A Q-switched laser is a tattoo-removal laser that fires very high-energy pulses in nanoseconds — billionths of a second — to heat and fracture tattoo ink so the body can clear it. It was the long-standing standard for laser tattoo removal before faster picosecond lasers like PicoWay® arrived.
What a Q-switched laser is
"Q-switching" refers to a technique inside the laser that lets it store energy and then release it all at once in a single, extremely powerful pulse. Instead of emitting a steady beam, the device builds up energy and discharges it in a burst lasting only nanoseconds — billionths of a second. That concentrated jolt of energy is what makes a Q-switched laser capable of breaking apart tattoo ink that has been sitting in the skin for years.
Tattoo pigment lives in the deeper layer of the skin, trapped inside cells that are too large for the body to remove on its own. When a Q-switched pulse strikes that ink, it rapidly heats the pigment and causes it to fracture into smaller particles. Once the ink is broken into pieces small enough for the body to recognize, the immune system gradually carries the fragments away over the following weeks. This is why laser tattoo removal always takes multiple sessions rather than a single visit.
For a long time, Q-switched lasers — often named for the crystal that produces the beam, such as Nd:YAG, ruby, or alexandrite — were the gold standard for removing tattoos. Different crystals produce different wavelengths of light, and because ink colors absorb different wavelengths, practices sometimes needed more than one Q-switched device to treat a multi-color tattoo.
Q-switched versus picosecond lasers
The key difference between a Q-switched laser and a modern picosecond laser is speed. A Q-switched pulse lasts nanoseconds, while a picosecond pulse — the technology behind PicoWay® — lasts picoseconds, or trillionths of a second. That makes a picosecond pulse roughly a thousand times shorter. The shorter the pulse, the more the laser's effect shifts away from simply heating the ink and toward a rapid, almost mechanical shattering of the pigment.
Why does that matter? Because smaller ink fragments are easier for the body to clear. By breaking pigment into finer particles, picosecond lasers can often address stubborn colors and previously treated tattoos more efficiently, sometimes with fewer sessions and less reliance on heat. The reduced heat is also part of why many patients describe picosecond treatment as more comfortable than they expected. Q-switched lasers are still effective and remain in use, but the field has largely moved toward picosecond technology as the newer standard.
- Q-switched = nanosecond pulses (billionths of a second)
- Picosecond (PicoWay®) = pulses roughly a thousand times shorter
- Shorter pulses shatter ink into finer particles the body clears more easily
- Picosecond technology often handles stubborn colors and prior tattoos more efficiently
What Laser Eraser uses
Laser Eraser performs laser tattoo removal exclusively with the PicoWay® picosecond laser rather than an older Q-switched device. Every treatment is customized to your skin type and the specific ink colors in your tattoo, and — unlike many franchise or spa-based competitors where a technician runs the device — treatments are physician-administered. Founder and lead physician Dr. Alvaro Alban is an emergency-medicine physician in New Jersey who pursued specialized training at the Institute for Laser Medicine in Skippack, Pennsylvania, focusing on tattoo removal including large and multi-color pieces, full back pieces, and arm and leg sleeves.
That physician-led approach matters because safe, effective removal depends on reading your skin, choosing the right settings for each ink color, and adjusting the plan as your tattoo fades — decisions best made by someone with clinical training. Most tattoos take roughly 8 to 12 sessions to fully remove, with the exact number varying by ink density, placement, color, and skin type. Laser Eraser begins with a free consultation where a physician evaluates your tattoo and outlines realistic expectations before you commit to anything.
Frequently asked questions
No. A Q-switched laser fires in nanoseconds (billionths of a second), while a picosecond laser like PicoWay® fires in trillionths of a second — roughly a thousand times shorter. The faster pulse shatters ink into finer particles, which is why picosecond technology has become the newer standard for tattoo removal.