Laser Tattoo Removal

The thing about tattoos is that they seemed like such a good idea at the time. But just like an old boyfriend or girlfriend, once you decide to get rid of them, it’s not so easy.

Traditional methods of tattoo removal – sanding, freezing, or cutting the skin open – often left scars, and frankly were not all that effective. Fortunately, newer laser technology enables tattoos to be removed or at least significantly diminished in appearance with considerable success.

The die or ink injected into your skin from tattooing is a foreign body that your body immediately begins trying to remove and push out of your skin. Very old tattoos often become faded or ill defined for this very reason. Laser treatment supercharges this removal process by using pulses of light to interact with the ink or dye and cause the pigment to shatter into smaller particles. This allows the skin to naturally remove the shattered microscopic particles through the body’s immune system.

Dr. Rose has two different lasers that are specifically designed for tattoo removal. One or both of the lasers may be used, depending upon the colors of the tattoo and the type of skin. In fact, the color or colors of the tattoo pigment is a primary factor in determining the ease or difficulty of the removal. Black, dark blue, and green tattoos are the easiest to remove. Red can also be removed, depending on the skin type. Yellow may be removed if it has been mixed with another color that the laser can interact with that color. Oftentimes if yellow is left it resembles a birth mark and the residual yellow pigment is acceptable to the patient. Some tattoos cannot be completely removed due to skin type, pigment color, or depth of injection. All tattoos, at the very least, can be significantly muted, with the goal to make them not easily visible without close inspection.

Most tattoo removal generally requires 4 to 10 treatments to get a desired result. The treatments are spaced at least six weeks apart. Some tattoos can require more treatments, again, based upon skin type, color, and depth.

Laser tattoo removal is not totally painless. Some patients report that it feels like a rubber band being snapped on the skin. In order to reduce discomfort, we use a machine to blow cold air on the treated area, topical anesthesia or local injection of anesthesia.

Cost depends upon the size of the tattoo, pigment color, and the number of treatments required.

Call for a free consultation visit. Dr. Rose can examine your tattoo and let you know if you are a good candidate for laser tattoo removal.