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Love it. Love it, not. Tattoo Regret?

With more people regretting their tattoos, laser technology finally has given us a better answer to the unwanted tattoo.  With the discovery of the picosecond, laser tattoo removal has greatly improved.  The first laser called the Picosecond was released in 2013, however it has limitations with colors such as red.

With the increasing popularity of tattoos in this country, technology for removal has been very limited.  For 8 years, we used a Qswitch laser called the Medlite 6 to remove tattoos.  At the time, it was the gold standard for tattoo removal. However, for those individuals that experienced tattoo removal during this time, it took up to 15 treatments to clear the tattoo.  The treatments were done 4-6 weeks apart, therefore, this was a 2-3 year process.  In addition, black and red tattoos were easily removed, but colors such as green and blue were much more difficult to treat.
The laser company, Cutera, improved this technology and developed Enlighten released early this year.

With the Enlighten, we can address the full spectrum of color with the most powerful laser on the market today.  With this technology, we decrease our treatments from 10-15 to more like 6-8.

Q&A
Q: How many treatment sessions are required?
A: The total number of treatments vary depending on the composition, depth, size, and color of the ink. You should be prepared for multiple treatment sessions and your provider can give you a better idea of the number of treatments needed.
Q: Why are multiple sessions required?
A: Tattoo ink is deposited deep in the skin. In order to reach all of the ink in the skin, multiple treatment sessions are needed for clearance.
Q: Will the tattoo ink completely disappear?
A: In many cases, yes. However it is very important to know that some ink colors are more difficult to clear than others.
Q: Is the procedure painful?
A: Patients compare the procedure to a rubber band being snapped against their skin.
Q: Are there any side effects or downtime?
A: Most patients experience temporary redness and swelling immediately following the treatment. Patients may return to regular activities immediately following the treatment, but must limit sun-exposure for several weeks after.

Author: Veronica Garza, RN/MA

Call to schedule your free consultation to get a quote on pricing and number of treatments needed to get you the best results.