Before lasers became popular for tattoo removal
starting in the late 1980s, removal involved the use of one or more of these
often-painful, often scar-inducing surgeries:
Dermabrasion, where skin is "sanded" to remove the surface and middle
layers;
Cryosurgery, where the area is frozen prior to its removal;
Excision, where the dermatologic surgeon removes the tattoo with a
scalpel and closes the wound with stitches (In some cases involving large
tattoos, a skin graft from another part of the body may be necessary.).
Although the procedures above are still used in certain cases today,
lasers (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation)
have become the standard treatment for tattoo removal because they offer a
bloodless, low risk, effective alternative with minimal side effects. Each
procedure is done on an outpatient basis in a single or series of visits.
Patients may or may not require topical or local anesthesia.
As early as the 1960s, lasers had been developed for industrial uses.
When researchers developed lasers that emitted wavelengths of light in short
flashes called pulses, medical use became viable. These lasers can
effectively remove tattoos with a low risk of scarring, according to the
American Academy of
Dermatology . 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
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. (If you're
wondering if the laser might also remove normal skin pigment, don't worry.
The laser selectively targets the pigment of the tattoo without damaging
the surrounding skin.)
Laser Alternative: tattoo
removal creams
