The unique character of lasers used for tattoo removal is that they are “Q-switched.”  The Q-switching means that a super-fast shutter opens during the laser pulse, allowing only nanoseconds of light to be let through.  Traditional lasers use slower shutters that allow much longer pulse duration, typically in the millisecond range.  Q-switched lasers remove tattoo ink and pigment through a photo-acoustic effect.  This occurs via a very high-intensity energy that causes the pigment particles to shatter without imparting too much heat that could burn the surrounding tissue.  The pigment particles shatter because of their inability to expand fast enough as the q-switched pulse of energy hits them.  With traditional lasers, targets are not shattered but rather burned away.  That system works great for laser resurfacing or laser hair removal but if it were used on tattoos, it could cause a deep burn.

One alternative that we are currently investigating is the possibility of using fractional laser, i.e. Fraxel, to burn away tattoo pigment without causing scarring.  This is not available for treatment yet, but could possibly be in the future if results are positive.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 12th, 2010 at 9:24 pm and is filed under Laser tattoo removal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.