Tattoo Removal

There is good news for those who have an unwanted body design. Newer laser tattoo removal techniques can eliminate your tattoo with minimal side effects. Here's how it works: lasers remove tattoos by breaking up the pigment colors of the tattoo with a high-intensity light beam.

Depending on the size and color of your tattoo, the number of treatments will vary. Your tattoo may be removed in two to four visits, though many more sessions may be necessary.

Treatment with the laser varies from patient to patient depending on the age, size, and type of tattoo (amateur or professional). The color of the patient's skin, as well as the depth to which the tattoo pigment extends, will also affect the removal technique.

In general, this is what will happen during an office visit for tattoo removal using the newer lasers:

• + Protective eye shields are placed on the patient.
• + The skin's reaction to the laser is tested to determine the most effective
     energy for treatment.
• + The treatment itself consists of placing a hand piece against the surface of the
     skin and activating the laser light. As many patients describe it, each pulse feels
     like a grease splatter or the snapping of a rubber band against the skin.
• + Smaller tattoos require fewer pulses while larger ones require more. In either
     case, the tattoo requires several treatments and multiple visits. At each
     treatment, the tattoo should become progressively lighter.
• + Protective eye shields are placed on the patient.