Question:
Where is norden1.com? Find a dermatologist in your area that has either:
a q-switched ruby laser, a q-switched Nd-YAG laser or a q-switched
alexandrite laser. Plan to spend about $250 for the first treatment,
$200 for the next, $150 for the third and about $100 for each
thereafter. If this is a professional tattoo (done in a shop by someone
who knows how to tattoo and used the electric machine designed
specifically for tattooing) it should take at least 5 treatments or so.
If you only find a ruby laser, it won't do much to the red ink so try to
find one of the others if you can.
Tattoo Removal Centers. Help me?
Answer:
- I work for a company called Spectrum Medical
Technologies. We manufacture the Q-switched ruby laser, the original laser
designed for tattoo removal without leaving a scar. It is respected by the
majority of physicians as the treatment of choice for the removal of most
tattoos. The following is information from our patient brochure. It should
answer most of your questions.
"How does ruby laser therapy work?
A short pulse of intense red light emitted by the ruby laser is selectively
absorbed by the tattoo ink located in the dermal skin layers. This laser
energy causes the tattoo ink to fragment into smaller pigment particles that
are removed by your body's immune system. Dark tattoos may have larger ink
masses and may require several treatments to break the ink into small enough
particles for the body to dispose of, but the tattoo gradually fades.
What kind of results can I expect?
The Q-switched ruby laser provides the best results available on the removal
of tattoos. The ruby laser can significantly lighten or remove most tattoo
inks. How well your tattoo responds depends on a number of factors. Amateur
tattoos usually contain less ink than professional tattoos, and therefore
respond more quickly to the treatment. Red and yellow tattoo inks are often
more difficult to remove than the darker inks such as black, blue, and green.
Does it hurt?
The laser pulse feels like a rubber band snapping against your skin, and each
pulse treats an area approximately the size of a pencil eraser. If your
tattoo is very large, you may elect to have local anesthesia, but this is
often not necessary.
Are there any side effects?
Your skins natural pigment, melanin, also absorbs the laser energy, so in
darker skinned people the area treated by the laser may become lighter than
the surrounding skin for a period of months. Melanin eventually repopulates
this area restoring the skin to its original color, but once the tattoo ink
is gone, it will not return.
Is it safe?
The ruby laser has been used successfully in over 10,000 treatments and has
been cleared by the FDA for use in tattoo removal. In general, scarring is
not a significant risk. Because the laser beam is absorbed only by the tattoo
ink, and not normal skin structures, the surrounding skin is not affected by
the treatment. In fact, the ruby laser has been named the treatment of choice
for tattoo removal by members of the American Academy of Dermatology.
What happens after the treatment?
Immediately after laser exposure, the treated area turns white and swells
slightly This whiteness usually fades in 20 to 60 minutes. Over the next
several days, blisters may form and then a scab or a thin crust may follow.
(Often the scab is the same color as the tattoo, because the superficial
tattoo ink has been eliminated into this crust.) The skin usually returns to
normal in about 7 to 10 days.
How many treatments will l require?
This will depend on the size of your tattoo as well as its location, depth,
and color. Amateur tattoos usually require 2 to 4 treatments while
professional tattoos usually require 5 or more treatment sessions. Treatments
should be spaced 4 to 8 weeks apart to allow your body's natural immune
system to remove the maximum amount of ink particles in between sessions. You
will continue to see fading of the tattoo in between treatment sessions as
more ink is removed by your body
Are there any treatment alternatives?
There are several treatment options available, but none are as effective as
ruby laser treatments. Other methods include surgical excision (cutting the
tattoo out), dermabrasion (scrubbing away the skin layers), salabrasion
(using table salt to abrade the tattoo area), and chemical peels (using
chemicals to burn away layers of skin). These methods are painful expensive,
and result in scarring. Other types of lasers have also been used to treat
tattoos, but these have not been as effective as the ruby laser and also
often result in scarring.
How much will it cost?
The cost to remove a tattoo depends on the number of treatments required. The
number of treatments required depends on the size, location, depth, and color
of your tattoo."
There are other lasers that are used. Some will definitely leave a scar (CO2,
for example). Others do not treat as many colors (Nd:YAG does not get green).
And others may be very slow in clearing (alexandrite, for example). It is
important to ask each laser center which they use have them explain the pros
and cons as they relate to your tattoo.
It is really difficult to give you more precise information regarding number
of treatments and cost without actually seeing the tattoo. If you let me know
what geographic area you live in, I will send you a list of local centers
that you can contact for a consultation. Most will not charge you for a brief
consultation.
