Page 121 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
There are devices available which can ‘measure’ the skin colour. However, good ones are expensive while cheap ones are useless!!
It is important to properly consider the skin colour when treating a patient/client with light. Skin Types 4 and 5 will absorb a lot of visible light due to the high melanin content. Type 6 is particularly difficult to treat with many lasers and IPLs. This is because it has a very high content of melanin throughout the full thickness of the epidermis. In saying that, 1064nm is regularly used on black skin, because there is very little absorption at this wavelength.
Pain Relief During Laser Tattoo Removal
Visible light is absorbed by melanin in the basal layer, particularly towards the blue end of the spectrum. This generates a temperature build-up in that layer, which then conducts heat energy in the epidermis above and the dermis below. Many nerve endings are near the epidermal/dermal junction and so are stimulated by this heat energy. This is the cause of much of the pain felt during photothermal treatments.
We covered this topic in one of our blog posts...
Many patients report heightened pain sensations when receiving treatment on tattoos on certain body areas – these include the fingers, knuckles, toes, ribs, forehead, ankles and feet. In many cases this is simply because there is very little fatty tissue between the dermis and the bone. This allows more of the ‘impact’ forced to be transmitted to the bone, resulting in a more painful experience.
Mike’s “glass slide” technique may be used to help alleviate the painful sensations. However, when using slides over boney areas, we recommend you use two slides, back to back. This will greatly reduce the likelihood of the slide breaking!
Other pain-relieving techniques may be employed such as topical anaesthesia or cold compresses. (One of Mike’s former patients use to have a couple of whiskies before his treatment...)
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
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