Laser Tattoo Removal

It seemed like a good idea at the time. A tattoo of Marvin the Martian or the girl you thought you would be with forever. We all know that we should not drink and drive, why doesn't the same rule apply to getting a tattoo? Fortunately there are ways to remove that little mistake once it is made. Laser tattoo removal is a procedure that is allowing thousands to rewrite history and correct some of their youthful indiscretions.

 

A tattoo is art in much the same way as paint on a canvas, except that a tattoo uses tiny needles to introduce small pieces of pigment under the skin. The pigments are lodged in the skin and not shed as new skin cells, making them essentially permanent. The difficulty that is posed is how to remove the pigment without damaging the skin. Historically tattoo removal has been achieved by physically cutting the skin but this leaves a large scar and opens the person up to infection. In fact, since the skin must be cut so deeply in order to remove the tattoo, the chance for disfiguring scars is relatively high. Others have tried chemicals to disrupt and dislodge the pigments from the skin. This approach leads to some scarring and is not always effective. Unfortunately, the most effective chemicals for tattoo removal also create the worst scars.

 

 

A laser is a special form of light energy that is concentrated in a very precise spot. Because of this focus of energy, very small areas of tissue can be heated to high temperatures while leaving the remaining area relatively cool. The laser light can be focused on deep layers of tissue, right at the level of the pigment. When the areas of skin with the pigment are heated, the area more or less dissolves from the rest of the tissue. Once the laser disrupts the tattoo, the body’s own cells can attack and absorb the pigment and remove it from the body.

 

There have been several advances in laser tattoo removal since it was first introduced in the 1960s. By careful study of the way pigment rests in the various layers of the skin, how different colors of pigment react to different stimuli, and how the skin responds to lasers in general, doctors have become quite skilled at laser tattoo removal. For example, people with lighter skin tones usually respond better and more rapidly than people with darker toned skin. Certain colors respond faster than other; black and red respond to laser tattoo removal techniques faster than green and purple pigments. Also, whether the tattoo was placed by a professional or an amateur tattoo artist makes a difference. A professional tattoo artist places the pigment of the tattoo more deeply than amateur artists usually do. Therefore laser tattoo removal on professionally applied tattoos may take more treatments.

 

Laser tattoo removal is no more painful than having the tattoo done in the first place. Most surgeons that are performing laser tattoo removal apply anesthetic creams to the area and cooling gels or air to reduce heating of surrounding tissue. Laser tattoo removal costs vary among centers and surgeons. Laser tattoo removal cost is based on the size of the tattoo and the number of treatments required to remove it. A five square inch tattoo that requires five visits to achieve full removal will cost about $1,000. Many tattoos are smaller and may be removed in fewer sessions but it occasionally difficult to tell how the body will react to laser tattoo removal.