Lasers that generate a high powered beam of laser light in an extremely short pulse are the most suitable lasers for tattoo removal treatment. The very short pulse of high powered laser light is absorbed by the tattoo ink particles, breaking them down into smaller pieces, enabling your natural immune defences to absorb and disperse the ink. A gradual fading of the tattoo occurs over a series of treatments.
Tattoo removal is not an instant fix – Most tattoos require between 5 and 10 treatments to achieve complete removal, and the treatments must be spaced at least 6 weeks apart.
Laser tattoo removal requires multiple treatments because not all of the tattoo ink can be shattered in one treatment session. When a tattoo is applied, the ink is injected at different depths within the dermis. As the laser light is applied to the skin, the shallowest layers of ink in the dermis absorb the energy and shatter, but the deeper layers may not have been affected. Only once the body flushes away the top layers of ink can the deeper layers be treated. In effect, every successive tattoo removal treatment affects deeper and deeper layers of ink until none remain.
Rest time between treatments are required because it takes time for the body to flush away the shattered tattoo ink from the location of the tattoo. As the body can only flush away the ink at a certain speed, it’s beneficial to wait as long as possible between treatments to see maximum fading from each session. Also, the waiting period allows any scabs or blisters to heal, minimising the possibility of over-treating the area and causing unwanted side effects.
