Laser tattoo removal: advantages and disadvantages

Due to various circumstances, people sometimes resort to such radical methods of body decoration as permanent makeup and artistic tattoo. But every person has a moment when he has to part with a tattoo: career, age, as well as poorly executed “floating” tattoo - all this can seriously ruin life.

Fortunately, in the modern world, there are a number of ways to remove annoying images. One of the most popular and effective methods is laser tattoo removal , which allows you to almost completely "erase" the tattoo removal, while avoiding the formation of scars and scars on the skin.

Modern cosmetology offers two fundamentally different procedures:

1. laser resurfacing
2. selective method of exposure

But for the correct choice of the method of laser exposure, it is important to understand the essence of the proposed procedures, and, by comparing the parameters of "risk-benefit", make a decision in each specific case.

Laser resurfacing (peeling) for tattoo removal

Evaporation (removal) of the top layer of the skin along with the coloring pigment. It is used only in the case of a shallow pattern. The primary restoration of the epidermis occurs within one week, and complete healing - after 2-3 weeks.

For resurfacing, an erbium laser is used, the action of which is based on the evaporation of moisture from the upper layers of the skin (vaporization) and the subsequent removal of damaged areas. The main disadvantage is the inability to work with tattoos located in deeper layers - or rather, it is theoretically possible to remove them in this way, but this is almost guaranteed to lead to scarring.

Selective exposure method

The laser directly destroys the coloring pigment without affecting the skin. In the selective method of exposure (selective photocavitation), the cosmetic laser wavelength and type of radiation are selected depending on the color of the pattern and the depth of its application. The result is an almost complete removal of tattoos of any contrast and saturation, even with deep pigment. The remaining paint is removed from the body naturally within a month.

Three types of lasers are used for selective photocavitation: ruby, alexandrite and neodymium Q-switch laser.

• Ruby laser. Effectively destroys shades of brown, black, blue and green. But it has a lot of drawbacks that limit the scope of its application: it affects only superficial tattoos with a depth of no more than 1 mm, it is very painful, many sessions are required to remove a tattoo, which increases the likelihood of scars and scars. In addition, the ruby ​​laser does not see the red tones of the tattoo at all. It is impossible for them to remove tattoo due to the high risk of scarring the delicate skin of the eyelids.
• Alexandrite laser. Close to ruby, but faster. It removes well tattoos of dark colors located at a depth of 1.8 mm. Not capable of destroying red and orange pigments. Since the laser wavelength is absorbed by melanin, alexandrite and ruby ​​laser tattoo removal is only possible on light skin.
• Neodymium Q-switch laser. Versatile and efficient. The neodymium laser removes pigments up to a depth of 8mm, which is unmatched. Suitable for all skin types and for removing permanent makeup from the face. It can generate two beams, which are designed to remove pigments of different colors: the infrared beam affects all cold colors, and the green beam is effective on warm shades.

Pros and cons of the technique

The advantage of the technique is the ability to almost completely get rid of the pattern without resorting to surgical intervention. But too large and bright images cannot be deleted without leaving a trace.

The main disadvantage is the need for multiple repetitions of the procedure to achieve a pronounced effect, which significantly increases the patient's costs. In addition, the effectiveness will depend on the color of the tattoo - for example, yellow tones can be corrected much worse than others.

When broken down, the coloring pigments can cause allergic reactions such as redness, swelling and itching. With severe such symptoms, you should reconsider the choice of technique. In addition, there is a risk of infection of the damaged skin area, which will require additional treatment and elimination of the consequences.

Before making a tattoo or permanent makeup on the face, you should think carefully about the need for such self-expression, the semantic meaning of the image, and also take seriously the choice of the master, so that later you do not have to look for ways to get rid of the resulting drawing. It is important to remember that the complete removal of high-quality professional tattoos in many cases is impossible - there is a high probability of maintaining the contours, even slightly foggy ones.