Tattoo removal
Tattooing has lately become a very popular way of body decorating but sometimes patients become unhappy with the tattoo and want to remove it. Depending on the size of the tattoo and its location as well as the depth to which the pigment was administered there are different possibilities of its removal.
Tattoos may be surgically removed where, most often, under local anesthesia, in one or more procedures, the tattoo is removed by exciding. On the location of the tattoo there is a straight line scar whose size primarily depends on the size of the tattoo itself as well as on its location.
If the tattoos are those where the pigment was administered into the plica, surface skin layers it is possible to remove them by dermabrasion whereby surface skin layers are removed mechanically and subsequently new gentle skin forms. Sometimes it is possible to remove tattoo this way entirely in one procedure and sometimes it is possible only to make it more pale so there needs to be a repeated procedure in order to remove it entirely. In any case, if this method is used, it is best to perform this procedure in late autumn, winter or early spring so as to prevent the newly formed skin from getting exposed to sun radiation which may result in dark blemishes.
New in ST Medica hospital: laser tattoo removal
LASERS have become a standard treatment for tattoo removal because during their use there is no bleeding or side effects. Each removal is done several times. Anesthesia may be local.
Type of laser used depends on the colours the tattoo was made in (the most difficult colours to remove are red and yellow and the easiest ones blue and black). Lasers which are specially constructed for tattoo removal use the so-called Q-switching technique, which consists of short impulses with great energy.
Nd: YAG (for red, blue and black colour)
How does the laser remove the tattoo?
Laser functions by producing short impulses of great energy which safely pass through the epidermis and mix with the colour of the tattoo. This causes the colour to turn into tiny pieces which the body later removes through the immune system.
Does tattoo removal hurt?
The unhappy thing with tattooing is that the removal as well as tattooing itself are painful. Feeling during laser tattoo removal is similar to being sprayed with hot oil drops or when someone is hitting you with a tight jar rubber. Since the black colour absorbs all the laser light it is the easiest one to remove. Other colours, such as green, partially absorb the laser light so they may be removed only if chemical content of the colour is known.
Several treatments, which are usually very short, are needed to remove a tattoo. The number of treatments depends on a the type of colour and the depth it was administered into. Interval between the sessions is about three weeks.
Side effects of laser tattoo removal are, in some cases, the following: hyperpigmentation – darkening of the skin at the location of the treatment and hypopigmentation – colour of the skin becomes more blurry and with less pigment on the location of the treatment. Possible complications include infection, inability to remove all colour particles and there is a 5% chance of permanent scarring.
The thing to bear in mind is that tattoo removal is several times more expensive than getting a tattoo.
That is why you need to think carefully before getting a tattoo, because no procedure is completely safe, processes are a lot painful and also very expensive!
What is the skin reaction after a treatment with the Nd-Yag laser?
Shortly after the treatment the treated region has a dark grey colour or turns brown. This lasts for up to two weeks until the dead blood cells are resorbed. Also, a thin scab may form on the treated region and fall off after several days.
In the first few hours after the treatment the patient has a subjective feeling of heat (as if burnt by the sun) in the treated region which is relieved by cold compressions.
Next three-four days after the treatment:
- avoid washing the treated region with hot water
- avoid exposure to heat (sauna, steam bath)
- the treated region may be washed but without the use of sponge and soap
- avoid exposure to the sun
Mild hydrating creams may be used if they are applied gently.
After the first four days the sun cream may be used when going out.
It is very important not to expose the treated region to the sun in the first three months because a darker pigment may occur which then takes more time to pass.
