Tattoo Removal
Tattoo removal is a procedure done to try to remove an unwanted tattoo.
You might consider tattoo removal if you regret a tattoo or you're unhappy with the appearance of your tattoo. Perhaps the tattoo has faded or blurred, or you decide that the tattoo doesn't fit your current image.
Tattoo removal might also be important if you develop an allergic reaction to the tattoo or other complications, such as an infection.
At C&S clinic we do tattoo removal with Q-switched lasers.
Laser tattoo removal can get rid of your unwanted tattoo with minimal side effects.
Laser tattoo removal is the only clinically-proven method of removing a tattoo without causing scarring. For more than a decade, Q-switched lasers, have been designed to create ultra-short pulses of light energy that shatter ink in a tattoo.
During a tattoo removal procedure, laser light is applied to the tattooed area of the skin. The light is selectively absorbed by the tattoo ink particles, leaving the surrounding skin tissue and chromophores unharmed.
The tattoo ink particles absorb the laser energy, heat up, and shatter into smaller ink particles.
In the days and weeks following a laser treatment, the body’s immune system flushes away the shattered ink particles, causing the tattoo to fade. Over a series of treatments, more and more of the ink shatters, leaving the skin free of ink.
Tattoo removal sessions typically last between 15 and 30 minutes. How many sessions it takes to remove a tattoo varies on its size, location and coloration, but generally, three to seven sessions scheduled a month and a half to two months apart will ensure complete removal of a tattoo.
Smaller tattoos will require fewer pulses while larger ones will need more to remove them. In either case, to completely get rid of a tattoo, it will take several treatments. After each visit, your tattoo should become progressively lighter.
What you should expect during a laser tattoo removal session:
- You’ll be given a pair of protective eye shields.
- The area with the tattoo is numbed with a topical anaesthetic or local anaesthetic, so you don’t feel any pain during the procedure.
- The doctor will test your skin's reaction to the laser to determine the most effective energy for treatment.
- The doctor uses the laser to pass pulses of intense light through the top layers of your skin that will be absorbed by the tattoo pigment only.
Immediately following the treatment
- Use an ice pack to soothe the treated area.
- And apply an antibiotic cream or ointment and bandage to protect it.
- You should also be sure it’s covered with sunblock when you’re outside.
