Tattoo Removal Treatment
Using Pico Laser to remove tattoo inks
How does tattoo stay in the skin?
Using Pico laser for removing tattoo
The energy emitted by Pico Laser is the same as Q-switched laser except for its pulse duration. It creates an intense photothermal impact on the skin in one-trillionth of a second, whereas for Q-switched lasers are in one-billionth of a second. Simply speaking, Pico Laser spares the skin serious thermal damage that regular lasers may inflict. This is because Pico Laser stays on the skin much shorter than Q-switched lasers, causing the skin to heat up the skin less quickly and reduce chances of scarring.
At Radium, we offer PicoSure Laser to reduce the appearance of tattoo inks. The PicoSure technology also targets dark pigments on the skin with more precision and efficacy.
Are all tattoo inks easy to remove?
Unfortunately, no. Different color pigments respond to different light wavelengths. In general, black inks are the easiest to remove because black pigments absorb the laser most easily. This is followed by red and darker shades of blue. Light green and neon colors are the most challenging to remove. Some factors that may contribute to the removal of tattoo ink:
SKIN COLOR The color of your skin plays a very important role in determining how easy or difficult removing tattoo is in your skin. PicoSure laser works by breaking down the ink color if the contrast between the ink and your skin color is huge. This means to say that black ink on a fair-skinned person would come off more easily than on a person with tanned skin.
AGE OF TATTOO The older the tattoo, the easier it is for the laser to break down the ink pigments. This is because the ink in older tattoos have had more time to disperse under the skin and move closer to the top layer of the skin.
QUALITY OF TATTOO Good quality tattoos are more difficult to remove as compared to a tattoo done by an amateur. If the tattoo is done by an experienced tattoo artist, the ink is usually placed deeper into the skin. This means that removing it becomes more tedious, but not impossible.
TYPE OF LASER In the past, there was no laser that can remove all ink colors. Most traditional Q-switched lasers can only effectively remove the darker hues, while leaving residual lighter colors in the skin.
Frequently asked questions about tattoo removal in Singapore
Your skin may appear “frosted” immediately after the treatment. This is perfectly normal. After a day, you may notice that the treated area may become slightly inflamed and painful. This is also normal and it should resolve in a few days. About 5 days after the treatment, you will notice that the tattoo will become lighter and less visible.
Tattoo removal is an aggressive treatment that uses a powerful laser to break down the pigments in the dermis. You can expect some redness and inflammation for a few days post-treatment. During the recovery process, you need to stay out of the sun and regularly moisturise the skin.
Some patients have described tattoo removal procedure to be painful. Here at Radium Medical Aesthetics, our doctors use a combination of topical anesthetic cream and other pain relief measures during the treatment to keep the pain level tolerable.
If done properly, the risk of scarring from a tattoo removal treatment is minimal. In certain rare cases, tattoo removal can cause discoloration of the skin i.e. hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. This typically happens when there are complications in treating the tattoo. It is, therefore important that you seek treatment from an experienced doctor so that such complications will be minimised.
Proper post-treatment care is important in ensuring the best outcome and minimising complications. Here are some tattoo removal aftercare tips we recommend:
- Apply antibiotic ointment to the treatment area to minimise infection
- Avoid long, hot showers with high water pressure
- Avoid touching any blisters that may form and leave them to heal on their own
- Avoid participating in activities such as swimming, sauna and tanning
You can expect the skin to remain inflamed and swollen for up to 3 to 5 days. During this period, make sure you constantly moisturise and protect your skin from sun exposure.
How many sessions you need depend on several factors. Some of these factors are:
- Your skin color
- Size of the tattoo
- Age of the tattoo
- Placement of the tattoo
- Color of the tattoo
- Metabolic rate of your body
It is safe to say that on the average, most cases of tattoo removal take about 5 to 6 sessions about 6 weeks apart to allow the body to heal and remove the fragmented ink pigments naturally in your body.
It is difficult to provide an estimated price because it depends on several factors and the number of sessions you need. In general, a small area will set you back by about S$300 per session. A large area will cost about S$2,000 per session.
Benefits
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Remove all colors of tattoo easily
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Convenient treatment with minimal downtime