AUVEL Clinic Journal
Pico Toning for Melasma in Seoul: What Decides the Plan
PicoPlus, a picosecond laser, is one of seven options on AUVEL Clinic's pigmentation page, where melasma is grouped with lentigo and freckles. A board-certified dermatologist diagnoses the pigment first and the lasers follow. The clinic does not publish a session count for melasma; the length of the plan comes out of that diagnosis.
| Picosecond laser on the page | PicoPlus |
|---|---|
| PicoPlus pulse speed | Picosecond pulses, about 100 times faster than nanosecond lasers |
| Melasma is grouped with | Lentigo and freckles |
| Pigment groups on the page | Four |
| Devices on the pigmentation page | Seven |
| Diagnosed by | Board-certified dermatologists |
| Published session count for melasma | None; set by diagnosis |
Pico toning is a search phrase, not a menu item
You will not find a treatment called pico toning on AUVEL Clinic's pigmentation page. What you will find is the device people usually mean by it: PicoPlus, a picosecond laser.
The difference matters. Searching for a technique name tends to lead to a single number (sessions, price, days off), as if the phrase described one fixed treatment. The page describes a diagnosis and a set of lasers instead.
Where melasma sits on the page
The pigmentation page sorts pigment and blemish concerns into four groups. Melasma is in the first one, next to lentigo and freckles.
- Lentigo, freckles, melasma
- Moles, seborrheic keratosis, warts, dermatofibroma (skin tags), sebaceous hyperplasia, syringoma
- Nevus of Ota and acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules
- Riehl's melanosis, congenital melanocytic nevus, café-au-lait macules, nevus spilus
Why the grouping comes before the laser
The page makes the point directly: what people call blemishes can be many different diagnoses. Two brown patches on the same cheek may not belong to the same group on that list.
This is why the clinic states that board-certified dermatologists diagnose the pigment before treating it with combined lasers. If melasma is sitting alongside freckles or a lentigo, the plan has to account for all of them rather than for the one you searched for.
PicoPlus and the six other options
PicoPlus is described as a pico laser for blemishes and tattoo removal that fires in picosecond pulses, roughly a hundred times faster than nanosecond lasers. It is one of seven entries on the page.
- Hollywood Spectra: Q-Switched Nd:YAG, used for various pigment concerns, acne and anti-aging
- PicoPlus: picosecond laser for blemishes and tattoo removal
- Clarity II: long-pulsed 755nm and 1064nm, used for pigmentation, hair removal, redness and lifting
- N-Pulse: CO2 laser that removes blemishes with thermal energy
- LOTUS3: Er:YAG laser for blemishes, milia and inflammatory acne, with less surrounding-skin damage than CO2
- AGNES: RF through fine needles, used for syringoma, sebaceous hyperplasia and recurrent acne
- Skin Booster: an injection that delivers nutrients and moisture deep into the skin
What decides the number of sessions
The site does not give a session count for melasma, and this article will not invent one. What it can do is tell you what the number depends on, so you know what to ask.
The first factor is the diagnosis itself: whether what you have is melasma alone or melasma mixed with other pigment. The second is which lasers end up in your plan, since the page lists devices that work in different ways. The third is how your skin is doing when it is checked again, which no page can know in advance.
- Is this melasma only, or more than one type of pigment?
- Which lasers are in my plan, and why those?
- When will you reassess, and what would change the plan?
A note on the one-day blemish program
The pigmentation page also describes a signature one-day blemish-removal program that combines four lasers. That program is built around blemishes such as moles, freckles, lentigo, milia and flat warts.
Do not assume melasma follows the same one-day pattern because it appears on the same page. Ask how your own diagnosis fits before you set the length of a trip.
Reaching the clinic
Photos of the area and a short history of what you have tried before are a useful first message.
- 12F, 138 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Sinsa Station Exit 1, a one-minute walk
- Weekdays 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM · Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM · Lunch 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- WhatsApp +82 10-5924-4401 (English questions) · Clinic line +82 2-548-5007
Inside AUVEL Clinic, Gangnam
Pigment is diagnosed before a laser is chosen. 
An individual treatment room. 
Weekday appointments run until 8:00 PM.
Swipe or scroll sideways to see more. Photographed at AUVEL Clinic, 138 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Frequently asked questions
Does AUVEL Clinic offer pico toning for melasma?
The clinic's pigmentation page lists PicoPlus, a picosecond laser, among seven options, and melasma is one of the pigment types it covers. The plan is set after a board-certified dermatologist diagnoses the pigment.
How many sessions does melasma need?
The clinic does not publish a number. It depends on the diagnosis, which lasers are used, and how the skin looks when it is reassessed.
Is melasma the same as freckles or lentigo?
The page groups them together but lists them as separate conditions. They often need to be told apart before a plan is made.
Can melasma be treated in the one-day blemish program?
That program is described for blemishes such as moles, freckles, lentigo, milia and flat warts. Ask at the consultation how your melasma diagnosis fits.
This article is general information about a dermatological procedure and is not a diagnosis, a treatment recommendation, or a promise of any particular outcome. Results, sensation and recovery differ between individuals. Please consult a board-certified dermatologist about your own skin before deciding on treatment. AUVEL CLINIC, 12F, 138 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.