Laser Removal of Tattoos

By Dr. Kevin C. Smith

Published on September 29, 2007

Times change, your tastes change, and your life changes. You change the style of clothing you wear; you change your hairstyle – so why shouldn’t you be able to eliminate unwanted tattoos?

"Doctors all over are seeing an increasing interest in having tattoos removed now that it's becoming known that patients are getting good results with very little pain," says Dr. Susan Goodlerner, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.

Advances in laser technology have reduced the cost of laser treatment to the point where it is affordable for most people. Many people don’t realize that laser treatment of tattoos by a physician can even be treated as a tax-deductible medical expense.

The MedLite® C6 laser, for example, is capable of producing several different wavelengths of light and so can treat a variety of tattoo colors. Lasers work by sending precise pulses of high energy light into the skin, vaporizing some tattoo inks and fragmenting others into tiny particles. These particles are then safely and gradually eliminated from the skin during the month or two after treatment.

Tattoos which are several years old and amateur tattoos tend to have a lower concentration of ink and will therefore often fade or disappear with two to five treatments done a month or two apart. Newer tattoos and multicolored professional tattoos often use more ink and sometimes require a greater number of treatments.

Common reasons for laser treatment of tattoos include:

* Career concerns
* A change in personal taste or lifestyle
* As skin ages, tattoos tend to fade and deform; a tattoo that once was shown with pride may lose its attractiveness and, in some cases, even become an embarrassment
* Poor placement
* Color change of the tattoo ink
* Outdated artwork
* Desire to lighten a tattoo so that it can be replaced with new tattoo artwork
* Negative feelings you might have as a result of getting a tattoo
* Effects the tattoo could have on your relationship with others, including friends, parents, teachers, and employers (Certain jobs are not available to people who have visible body art)

Dr. Kevin Smith is a licensed dermatologist at Niagara Falls Dermatology & Skin Care Centre.