Laser Tattoo Removal - Tattoo Removal Treatment

Laser Tattoo Removal
page updated March 2007
Reviewed by Jason Lupton, MD
Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery

Laser tattoo removal is a growing trend among people who had "ink" done in their youth, but now view it as outdated or as detrimental to their career. Others may be dissatisfied with a tattoo that was poorly done. There is also a trend among former gang members to have gang-related tattoos removed, and some areas have free removal services in such cases.

Whatever your reason may be for removing a tattoo, laser procedures are the most common and effective method for erasing the ink. Previous methods of tattoo removal included dermabrasion ("sanding" the area) and excision (cutting inked skin out of the area and possibly grafting skin into the area). While these methods may still be used occasionally, the use of laser pulses has become the standard method. You may have seen creams marketed to remove tattoos; some are being investigated for effectiveness, but there isn't much evidence for them yet.

Before Treatment
Before laser tattoo removal, your skin will be evaluated as to condition and color in relation to ink color to determine the best type of laser light delivery. Also you'll be given protective eyewear to shield your eyes from the
laser light. Your doctor may recommend oral pain medication such as Tylenol and a topical anesthetic cream an hour or two before treatment. Some patients receive an injected local anesthetic.

The Laser Tattoo Removal Procedure
The laser device fragments the ink with short pulses of intense, concentrated laser light. The method of delivery and the wavelengths used are designed to target only the tattooed pigments, without affecting the surrounding pigments and layers of skin. Different laser lights are used for different ink colors. Black ink is easiest to remove, because black absorbs the full spectrum of light, while green, blue, red, and other colors require more targeted laser pulses.

Passing through the surface layers of your skin, the light is absorbed by the tattooed pigments, causing them to break into smaller particles. Your body's immune system then removes the fragmented tattooed particles. And because your immune system works best in areas of greater blood circulation, ink can be removed faster in those areas. Thus, it's more difficult to remove tattoos in the hands and feet, where there is less circulation.

Tattoo removal may require anywhere from one to ten laser treatment sessions, each treatment lasting only a few minutes, with four- to eight-week intervals between each session. Each treatment penetrates a little deeper, removing ...