5 Things You Didn’t Know About Laser Tattoo Removal
Amateur tattoos require fewer sessions to remove than professional ones. They are usually smaller, less saturated with ink, and are often applied superficially (sometimes using handheld needles or homemade machines). All of which render these types of tattoos easier to remove. Professionally done tattoos on the other hand are generally applied with a tattoo machine using high quality pigments, deep into the layers of the dermis, and tend to last longer and hold up better over time. Unfortunately, these professionally done tattoos require additional treatments to remove.
The laser doesn’t remove the ink, your body does!
Q-switched lasers pretty much revolutionized tattoo removal, but they aren’t the ones doing all of the work. Using whats known as Selective Photothermolysis, these lasers emit quick pulses of energy at specific wavelengths that target and break down pigments in to particles small enough to be processed by your lymphatic system. As it turns out, your body does all the removing.
Patients Get a Little Gassy During Treatment.
No, not like that! Immediately after the laser is administered, the affected area temporarily develops a white frosty substance on the surface of the tattoo. It’s not ice though! It’s actually the result of rapid, heat-formed steam or gas being released from the skin.
You Don’t get burned.
During treatment, a laser needs to heat the surface of a pigment molecule to thousands of degrees before fragmentation can occur. Luckily, the laser beam passes harmlessly through the skin, targeting only the ink resting in a liquid state within. The energy pulse focuses only on the ink for a very short duration (measured in milliseconds), and doesn’t burn or effect the tissue in the surrounding area.
Just Chill Out and It Won’t Hurt As Much.
The preferred method of pain relief is simply to cool the area during treatment. Using a medical-grade chiller/cooler, a specialist can cool the surface of the skin providing a significant reduction in discomfort during the removal process.
