Laser therapy is one of the most effective methods of getting rid of unwanted tattoos. However, there are many factors which can influence the treatment such as the colour and size of the tattoo and the type of laser used. Tattoos which contain many colours will take a number of sessions to remove.
Laser technology
Q-switching technology is one of the safest and effective technologies which is used during tattoo removal. It has extremely short pulses of high intensity laser light, and the speed of the pulse is measured in billionths of a second or nanoseconds. This ensures that the laser is more accurate in erasing the tattoo ink.
Different colours and wavelengths
Different lasers contain different wavelengths of light, and each laser targets a unique colour. If the colour of the tattoo is not within the range of the laser then it passes through the skin and is not effective. When the laser detects the colour, the pigment absorbs the light and converts it into heat. The heat then breaks the pigments into tiny particles which are eventually removed by the body.
During this process, the skin around the tattoo remains unharmed. Black tattoos are the easiest to remove, as they effectively absorb all wavelengths.
Q-switching lasers
The Q-Switch Nd YAG, the Q-switched Ruby, and the Q-switch Alexandrite are the most commonly used Q-switching lasers. They each have different wavelengths and target different ranges of tattoo colours.
Laser tattoo removal is an effective and relatively painless way of removing unwanted tattoos.
