Tattoo Removal By Laser

Acquiring a tattoo is fairly easy. Removing it without scarring (which almost every tattoo owner seems to want eventually) has been a problem since man began decorating the body with inks. Clearly the best treatment available now is laser removal of tattoos. Unlike other methods previously used, such as dermabrasion, cryotherapy, and surgical excisions, laser removal of tattoos has a very low risk of scarring and is less painful.

The best lasers for tattoo removal are the Q-switched Nd: YAG, the Q-switched ruby, and the alexandrite. These lasers work by emitting a particular wavelength of light that passes through normal skin and is absorbed by the particles of tattoo pigment deeper in the dermis layer of the skin. When the pigmented particles of a tattoo absorb the light energy, they are shattered into smaller particles that are more easily cleared by the body.

Amateur tattoos are easier to remove than professional tattoos. Amateur tattoos require from three to six treatments at one or two month intervals. Professional tattoos, perhaps due to more complicated inks and more dense applications of the inks, can require six to ten (or more) treatments. Some colors are easier to remove than others are. For example, blues, black and reds are more readily removed, and green seems to be a little more difficult. Additionally, fair-skinned individuals seem to enjoy a better result and require fewer treatments than darker-skinned patients (normal skin pigment can interfere with the tattoo pigments absorption of lasers light).

The most common side effect is transient decrease of normal pigmentation, which resolves in a few weeks. Pain is minimal, but some patients prefer a topical or a local anesthetic.