How Laser Tattoo Removal Works
Tattoos consist of pigment (ink) that has been placed into the dermis of the skin. The ink particles are not recognized by the immune system and are too large to be removed by your skin’s natural healing process. During laser tattoo treatments, the laser targets the pigment in the tattoo and breaks the pigment into smaller pieces. Your immune system will then naturally remove the ink from the area. The laser does not rely on heat or burning to remove the ink and will leave the surrounding skin is unharmed.
The number of treatments depends on many factors so it is difficult to give an exact number of treatments needed to completely remove a tattoo:
- The type and quality of the ink
- The color of the ink
- The amount of ink placed into the skin
- The Depth of the ink
- The location on the body (Typically, the further from the heart that tattoo is the more difficult it will be to remove
- The patients immune system
We tell patients that it can take 5 to 15 treatments and possibly more depending on the factors listed above. In the past, colors such as bright blue and green, were more difficult to remove than others and would require additional treatments.
Now, no color of tattoo can hide. Unlike previous generation Q-Switch lasers, the Quanta Q-Plus offers multiple wavelengths that can remove the more difficult colors such as light blues, greens and turquoise. Another important advantage to newer generation Q-switched lasers is that the decrease in the amount of time each pulse is on the skin. Each pulse of the Quanta Q-plus laser can be as short as 6 billionths of a second. This means that it will produce less heat in the skin and cause less damage to surrounding skin.
During each treatment session, the laser will be set up with the correct size of each pulse, the correct laser wavelength as well as the best energy level. You will feel a slight sensation. It will be similar to a rubber band snapping on the skin. We will use cold air on the treatment area as well as ice packs to decrease the discomfort felt with each treatment. You can apply topical lidocaine as listed below in the Q&A section of this page.
We can remove most tattoos to the point that they are no longer visible to the naked eye. We can remove portions of an unwanted tattoo such as a name or error made and we can even lighten the tattoo up to make it easier for the tattoo artist to complete a beautiful cover up of the original tattoo.
