraxel

What pico fraxel is, and how it differs from pico toning

The short answer

Pico fraxel is the fractional mode of a picosecond laser. The energy is split into a grid of small treated points with untouched skin between them, and it is aimed at surface texture: shallow acne scars, roughness and enlarged pores. Pico toning uses the same laser as a broad, low-energy beam passed across a whole field to break up pigment. At Rewind both run on the Pico K, which the clinic describes as delivering a 300-picosecond pulse at 2.9 W, and the clinic names acne scarring and pore appearance among its uses.

The name is Korean clinic shorthand that borrows the word for fractional resurfacing. At Rewind the treatment is performed on the clinic's own Pico K picosecond system. Handpiece, density and number of passes are chosen at the examination and are not published.

Acne leaves two different problems behind, and the difference decides which mode is used. One is colour: red or brown marks that sit flat in the skin where a spot has healed. The other is contour: depressions of varying width and depth, from soft rolling scars to narrow icepick scars with steep walls. Pico fraxel is a contour and texture tool that works close to the surface. Flat brown marks usually belong to the toning mode, since there is no dent to resurface.

The evidence deserves a plain description too. Published work describes the fractional 1064-nm picosecond laser as having been used in scars and benign pigmented lesions, but the references on this page do not include a controlled acne-scar trial of it. The acne-scar comparisons cited below concern fractional CO2 and microneedle radiofrequency, and expectations for pico fraxel are set with that gap in mind.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi examining a patient's facial skin during a consultation at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 01 · Scars and marks are sorted by type before a laser mode is chosen
Scars

What acne leaves behind

Acne scars and post-acne marks, and where pico fraxel fits each

Most faces that come in with acne scarring carry more than one of the patterns below. They are listed from the one the fractional mode suits most to the one it suits least.

pattern 01
Rolling and shallow boxcar scars
Soft, broad depressions with gradual or low edges. The scarring pico fraxel is most often chosen for, sometimes alongside a deeper device.
pattern 02
Rough texture and enlarged pores
An uneven surface across the cheeks after years of breakouts. Named by the clinic among the Pico K's uses, and slow to change.
pattern 03
Flat brown marks after acne
Pigment where a spot has healed, with no depression. Usually handled with the toning mode, which targets colour.
pattern 04
Deep icepick and tethered scars
Narrow, deep or bound-down scars. The fractional pico mode alone is unlikely to reach them, so a needle-depth device is discussed.

Red marks from recent breakouts are a separate matter again. Rewind lists redness among the uses of Sylfirm X, its RF microneedling device, and active acne is calmed before any scar work begins. Flat brown marks treated with the colour mode are covered on the pico laser toning page.

Grid

Mechanism

How the fractional pico mode works on acne-scarred skin

Four points describe what the fractional mode does, and the fourth marks where its reach ends.

01Fractions

Energy delivered in points, with intact skin between them

The beam is divided so that only a fraction of the surface receives energy in each pass. The untouched skin between the treated points supports healing, the principle shared by every fractional device, and it is what allows texture work without stripping the whole surface.

02Pulse

Picosecond timing leans toward pressure effects over bulk heat

Delivered in picoseconds, the energy acts mainly through rapid mechanical and photoacoustic effects, with less heat spreading into the tissue around each point. Rewind's figure for the Pico K is a 300-picosecond pulse at 2.9 W.

03Remodelling

Scar texture changes as the skin rebuilds

Any improvement in a scar comes from the skin remodelling after each session, so the change is gradual and is compared at later visits. The number of sessions is not published by the clinic and is set once the scars have been typed.

04Reach

Depth is the limit of a fractional pico pass

The fractional mode works near the surface. Scars anchored deeper, or icepick scars with steep walls, usually need energy delivered further down. Sylfirm X places radiofrequency through microneedles adjustable from 0.3 mm to 4.0 mm, and a split-face trial cited below compared ablative fractional CO2 with microneedle RF for exactly this kind of scarring.

Laser handpiece used during a device session at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 02 · Mode, density and passes are set against the scar map at each visit
Plan

Planning

How Rewind chooses between pico fraxel, pico toning and RF microneedling for acne

An acne-scarred face rarely needs one tool. These three positions decide which ones are used, and in what order.

01Mapping

Texture and colour are mapped separately

One cheek can carry rolling scars, brown marks and a few icepick scars side by side. Dr. Jonghwan Choi separates contour problems from colour problems before any mode is chosen, because each answers to different settings and a plan built on one label wastes sessions on the other.

02Sequence

Active acne is settled before scars are treated

Working on texture over live breakouts adds inflammation to skin that is already reacting. Where acne is still active, the scar plan waits. A meta-analysis of fractional radiofrequency describes the frequent coexistence of active acne and scarring as a practical challenge in timing treatment.

03Reach

The fractional mode is offered where it can reach

Pico fraxel is suggested for surface texture and shallow scarring. Where scars sit deeper, the board-certified plastic surgeon says so at the first visit and discusses Sylfirm X RF microneedling, or a combination across visits, before any course is booked.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi checking a patient's cheek at the consultation desk, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 03 · Contour and colour are assessed as two separate questions
Visit

On the day

A pico fraxel visit for acne scars at the Apgujeong clinic

Consultation room with a mirror at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 04 · Where the scar map is drawn before a session

Private recovery room at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 05 · A private room to rest while redness settles

Makeup is removed and the skin cleansed, then the scarred areas are reviewed against the map drawn at consultation. Numbing preparation is part of the session rate, eye protection is worn by everyone in the room, and the fractional pass is aimed at the areas that carry texture, so a scarred cheek and a smooth forehead are not treated alike. Visits run on the fourth and fifth floors of the Richro Building in Gangnam, Seoul, by appointment: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 19:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00.

Picosecond laser, Pico K
Fractional mode for texture
300-picosecond pulse, 2.9 W
Scar areas mapped first
Eye protection throughout
Settings chosen by Dr. Jonghwan Choi

The anaesthetic method, the length of the appointment and the density and number of passes are not published by the clinic and are not estimated here. They are decided in the room, once the scars have been examined under good light.

Rates

Pricing

Pico fraxel price per session in Gangnam, Seoul, and the lines beside it

Pico fraxel is charged per session. The two lines under it are listed because an acne plan often weighs the fractional mode against, or alongside, toning for brown marks and Sylfirm X for scars that sit deeper.

Pico fraxel, one sessionFractional mode for acne-scar texture and pores
₩300,000
Pico toning, one sessionColour mode for flat brown marks left by acne
₩150,000
Sylfirm X RF microneedling, standalone sessionNeedle-depth radiofrequency for deeper scarring
₩350,000

VAT is charged on top of each rate, and numbing preparation is already inside it. How many sessions a scar plan needs, and whether two modes are used on the same day, is set at the examination, so no course total is quoted before your skin has been seen.

Suits

Suitability

Acne scars that suit pico fraxel, and scars that need a different first step

Pico fraxel is a reasonable plan for

  • Shallow rolling or boxcar scars on skin where breakouts have settled
  • Rough texture and enlarged pores left after acne is under control
  • Faces where texture and brown marks are planned together across the two modes
  • Patients who can space sessions out and protect the skin from sun every day

The doctor begins with a different step, or declines, when

  • Inflamed acne is still active in the area to be treated
  • Deep icepick or tethered scars are expected to fill from a surface laser alone
  • There is a recent tan or sunburn, photosensitising medication, or recent isotretinoin
  • The skin has darkened after earlier laser work, or tends to form raised scars
  • Scars are expected to disappear after one or two visits
Days

Downtime

Pico fraxel downtime: what the days after a session ask of you

Rewind's laser aftercare sheet applies to the fractional mode just as it does to toning. How long redness and surface roughness last after a fractional pass depends on the settings used, and the doctor explains that before treatment.

Straight after
Redness and a rough surface
The clinic notes that redness can follow a laser session at once. A fractional pass can also leave the treated area feeling gritty or showing fine dots for a short time.
Same day
Keep away from heat
Sauna, steam rooms and workouts that raise a sweat are avoided, as the clinic's laser instructions state.
Following days
Leave the texture alone
No massage, scrubbing or picking at rough patches. Strong stimulation of the treated field is avoided on the clinic's instruction while it settles.
Every day after
Sunscreen outdoors
Sun protection whenever you go out. Freshly treated, acne-prone skin darkens easily, and daily protection is the clinic's standing instruction after laser.

Redness, mild swelling and tenderness are expected. Post-inflammatory darkening is the complication most relevant to acne-prone skin and deeper skin tones; in a split-tattoo trial the picosecond-treated halves showed hyperpigmentation more often than the nanosecond-treated halves. Blistering, crusting that does not settle, signs of infection and any new pale or dark patch should be reported to the clinic before the next session. For its device treatments in general, Rewind states that bruising or swelling may occur and settles within a few days, and that most allow a return to daily life straight away; how that applies to your fractional settings is confirmed at consultation.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind, one board-certified plastic surgeon carries every case — from the first consultation to the final follow-up. Because a face is a story, and a story deserves a single author.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 — Academic presentation, Dr. Jonghwan Choi

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

One surgeon, from the first
consultation to the last follow-up.

A board-certified plastic surgeon devoted to anti-aging lifting — with the precision and restraint built through years of craniofacial practice.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
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What our patients say.

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Ask

Questions

Pico fraxel and acne scars: questions before booking

What is pico fraxel, and how is it different from pico toning?
Both run on the Pico K picosecond laser. Toning passes a broad, low-energy beam across a pigmented field to break up colour. Pico fraxel splits the energy into a grid of small treated points with intact skin between them and is used for texture, shallow acne scars and pores. The mode is chosen at the examination.
Does pico fraxel help acne scars and post-acne marks?
It is aimed at texture: shallow rolling and boxcar scars, roughness and pores, which the clinic names among the Pico K's uses. Flat brown marks left by acne are usually treated with the toning mode. Deep icepick or tethered scars generally need a device that reaches further, such as Sylfirm X RF microneedling.
How much downtime does pico fraxel have?
The clinic's laser sheet expects redness straight after treatment and asks you to avoid sauna, sweaty exercise, massage and strong rubbing, and to wear sunscreen outdoors. The treated area may feel rough for a short time. How long visible marks last depends on the settings, which the doctor explains before your session.
How many pico fraxel sessions do acne scars need?
Rewind does not publish a fixed number. Texture changes through remodelling after each visit, so the count is set once your scars have been typed and revised as they respond. Scars too deep for the fractional mode are identified at the first visit, so sessions are not spent on skin they cannot reach.
Is pico fraxel suitable for skin with active acne?
Scar work normally waits until inflamed acne has settled, because treating texture over live breakouts adds irritation to skin that is already reacting. A meta-analysis of fractional radiofrequency describes the overlap of active acne and scarring as a practical challenge in timing treatment. The doctor decides when your skin is ready.
Pico fraxel or Sylfirm X: which suits my scars?
They reach different depths. Pico fraxel works near the surface on texture and shallow scarring. Sylfirm X delivers radiofrequency through microneedles adjustable from 0.3 mm to 4.0 mm, so it can target scars anchored deeper. Many faces carry both kinds, and a plan may use one, the other or both across visits.
Can pico fraxel darken my skin?
It can. Post-inflammatory darkening is a recognised reaction to laser treatment, more likely in deeper skin tones and in skin recently exposed to the sun. It is managed with conservative settings, spacing between sessions and daily sunscreen. Any patch that darkens after a session should be shown to the doctor before the next one.
Is pico fraxel priced differently from pico toning?
Yes. The fractional mode has its own per-session rate, shown in the pricing section above next to the toning rate and the Sylfirm X line. VAT is added to each, numbing preparation is included, and a scar-plan total follows the examination because the mix of modes and sessions varies from face to face.
Booking

Reservation

REWIND,booking

Describe your scars and any active breakouts, and attach a daylight photo taken side-on if you can; the reply explains whether pico fraxel, toning or RF microneedling fits them.

By sending this inquiry you agree that Rewind Plastic Surgery may use the details above to contact you about your consultation. We keep them only for that purpose.

Scientific evidence

Fractional picosecond and acne-scar research cited on this page

The first paper studies the fractional 1064-nm picosecond mode in tattoo removal and, in its background, describes that mode as having been used in scars and benign pigmented lesions. The second and third address acne scarring directly: a randomised split-face comparison of ablative fractional CO2 with microneedle radiofrequency, and a meta-analysis of fractional radiofrequency for acne and its scars. The fourth compares picosecond and nanosecond lasers and records pigment darkening among its side effects. None of these is a controlled trial of pico fraxel for acne scars, none was carried out at Rewind Plastic Surgery, and none predicts how your own scars will respond.