Laser Tattoo Removal - How Effective Will it Be?

People are crazy about having tattoos on their bodies but there are times when they are desperately looking for tattoo removal. Teenagers particularly are obsessed with getting tattoos inked on their bodies. Middle aged people, looking at the strange-looking tattoos on the young ones often fall for the temptation of having tattoos inked on their bodies. Just as we have a lot of people getting married and a lot getting divorced, we find that many people want their tattoos removed, even as many others are obsessed with having tattoos inked on their skin!. Laser tattoo removal is a popular method of getting yourself rid of the tattoos that you once loved to mount on your body!

It will be interesting to study why people wanted to have the tattoos on them in the first instance and why they would think of laser tattoo removal subsequently. Having a tattoo inked on your body, though a physiological operation, has psychological overtones. Wearing a tattoo makes many people feel better. People also have the satisfaction of altering their skin, though only partially. People may also feel more confident and more powerful. But as with many things in life, the fascination wears out after a while and people want to get rid of their tattoos for good.

But I would like to confine myself to laser tattoo removal in this article. The reference to the psychological aspects is only incidental. After all, it is quite understandable that you want your tattoos removed. I appreciate your decision to have the tattoos removed for whatever reason and would like to help you with getting your tattoos removed using laser equipment.

Admittedly, laser tattoo removal is a safe and effective method but you need to take some precautions. Sometimes, the tattooed spot on your body may be affected by infection. This may happen due to various reasons. The ink used might have been of non-standard quality. The artist might have had skills deficiency or he might not have bothered to sterilize the skin before applying the ink. Sometimes the infection may be the result of the allergic nature of your skin.

But whatever may be the reason, the infection has to be cured before the laser tattoo removal. Sometimes, people decide to get their tattoos removed as a reaction to the development of infection. But infection can be cured and there is no justification for the overreaction. You may choose to live with your tattoo or you may opt for laser tattoo removal.

Though there are alternatives to laser tattoo removal, the laser method is preferred because it is safe and can remove the tattoo completely

Top Ten Questions About Laser Tattoo Removal

Most people who are thinking about removing an unwanted tattoo have a number of questions about the process. They may have had a friend who successfully removed a tattoo and they want to know how it would work in their own unique case. Or, they may have thought about tattoo removal many years ago and they want to learn what technology is being used now by tattoo removal clinics to make it easier and less expensive.

Tattoo removal experts who have completed thousand of laser treatments have heard almost every question you can imagine about tattoo removal. Here is a list of the top ten most common questions about laser tattoo removal:

10) Can my tattoo be removed? A large majority of tattoos can be removed. Black ink tattoos are the most common that are removed in, and they are also among the easiest to remove. A wide range of other colors can be removed as well - red, orange, yellow, darker green, blue, brown, purple, and colors in between. The most difficult colors to remove are light green and blue/green or teal or turquoise. These colors can be faded, but it is difficult to remove them completely. Call a clinic specializing in tattoo removal in Dallas to learn more about what colors are easy or hard to remove.

9) Is the tattoo removal laser dangerous? The medical laser used for tattoo removal should be used just for tattoo removal. Avoid clinics where they use one laser for a wide variety of procedures - like many things, specialists have the most experience and have the most appropriate equipment. With proper safety equipment (goggles to protect the eyes), tattoo removal lasers are very safe for use when used by a medical professional. The manufacturers of these tools pass through a rigorous FDA approval process. The radiation emitted by a tattoo removal laser is non-ionizing and carries no risk of cancer or other abnormal cell growth

8) What kind of laser is used for tattoo removal? Dallas tattoo removal clinics use Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers for effective and safe removal of tattoos. A leading brand is the Cynosure Affinity QS laser, which uses two wavelengths of light to break down the ink in a tattoo.

7) Will the tattoo removal procedure scar my skin? No, not if used by an experienced professional. The laser doesn't create a scarring response by the skin when used by a competent nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or physician. Be wary of clinics that use laser technicians who don't have advanced medical training.

6) How long between tattoo removal sessions? For most patients, 4 weeks is sufficient time between sessions. For some patients with very bright, colorful tattoos 6 weeks is needed. During your consultation with a tattoo removal facility you'll find out what would work best in your unique situation.

5) What possible side effects will I experience? For patients with black or dark ink tattoos, some swelling and redness are the most common side effects. These will normally subside within a week. For patients with colored tattoos, some blistering may occur - this is part of the normal healing process and the skin will heal nicely afterwards.

4) How does the laser break up the ink in my tattoo? The laser uses two methods to break up the ink - the pigment absorbs the energy from the laser and is shattered; the very fast (6 nanosecond) pulse and high intensity of the laser will cause the pigment in the tattoo to break apart.

3) Is the laser treatment painful? Most patients compare the discomfort as similar to getting a tattoo in the first place, but much quicker. Your session may take 5-30 minutes and leading tattoo removal clinics use a variety of methods to help patients limit the pain they experience.

2) How many tattoo removal sessions will I need? Most patients will need between 3 and 10 sessions. The number depends on the age of the tattoo, the coloration, and the amount of ink in the tattoo. Call a tattoo removal specialist to find out what you are going to need to remove your tattoo.

1) What does each session of tattoo removal cost? The price varies with the size of the tattoo. Of course smaller tattoos will be less expensive than removing an entire sleeve. The price is one of a number of considerations, though. The quality of the medical staff will play an important role - a nurse practitioner with years of experience and lots of concern in helping your remove your tattoo will be able to remove it much more quickly than someone who is looking to spend the least amount of time as possible.

For more information about these and other questions, contact a tattoo removal clinic that specializes in laser tattoo removal. They'll be able to use their experience in helping you make a great decision in tattoo removal.

how to removal tattoo with laser...? | tattoo removal

Nowadays laser technology is one of the most used techniques for tattoo removal. Laser removal works by targeting the tattoo with highly concentrated rays of colored laser light that will go into the outer layer of the skin. Only the ink absorbs the N light.
The ink is destroyed into small fragments, which later on are carried away by the immune system of your own body. Usually it takes 3-10 treatments to get your tattoo completely removed.
The number of treatments depends the size, location, depth and color of your tattoo. Treatments should be 6-8 weeks apart. This is the time necessary to give your body enough time to remove the ink fragments. Each tattoo session takes 10-30 minutes.
3 different types of laser are used for tattoo removal. Which laser will be used depends on the color of ink and skin color of the patient. So if you have a colorful tattoo, it is wise to go to a center which has three types.

The three laser types are:
-The Q-swithed Ruby, this one is more effective on sky-blue and green tattoos. This kind of laser is hard to use on dark types of skin.
-The Q-switched Alexandrate, this one is used for removal of blue-black and green tattoos.
-The Q-switched Nd.YAG, this laser is partially advanced in removing red, black and blue ink.
Because this laser doesn't absorb melatonin from the skin it is more suited for people with a dark skin color.

New tattoos are harder to remove than old ones. Older tattoos contain less ink than new ones. The body absorbs some of the ink.
Turquoise colored tattoos are especially difficult to remove, because there is no laser that effectively can break down this color.
Tattoos which are red, white or flesh colored are also difficult to remove. These colors may turn black after laser treatment.

Laser tattoo removal can cause some discomfort. Most people describe it as a needle sting or the snapping of a rubber band against your skin. This feeling is caused by the pulses of the laser.
Usually 10-30 pulses of the laser are required in one treatment.

To minimize the pain ice and a local anesthetic cream can be put on the tattoo site.You can also take Tylenol a few hours before the procedure. Products like aspirin should be avoided as they have a tendency to bruising.
In rare cases the surgeon will inject a local anesthetic into the tattoo before the laser treatment.
Talk to the surgeon before the procedure about ways to minimize the pain if this is something you worry about.

After each laser treatment your skin will be red and feel like it has sunburn. There may also be some bruising. When your tattoo has red in it, there may also some blister. Usually the blisters will heal within 7 days.

After the procedure an antibiotic ointment and a sterile dressing will be placed on the tattoo. The feeling of sunburn usually goes away after a couple of hours. The skin needs time to heal. You should avoid that the treated area comes in contact with water for a few days. The tattoo will fade over the next few weeks.

Side effects of laser treatments are usually few. If you scar badly from sunburn, you will have a problem with this method of tattoo removal.
Other side effects which can occur are:

-Hyper pigmentation (the skin becomes darker)
-Hypo pigmentation (the skin becomes lighter)
-There is also a small chance of scaring and infection.
-Incomplete removal of tattoo and skin discoloration.

There have been a few cases known of people who have suffered an allergic reaction after laser treatments to tattoo removal. This was caused by the ink released from the tattoo.
Tattoo removal is by no means cheap. Each laser session will cost between $100 and $1000 per session. The price per session depends on how big your tattoo is and how colorful. On average you will need 3-10 sessions. The amount of sessions you need depends on the depth of the tattoo, the amount, the color and composition of the ink used and on the skin color.
So the total cost can vary from a couple of hundred dollars for a small superficial black tattoo to thousands of dollars for a large professional colorful tattoo