Please join us on SAT. APRIL 25TH    10AM- 6PM

There will be Food, Fun, Drawings, and Freebies!
FREE DRAWINGS FOR:
JUVEDERM

BOTOX

LASER TATTOO REMOVAL

LASER HAIR REMOVAL

FREEBIES:            MINI FACIALS OR WAXING (BY APPT. ONLY)
LIMITED SPACE – CALL EARLY TO
SCHEDULE

Please stop by the office on the party day and fill out an entry form to
be eligible for drawings.  Good Luck!!

With the summer months coming up, we’ll be spending more time outside, exposing more skin and going to the beach.  Many will go on beach vacations.  If you’re getting a tattoo removed or other laser services beforehand, you should take steps to protect your skin.  The sun intensifies the body’s tendency to darken (hyperpigment) any part of the skin that is healing or has some inflammation.  The darker your skin is naturally, the more of a tendency there is for this to happen.

When you get a tattoo lasered, or laser hair removal for that matter, the skin could darken if left exposed to ultraviolet light.  The best solution is to keep these areas covered for at least several weeks.  However, this is not always possible.  The next best is to put on the strongest available sunscreen.  At Tattoo MD, we carry and recommend Solar Protection Formula SPF 58 water-resistant sunscreen.  Not only is it powerful, it is a physical sunblock containing zinc and titanium dioxides and is PABA-free.

Hyperpigmentation after laser treatment is not always avoidable but there are steps you can take to minimize it.  Also, it is fortunately temporary and fades away with time.

One of the most challenging areas in laser tattoo removal is that of cover-up tattoos. These typically involve a tattoo that was placed over a previous tattoo and made as dark as possible so that the tattoo underneath would not show through.  In the process, not only is there ink from the original tattoo still there, but the cover up tattoo may contain more ink than it would have if it were a stand-alone tattoo.

It is not uncommon to be dissastisfied with a cover-up tattoo.  It may be that the cover up is bigger and less attractive than the original.  Or it may be that there was a mistake in its execution.  Whatever the reason, now there is something larger and darker that needs to be removed.  Laser tattoo removal is a valid way to fade and possibly remove a cover-up tattoo.  However, expectations need to be adjusted for the results.  If there is a lot of ink in the area, more treatments than usual may be needed for adequate fading.

Laser tattoo removal has become one of the more common cosmetic laser procedures in recent years and is the most frequently performed procedure at Tattoo MD.  It is reassuring that we have performed thousands of tattoo removal treatments.  However, one should not be lulled into thinking that laser tattoo removal is 100% risk-free.  Our training and experience at Tattoo MD keeps us wary and careful to minimize the potential risks of laser tattoo removal procedures.

The most common risks include:

• hypo-pigmentation – loss of natural skin pigment in the treated area
• hyper-pigmentation – darkening of the skin in response to inflammation
• scarring – a raised area of scar tissue
• allergic reaction – would occur if a tattoo already had some allergic response to the pigment in it
• side effects or allergies to anesthetic creams

While this list is not exhaustive, it contains the majority of risks that we consider and discuss with patients prior to beginning treatment.  Additionally, the patient and clinician must protect their eyes with safety goggles we provide to prevent laser-induced eye injury.  Fortunately, eye injury has never occurred at Tattoo MD.

Hypo-pigmentation is more common in colored tattoos (i.e. red, blue, green) that require the use of shorter wavelength laser beams, including 532 and 694 nanometers.  These interact more with melanin, and damage to melanin-containing cells is common when these laser wavelengths are used.  This is usually reversible but is unavoidable in cases where the removal of a colored tattoo is desired.

Hyper-pigmentation is also common but almost always reversible.  This occurs in darker-skinned individuals and is often confused with “scarring.”  The change in color is not technically scarring.  We offer skin bleaching cream from Vi Derm that can minimize this reaction and avoidance of sun exposure to the treated area helps as well.  Regardless, this side-effect typically fades away over weeks to months.

Scarring is the risk that is most carefully avoided at Tattoo MD.  Although patients often ask to “turn up the laser” as much as possible as early as possible, the obvious downside of that is the increased risk of scarring.  Tattoos at the start of treatment contain more ink than tattoos that are more faded.  They therefore absorb more light and require a lower energy setting on the laser to produce tattoo fading.  Likewise, as the tattoo fades, the laser energy setting can be gradually increased without producing blistering.  Severe blistering is a red flag for a higher risk of scarring, and so is avoided as much as possible.  However, some individuals respond unpredictably to settings that seem gentle in other patients and blistering occurs occasionally.  Fortunately, most cases of blistering resolve without scarring.  Future sessions are thus adjusted accordingly to avoid blistering.

If your tattoo seems very inflamed, or weeping, then it should not be treated.  The reason is that when it is treated with the laser, additional ink particles are released to which you may be allergic.  This could cause much more severe allergic symptoms, such as hives, swelling, or even breathing problems.  If your tattoo seems to have developed an inflammatory reaction, you should see a dermatologist for further evaluation and treatment.

If you have an allergy to any anesthetics, such as novocaine or lidocaine, please inform us during your consultation.   Usually, patients may have an allergy to one kind of anesthetic but not another.  We carry different varieties of anesthetics in case of such situations.  We also limit the area on which anesthetic cream can be used at one time to avoid excessive absorption of anesthetic.
In summary, laser tattoo removal is generally safe, but requires careful patient selection and education.  Patients should be aware of the risks prior to beginning treatment.  However, most such risks are small and generally resolve well with time.

This blog has been following the progress of Dr. Kaplan’s laser tattoo removal of his own tattoo.  He got the tattoo last fall and has been getting laser tattoo removal every 6 weeks or so at Tattoo MD.  Below is the photo just before the 4th treatment.  You can see that there’s been quite a bit of fading but there’s still some work remaining.  This is typical of the majority of tattoos.  Dr. Kaplan has not had any problems with blistering, scarring, or skin color lightening or darkening either.  He also reports that the pain was less than in the previous several treatments, as the tattoo ink has continued to get lighter.

The New Tattoo

After 3 Treatments

One of the main concerns for people getting laser tattoo removal is pain.  The old thinking is that tattoo removal is very painful.  Some people even expect to leave their laser session bleeding and charred!  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Laser tattoo removal has come a long way in its effectiveness as well as its safety.  The laser treatment itself mainly affects the tattoo pigment.  As you get the laser treatement, you’ll feel a snapping feeling on your skin.  This hurts briefly but there’s typically no lingering pain.  To make the laser treatment even more comfortable, Tattoo MD employs 2 other tools: topical anesthetic (numbing cream) and the Synercool.  Topical anesthetic is put on at least 30 minutes before the treatment works by gradually being absorbed into the skin.  For a superficial treatment like laser, topical anesthetic takes away most of the residual discomfort.  The Synercool is a cold air jet blower.  It cools the area of treatment for additional comfort.  It’s better than holding an ice-cube to the area!

After your treatment, we apply Intensive Repair aftercare lotion. This lotion is custom-formulated for Tattoo MD to provide a non-stick dressing that aids in healing.  The combination of ingredients immediately soothes the skin and takes away any residual discomfort.  It is common to have some redness and occasionally bruising of the treated area.  Blistering is uncommon.  Intensive Repair should be applied 1-2 times daily until there is no redness or other ongoing healing.

MTV has contacted Tattoo MD to solicit patients for an episode on “True Life,” a reality show on the network.  We are looking for someone, age 16-25, who has a tattoo that they really want removed.  The background story should be interesting or dramatic.  Your laser tattoo removal would take place at Tattoo MD and would be at no charge during filming.  Furthermore, you could be on national TV!  Please contact us with your contact information if you’re interested in being on MTV’s “True Life” reality show.

Freedom-2 has just released its long-awaited ink, called Infinitink.  This is the ink that is purported to be twice as easily taken off with laser tattoo removal than the typical organic-based tattoo ink.  To the best of our knowledge, the initial ink color that is offered at this time is black.  The formulation of Freedom-2 ink has evolved in their press releases.  Initially touted as being micro-encapsulated dye, the ink is currently not microencapsulated.  Rather, it is more easily disintegrated by laser but otherwise just as permanent as regular tattoo ink, according to our communications with Freedom-2.
According to the Freedom-2 newsletter, several metropolitan areas in the US have artists that are the first to receive the new ink.  In the Socal area, La Jolla Tattoos is the only studio listed.

This is a question that we often get asked.  Since a tattoo takes quite a long time to put on, people assume that laser tattoo removal usually takes a while also.  Actually, the laser is incredibly fast.  When using the Medlite YAG laser, a 5 square inch tattoo, for instance, can be treated in less than 1 minute.  The rapid-fire rate on the laser and the large spot size is what allows the treatment to progress so rapidly.  Occasionally, the speed is decreased for patient comfort, but most people prefer it to go rapidly.

The part that takes patience in laser tattoo removal is the requirement to come back for additional visits.  A single treatment is almost never sufficient to erase a tattoo.  Also, enough time must elapse between treatments, preferrably at least 4 weeks, to allow the treatment to be fully adequate.   Each tattoo removal treatment is quite, though, and if you get the anethetic cream to put on at home prior to your treatment, you could make your tattoo removal visits to Tattoo MD Laser Clinic both convenient and fast.

In time for the holidays, Tattoo MD has discounted laser tattoo removal packages 25%.  If you also come for our holiday party on December 10th, there will be additional discounts, contests, and giveaways!  The party is from 3 to 7 pm on Wednesday the 10th and walk-ins are welcome, but reserving an appointment to get treatment that day is also a good idea.  Also, expect great deals on Botox and more!