Page 107 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
The ink removal process appears to occur quite late in the above list. The main priorities of the wound response mechanism are to prevent further damage and infections while repairing the most important structures quickly. Clearly, removing annoying bits of ink is not ‘high’ on this list of priorities. As a consequence, the majority of the ink removal process occurs when it is ‘convenient’, probably around 8 to 12 weeks after the initial wound was created by the laser (depending on the state of health and metabolism of the patient).
This strongly suggests that we have been treating returning patients far too frequently! We have simply not allowed sufficient time for the skin to remove as much ink as it could, before creating new trauma with another laser treatment. In essence, most laser tattoo removal patients’ skin have been in a permanent state of repair, during the entire lasering process!!
Leaving longer periods between repeat sessions not only allows for more removal of the ink particles/aggregates, but also results in fewer treatments overall.
Recent clinical evidence appears to support this idea. The photos below show a patient who had a total of four sessions with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser using fluences around 3 to 4 J/cm2 in a 15 ns pulsewidth:
Figure 56a: A professional, black tattoo Figure 56b: After four treatment sessions before any treatment with a QS Nd:YAG laser
The shortest gap between any two sessions was nine months; the longest was twenty-one! It appears that leaving such long gaps allowed much of the ink to be removed naturally by the skin. Further research is currently underway to check if this assertion is correct.
Interestingly, the total overall time required is approximately the same:
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
© The Laser-IPL Guys, 2021
4 treatments at 6 month intervals = a total of 18 months 10 treatments at 2 month intervals = a total of 18 months!!