Tattoo Removal

Tattoos
Before we learn about tattoo removal, lets learn a little about tattoos!!

Tattoos : What are they

• Tattoos permanent marks or designs on the skin

They are made with pigments that inserted through pricks into the top layer of skin (into the dermal layer)

A tattoo artist uses a hand-held machine that acts much like a sewing machine, with one or more needles piercing the skin repeatedly.

Now lets adventure over to the world of tattoo removal!!

There were 3 methods for tattoo removal before the 1980's (when tattoo removal became popular). All these methods were both painful and often left surgical scars as well.

Dermabrasion: where skin is "sanded" to remove the surface and middle layers

Cryosurgery: Where the unwanted part is frozen prior to removal. This process is often done along with dermabrasion.



Also this process can be used to remove skin cancers and warts.

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).

Now we thankfully have lasers to remove the tattoos! But the type of laser that will be used, depends on the pigments of the "ink" (tattoo) that you have on your skin.

Lasers (used for the laser removal) 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.

As there were 3 painful ways to remove tattoos, there are 3 types of lasers that can be used to remove tattoos (these are less painful)

Lasers for tattoo removal

• The Q-switched Ruby
• The Q-switched Alexandrite
• The Q-switched Nd: YAG

Quick Side Note: "Q switching" refers to the technique where the laser is altered so that the laser outputs a pulsed beam. This alteration causes the output of short, high energy waves that produce more energy than if the laser were to output a continuous non-pulsed beam.

The Q Switched Ruby laser proved effective in the removal black and green pigmentation

The Q Switched Alexandrite proved effective in removing blue-black, green, red, and mauve

The Q-switched Nd, the newest system, proved most effective in aiding the removal of black, blue, and red inks, as well as others less effectively.

Another side note: Green and Yellow are the hardest pigments to be removed that's why they it takes more treatments for them to be removed.

Now I assume all of us want to know how much laser tattoo removal costs, but many factors effect the rate. Laser tattoo removal can range from several hundred dollars up into the thousands of dollars, depending upon the size, type and location of the tattoo and the number of visits required. More bad news is that medical insurance generally doesn't pay for tattoo removal, since it is considered aesthetic or cosmetic in nature (unless its a traumatic tattoo).

Sorry it was long but hey, at least now you know to think about getting the tattoo you really want, before you make a rash decision to get it. A decision you might regret later in life! But I don't want this to discourage you from getting a tattoo, if you really want one. I'd just suggest getting it somewhere it won't be a bother.

For more information, and if you wanted to know the websites that I gathered this information off of, visit the following

Websites

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8478472
• http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/skin-and-lifestyle/tattoo-...
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7824611
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/in-depth/tattoos-and-...
• http://tattooremovaltreatment.com/cryosurgery/ 

I hope you enjoyed this presentation and now are more prone to make the right choice :)