How laser tattoo removal works is a mystery to a few. But it’s not magic it’s science! Laser tattoo removal is an exciting procedure for patients and practitioners alike, but most people don’t understand the science behind the procedure. This part of our website provides an introduction to the physics of laser tattoo removal. We will also explain why laser tattoo removal can be the best option to get rid of unneeded ink.
The basic Laser Tattoo Removal Process
During a laser tattoo removal process, the person guides a laser over areas of tattoo. As opposed to a laser that produces a continuous beam of light, lasers for tattoo removal produce pulses of light energy.
Each pulse of energy goes through the skin and is taken up by the ink that is used for tattoos. In the process of letting the tattoo’s ink particles absorb energy, they heat up and then shatter into tiny fragments. In the weeks following treatment, the body’s immune system flushes tattoo ink particles from the site, thus reducing your tattoo’s appearance. Each treatment with laser breaks down more and more of the tattoo ink until it is completely gone.
How do you define Q-Switching?
Q-switching is an exclusive kind of laser pulse generation. Q-switched lasers create extremely strong, short waves of energy lasting only several nanoseconds. This rapid, intense burst of energy is an integral element in addressing the question of how laser tattoo removal works.
Q-switched lasers can be extremely useful for removal of tattoos by laser. The particles of tattoo ink are very small (typically nanometers in size) which is why they require heating for a very brief period of time to get warm and explode.
In contrast, skin cells are much bigger and would need being heated over a long duration of time before they are damaged. Because a Q-switched laser’s pulse is extremely short, it is capable of heating and breaking tattoo inks without heating the adjacent skin cells. The briefness of the Q-switched laser pulse enables practitioners to target the tattoo ink particles , while protecting the surrounding skin.
In the direction of the Tattoo Ink
Tattoos come in every color imaginable. Just like other objects in our world, different colors of tattoos absorb and reflect various wavelengths of light in different speeds. For example an image that is red appears red due to the fact that it absorbs green light, and then reflects red light.
Since the purpose of laser tattoo removal is to have the tattoo ink absorb the laser light, you have to make sure that the wavelength you choose to use is well-absorbed by the tattoo. If we look at an red ink tattoo the red ink should be treated with green laser light since it absorbs green light (which causes the particles of ink to heat up and shatter). Since the 532nm wavelength of laser light visibly looks green, it’s the ideal wavelength to use to treat a tattoo with red.
When dealing with multicolored tattoos, it is important to have access to a variety of wavelengths used by lasers to provide treatment the flexibility. The most commonly used wavelengths for laser tattoo removal are 1064 nm and 532nm that can be used to treat 95%+ of tattoos. Additional wavelengths that some practitioners use are 755 nm and 694 nm – these wavelengths function very similarly and can be used to treat rare ink colors, for example as bright green or blue.
The Body Lets Itself Do Its Work
Removal of tattoos isn’t quick fix, it’s generally a long-term commitment for patients. Most tattoos require between 5 and 10 treatments to achieve total removal. Additionally, the treatments should be scheduled at least 6 weeks apart. Patients frequently ask why tattoo removal needs so many treatments and the reason they must wait between treatments. As a physician it is essential to know the responses to these questions to offer a patient-friendly consultation.
Laser tattoo removal requires multiple procedures because not all the ink used to make tattoos can be shattered in one treatment. When tattoos are applied and the ink is injectable at different levels within the dermis. As the laser light hits the skin, the ink’s thin layers are absorbed by the dermis energy and then shatter, however, the layers beneath may not have been affected. Only once the body flushes off the top layer of ink will be treated in the deeper layers. Each successive tattoo removal treatment affects deeper and deeper layers of ink until no trace remains.
Patients should be patient between treatments as they need time to allow the body to flush away the ink that has been smashed from the location of the tattoo. This process for flushing out the ink involves immune system lymphocytic cells slowly moving ink particles into lymph nodes and the areas where the pigments are. Because the body can only remove the ink a certain speed and therefore, it’s important to allow for as long as you can between treatments to ensure maximum fade of each session. Also, the waiting period allows any scabs or blisters to heal, thus reducing the risk of over-treatment the region and causing undesirable side effects.
A Quick Discussion of the Possible Solutions
Laser removal of tattoos is the most safe, non-invasive way to get rid of unwanted ink. In decades past, people who were unhappy with their tattoos had limited options. They could either undergo expensive excision surgery (which creates a visible scar) or go through a damaging CO2 laser (which also leaves a massive scar) or just have to accept the tattoo.
Nowadays, there are a variety of tattoo removal creams or injectables on the market, however they are all to be avoided. The creams are simply ineffective as they are merely modified bleaching creams which are not able to penetrate the dermis, where the tattoo ink found. Injection techniques are also suspicious and can cause severe scarring.
Tattoos are popularand rates of regret for tattoos are high, and laser tattoo removal near me is the only solution to unwanted tattoos.