All types of tattoos can be removed using a permanent tattoo removal process i.e. laser tattoo removal. This will include tattoos done by professionals and accidental tattoos that are caused by bruising and injury of the skin. Coloured tattoos are also removed, although yellow or green tattoos pose a greater challenge when it comes to removal and subsequent permanent tattoo removal treatments may be necessary.
A specific wavelength of light passes into the skin and gets absorbed by the ink. As a result, the tattoo ink breaks into small particles which can then be eliminated by body’s natural filtering systems. The surrounding skin is never harmed. Different colours of ink have different spectra and so the laser machine has to be calibrated according to the ink to be removed. Any kind of tattoos – amateur, professional, surgical and tattoos formed after any injury, can be removed using laser treatment for tattoo removal.
Treatments for laser tattoo removal may require local anesthesia and there may be associated pain and reaction at the site of laser delivery, which resolves in a few days. Professional tattoos require 6-10 sessions, whereas amateur ones need 4-5 sessions, all spaced at an interval of 6-8 weeks. The type and amount of ink used, and the depth of the ink in the skin – all these factors decide how many sessions of treatments would be required for you. Generally, dark (black and blue) and red inks resolve the best. Purple and orange also fade usually. Yellow and green inks are the most difficult to remove and hence further treatments may be required to produce significant fading or they may need a Q switched ND-YAG laser for removal.
If the process is able to remove all the ink, then the results will be permanent.
Professional tattoo removal require 6-10 sessions, whereas amateur ones need 4-5 sessions, all spaced at an interval of 6-8 weeks the factors that come to play in determining the number of treatments required to successfully complete these procedures depend on the size and depth of the tattoo and also the type of tattoo itself.
There may be a change in the pigmentation of the skin with hyper-pigmentation, hypo-pigmentation witnessed as rare complications of the procedure. Allergic reactions/eczema may be rarely triggered by the treatment. Scarring and other changes in the skin texture may be reported, keloids formation can occur in predisposed individualized, particularly with deep tattoos that are harder to remove.
Every skin is different, just like every individual is unique. One must have realistic expectations and not get carried away by advertisements, results obtained in other patients, celebrities etc. There are various makes of the Q switched laser available, and all machines do not have the same power, just like all physicians performing a particular procedure do not have the same level of expertise. Hence, you may be getting the right treatment done, but may be disappointment with the results, so choose your service provider wisely. Multiple sessions are required in colourful tattoos. There may be a faint image still persisting even after multiple treatments depending on size, colour, number of sessions needed etc.