Laser Beauty

Maybe you got partied a little too much like a rockstar when you got your last tattoo.  Another case scenario is that you thought you were madly in love with your ex like above celebrity couple, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton.  When that little a dose of reality sets in along with the realization that things are not going to last forever … but you will always have that tattoo.  What are your options?  You can always cover up yoru lover’s brand with makeup or another tattoo; but a couple of laser tattoo treatments may be your best solution.

Lasers work by producing short pulses of intense light that pass harmlessly through the top layers of the skin to be selectively absorbed by the tattoo pigment. This laser energy causes the tattoo pigment to fragment into smaller particles that are then removed by the body’s immune system. Researchers have determined which wavelengths of light to use and how to deliver the laser’s output to best remove tattoo ink.   The procedure sounds a little intense, but it’s safe and harmless to your skin.  The laseer treatments will not affect your own skin pigmentation.

Most dermatologic surgeons warn that complete tattoo removal is not possible. Tattoos are meant to be permanent, so removing them is difficult, especially if the tattoo is made of mostly dark colors like black or dark blue.  Having said that, there are several methods of tattoo removal which have proven effective. The degree of remaining color variations or blemishes depends upon several factors, including size, location, the individual’s ability to heal, how the tattoo was applied and how long it has been in place. For example, a tattoo applied by a more experienced artist may be easier to remove since the pigment was evenly injected in the same level of the skin. Newer tattoos are also be more difficult to remove than old ones.  

 Laser tattoo removal has become the standard treatment for tattoo removal because it offers a bloodless, low risk, effective alternative with minimal side effects.  There are other methods of tattoo removal like Dermabrastion, but light lasers are the most effective and popular.  Expect to endure anywhere from 8 to 12 laser treatments to remove the tattoo.   Each treatment is done on an outpatient basis and anesthesia may or may not be used.  The type of laser used to remove a tattoo depends on the tattoo’s pigment colors.   Yellow and green are the hardest colors to remove; blue and black are the easiest.  The three lasers developed specifically for use in tattoo removal use a technique known as Q-switching, which refers to the laser’s short, high-energy pulses:

• the Q-switched Ruby,
• the Q-switched Alexandrite,
• the Q-switched Nd: YAG, the newest system in this class of lasers and particularly advanced in the removal of red, blue and black inks

Now that you have a good deal of information to take in if you are indeed interested in laser tattoo removal, it’s time to contact a board certified dermatoloigist for a consultation to see if this laser treatment is in the stars for you.

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