The craze for tattoo is evident everywhere. However, it is a craze that vanishes soon too. Tattoo removal can be as painful as getting a tattoo and have many side effects too. Q-Switched lasers now provide a safer and less painful technology for effectively removing tattoos.
Dr Krupa Shankar, one of the top dermatologists in Bangalore, shares some facts about tattoo removing Q-Switched laser technology:
Three types of lasers are currently used for tattoo removal. Q-switched ruby laser, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and Q-switched alexandrite laser. The Q-switched ruby and alexandrite lasers are useful for removing black, blue and green inks. The Q-switched Nd:YAG laser can be used to remove black and dark blue inks. The frequency doubled Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser is used to remove red and orange tattoos.
There are five types of tattoos: professional, amateur, medicinal, traumatic, resulting from accidents, cosmetic, such as eye or lip liner. Q-Switched laser systems can remove all types of tattoos with no or little scarring.
In treatment, laser light is applied to the tattooed area which on absorption breaks ink into small particles, leaving the surrounding skin unharmed. Over a series of treatments, more ink shatters causing the tattoo to fade and then vanish.
The number of treatments is based on various factors such as type of tattoo, age, skin type, medical history. Q-Switched lasers can be painful, therefore anesthesia is used.
LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers emit monochromatic, that is of single color and/or wavelength, light through stimulated emission.
Tattoo removal lasers produce specific wavelengths of light that are absorbed by certain colors of tattoo ink while avoiding damage to surrounding skin. Each wavelength corresponds to a certain range of tattoo ink colors, which why different types of tattoo removal lasers are available. Many wavelengths are needed to treat multicolored tattoos.
Tattoo removal techniques such as surgical excision, salabrasion, dermabrasion, cryosurgery, and chemical peels have been abandoned due to the failure in yielding desirable results and adverse effects including hypopigmentation and scarring.
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