Page 11 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
Introduction to Laser Tattoo Treatments
Figure 1: A typical ‘love’ tattoo
The process of laser tattoo removal works on the principle of selectivity. Tattoo ink particles will absorb light of all wavelengths, to a certain extent (this animation explains why). But, if the absorption of the light energy is too low, then the temperature rise will also be too low. And it is the temperature rise on the particle surfaces which is critical in creating the required reaction.
These days, we can choose from our main wavelengths in lasers – 694nm (ruby), 755nm (alexandrite) and 532/1064nm (Nd:YAG). All of these wavelengths are known to be preferentially absorbed by many tattoo ink colours, whilst leaving the surrounding tissues relatively unaffected.
The problem is that we can never know which colours absorb which wavelengths strongly (see animation). Even when a tattoo ink colour absorbs the laser energy well, if it is too deep, then insufficient energy will reach it – leading to a low temperature rise (watch this anim).
It becomes clear that ‘absorption is king’ in tattoo treatments!! This depends on the tattoo ink colour and its depth, plus a few other factors.
So, how do we achieve a ‘good’ absorption in tattoos...? We hope this book will answer this question for you.
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
© The Laser-IPL Guys, 2021