TATTOO REMOVAL. INTRODUCTION
More and more people in our society, especially the young are decorating their bodies with tattoos. This also creates the need to remove them, either because the result is not satisfactory, or because conditions have changed through the years and what once was liked has become undesirable.
Laser technology offers the possibility to remove tattoos with good aesthetic results
WHAT ARE TYPES OF TATTOOS ARE THERE?
According to their duration or the operator who draws it, tattoos can be classified as:
Temporary: the pigment is introduced superficially in the layer of skin that renews itself.
Permanent: the pigment is introduced into the dermis, the layer that does not renew itself.
Micropigmentation: cosmetic tattoo that delineates lips, eyebrows and eyelashes. The pigment is introduced in the dermoepidermal junction and lasts for approximately two years.
Professional: tattoos performed with a special device that introduces the pigments on a deeper level, in the dermis (internal layer of skin).
Amateur: drawn with marker ink, pen or any puncturing element through skin scarification, using a needle or a pin. The amount of pigment used is less than in professional tattoos and is introduced on a more superficial level.
Accidental: due to the contact with dust, asphalt, after a road or hunting accident. The pigment is situated in the superficial layers of skin.
WHICH TYPES OF TATTOOS CAN BE REMOVED?
All types of tattoos can be removed with laser technology.
According to the Clinical Trial carried out by IML, the factors that influence the elimination of tattoos with laser are:
• The level of professionalism the tattoo was applied with: Professional tattoos require a greater number of sessions than amateur ones, given that with professional ones, the amount of pigment, its density and depth are much higher than in the case of amateur tattoos. The removal of micropigmentation is very simple, with an average of three sessions, as long as they were applied on the dermoepidermal junction. Traumatic tattoos from road accidents or gunpowder explosions can be removed with up to two sessions.
• Tattoo colour: Black is easier to remove, since it absorbs almost every wavelength very well. Its difficulty lies in the degree of density applied to the tattoo. For example, tribal tattoos applied with black ink require more sessions than other types of tattoos made with black or dark pigments, due to the density in the amount of pigment deposited.
The colours red and yellow only respond well to a certain wavelength. Therefore, it is imperative to assure that the medical centre treating our tattoo has the necessary equipment.
The colours green, blue and turquoise are usually pigments with a weaker response, requiring a greater number of sessions.
The most difficult pigment to remove is white, obtained by applying titanium dioxide.
• Body area of the tattoo: The areas in which the skin is thinner and the ink is closer to the surface of the skin are body locations which need a less number of sessions. These areas are: head, wrists, female neckline and neck.
However, areas such as arms, lower extremities and back have thicker skin and the tattoo is at a deeper level, which requires more sessions."