The axial resolution of photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) is much lower than its lateral resolution, which resolves down to the submicron level. Here we achieved so far the highest axial resolution of 7.6 μm by using a commercial 125 MHz ultrasonic transducer for signal detection, followed by the Wiener deconvolution for signal processing. The axial resolution was validated by imaging two layers of red ink in a wedge shape. Melanoma cells were imaged ex vivo with high axial resolution. Compared with a PAM system with a 50 MHz ultrasonic transducer, our high-axial-resolution PAM system resolved the blood vessels in mouse ears in vivo much more clearly in the depth direction. © 2013 Copyright SPIE.