2026 June issue of InMaricopa Magazine

HEALTH & WELLNESS

YOUR TRUSTED

LIZARD HEIGHTS L GLASS Serving Maricopa since 2006

SOLUTION FOR AUTO HOME BUSINESS

From melasma to tattoo removal The new era of skin correction BY DR. KRISTINA DONNAY DNP, FNP-C

healthier skin remodeling overall. Over a series of treatments,

patients often notice brighter skin, improved tone, smoother texture and a more even complexion that looks healthier and more refreshed. The goal is never perfection because perfect skin simply does not exist outside of filtered social media photos and teenagers with supernatural collagen levels. The goal is healthier, stronger skin that allows patients to feel confident without constantly trying to conceal discoloration. Downtime is manageable for most patients. Temporary redness, warmth, dryness and a rough sandpaper like texture are common for several days as the skin renews itself. Sun protection afterward is absolutely critical, especially for pigmentation- prone patients. What I appreciate most about PICOFY is that it reflects where aesthetics is heading as a whole. Patients want treatments that are science-backed, customizable and focused on long-term skin health rather than aggressive damage disguised as rejuvenation. They want collagen stimulation, improved pigmentation, healthier texture and natural-looking results that still allow them to look like themselves. At the end of the day, great skin is not about looking filtered, frozen or artificially perfect. It is about looking healthy, refreshed, confident and comfortable in your own skin again. PICOFY by InMode helps us move closer to that goal in a way that feels modern, thoughtful and genuinely effective. Maricopa Wellness Center is proud to announce that we are among the first practices in the nation to offer PICOFY by InMode, bringing the latest advancement in skin rejuvenation, pigmentation correction, melasma treatment and tattoo removal technology to our patients right here in Maricopa.

significant heat buildup, prolonged recovery and varying success depending on the tattoo’s age, color or depth. Some tattoos

HERE’S A MOMENT ALMOST everyone has with their skin at some point. Maybe it’s a tattoo that once felt deeply symbolic during a spring break trip that now feels more “questionable life decision.” Maybe it’s melasma that slowly appeared after pregnancies, hormones, sun exposure or years of Arizona heat deciding your forehead needed permanent decoration. Skin has a funny way of keeping memories whether we ask it to or not. For years, treating these concerns often felt frustrating, aggressive and unpredictable. Tattoo removal meant long treatment series with significant discomfort and inconsistent fading. Melasma treatments frequently became a cycle of temporary improvement followed by rebound pigmentation and disappointment. Patients were left layering makeup, trying endless skincare products and wondering why achieving healthy-looking skin had to feel so complicated. Thankfully, aesthetic medicine has evolved, and one of the technologies I’ve become genuinely excited about is PICOFY by InMode. PICOFY represents a more advanced, intelligent approach to treating pigmentation concerns, tattoo ink and overall skin quality while minimizing unnecessary damage to surrounding tissue. What makes PICOFY different is the technology itself. It uses picosecond laser energy, meaning pulses are delivered in trillionths of a second. While that sounds highly scientific and slightly intimidating, the real benefit is precision. Instead of relying primarily on heat, PICOFY creates a photoacoustic effect that shatters pigment particles into extremely fine fragments that the body can naturally clear more efficiently. In simpler terms, we are not excessively burning or traumatizing the skin to force results. We are targeting pigment in a smarter, more controlled way. This becomes especially important when discussing tattoo removal. Traditional tattoo lasers often required numerous sessions with

faded beautifully while others seemed emotionally committed to staying forever out of pure stubbornness. PICOFY changes that conversation. The precision of the picosecond energy allows us to break apart tattoo pigment more effectively while reducing unnecessary thermal injury to surrounding skin. Dark inks, multicolored tattoos and older tattoos that historically responded poorly can now be treated with improved efficiency and more manageable recovery. Patients typically experience less overall tissue trauma and often require fewer sessions compared to older laser technologies. But one of the areas where PICOFY truly impressed me from a clinical standpoint is melasma treatment. If you have struggled with melasma, you already understand the emotional exhaustion that comes with it. The patches seem to darken every summer no matter how carefully you apply sunscreen. Makeup only partially covers it. Products promise dramatic transformation while delivering inconsistent results at best. The challenge with melasma is that it is not simply a superficial pigment issue. It involves melanocytes that have become dysregulated, often influenced by hormones, inflammation, heat and ultraviolet exposure. This is why overly aggressive treatments can sometimes make melasma worse instead of better. That distinction matters tremendously. One of the reasons PICOFY stands out is because the picosecond pulses can target excess pigment while minimizing the prolonged heat exposure that may trigger rebound hyperpigmentation in melasma- prone skin. From a science perspective, this is where the technology becomes incredibly exciting. We can approach pigment correction more strategically and safely while supporting

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