In dermatology, there are various types of toning depending on the laser device name and its wavelength.

 

Examples of device names: Revlite, StarWalker, Accolade, PicoPlus, Hollywood, Lucas, etc.

 

Examples of wavelength types: Dual, Nano, Pico, Genesis, Alex Toning, etc.

 

Have you ever felt confused by all these different names?

 

In this post, I’d like to honestly share my thoughts on the definitions and effects of Dual and Alex Toning.

 

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What is Alex Toning?

Google: Alexandrite gemstone

 

Alex Toning is a type of long-pulse laser toning that uses a gemstone called Alexandrite as its medium.

 

That might sound a bit technical, but to put it simply:

It’s a method that uses a gemstone emitting a 755nm wavelength

to heat the epidermis and treat pigmentation.

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As shown in the image above, the 755nm wavelength does not penetrate as deeply as wavelengths like 810nm or 1064nm.

 

Therefore, it is typically used for treating pigmentation in the epidermis or for hair removal.

 

For this reason, devices used for Alex Toning are the same ones patients often recognize as hair removal lasers—such as GentleMax, Clarity, or Apogee lasers.

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What are the effects of Alex Toning?

 

The intended effects of Alex Toning are pigmentation treatment and improvement of the dermal environment.

 

However, to be clear from the start—its effectiveness has not been scientifically verified.

Treatment of Epidermal Pigmented Lesions with a Long-Pulsed Alexandrite Laser Katsumi Iwaki(2002)

 

The photo from the paper above shows a case where pigmentation was treated using the GentleMax (Alex laser).

 

At first glance, it seems to show good results, but in reality, it simply used the same Alex laser, GentleMax, at high energy levels to treat epidermal pigmentation. It was not an example of Alex Toning.

 

In actual dermatology practices, what's referred to as “Alex Toning” uses very low energy, so it only gives a warm sensation—and does not provide real results.

(There are no verified studies supporting its effectiveness.)

 

Moreover, since Alex lasers cannot reach deep into the dermis, it’s difficult to expect the dermal regeneration effects that Genesis Toning offers.

 

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What is Dual Toning? (feat. Genesis)

 

So then, what exactly is Dual Toning?

 

As the name “Dual” suggests, it’s a method that combines two types of toning.

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(Left) Clarity (Middle) Excel V (Right) Cosjet

 

Genesis Toning is a method that uses a long-pulse 1064nm laser for dermal regeneration and pore treatment.

 

Among commonly used long-pulse 1064nm lasers are Clarity and Excel V, as shown in the photo, while Cosjet, which is more affordable than Clarity or Excel V, is also sometimes used.

 

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What are the effects of Dual Toning?

The image above shows a tissue biopsy of melasma.

 

In the dermis of melasma-affected skin, a condition called solar elastosis can be observed. Simply put, this means the dermis has lost its elasticity and is damaged.

 

To regenerate the dermis affected by melasma, many clinics—including ours—use treatments such as radiofrequency and skin booster injections.

 

In addition to these, Dual Toning using lasers is also utilized as a treatment method.

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The dual toning technique for melasma treatment with the Nd: YAG laser: a preliminary study, K Hy(2011)

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Retrospective analysis of melasma treatment using a dual mode of low-fluence Q-switched and long-pulse Nd:YAG laser vs. low-fl uence Q-switched Nd:YAG laser monotherapy CHUN PIL CHOI(2015)

 

As evidence, numerous studies like the ones mentioned above have demonstrated that Dual Toning shows better results in the treatment of melasma compared to single-modality treatments.

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Split-Face Comparison of Long-Pulse-Duration Nd:YAG Laser Alone and Combination Long-Pulse and Q-switched Nd:YAG 1,064-nm Laser with Carbon Photoenhancer Lotion for the Treatment of Enlarged Pores in Asian Women PENPUN WATTANAKRAI, MD (2010)

 

However, the study mentioned above presented different findings. In conclusion, the data showed that there was little difference in effectiveness between single toning and dual toning.

 

That said, a key difference from other studies is that this particular paper used a different energy level and number of shots.

 

(My own technique is completely different from what was described in that paper.)

 

In other words, while Dual Toning has been proven effective for melasma,
the energy settings and techniques for Genesis vary from clinic to clinic—
so if not properly applied, the results may be no different from using a single laser.

 

Especially in the case of Alex Toning, it's primarily a revenue-driven offering by clinics,
and not a scientifically validated treatment method.

 

(It's a way to monetize unused long-pulse devices by creating more treatment programs.)

 

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3-Line Summary

1. Toning comes in various forms depending on the laser’s wavelength and the name of the device.

2. Alex Toning uses a long-pulse Alexandrite laser for pigmentation treatment, but its effectiveness is largely unproven, making it a potential waste of money.

3. Dual Toning combines toning with the Genesis technique and can be effective for melasma—but the approach to Genesis differs by clinic, requiring practitioner expertise.

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This was information about Genesis, Dual Toning, and Alex lasers.

 

I hope this article proves helpful for many of you.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to like or leave a comment—I’ll be happy to respond kindly.

 

Thank you!

 

📍 Primi Clinic
52 Seongsuil-ro, 3rd Floor, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
(Primi Clinic)