Page 27 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
However, following any tattooing, the skin will react with the ‘wound response mechanism’, which is a natural reaction to any trauma. This mechanism is, in fact, a number of processes which occur in the full thickness skin to repair all damaged elements including the epidermis, the epidermal/dermal membrane, collagen, blood vessel, nerve tissue, hair follicles, sebaceous glands etc.
The repair mechanism is a complex series of physiological processes which will be described in detail later in this chapter.
The upshot of this repair mechanism is that virtually all tattoos will have an associated amount of scar tissue with it. This is inevitable and may have a negative influence on any subsequent laser process.
Clearly, the aim of all tattoo artists is to create a design with full, saturated colours, clear and crisp lines of the same depth and thickness, and smooth colourful washes. However, this is not always the case, since the artist’s skill, client’s aftercare regime and the body’s natural attempts to remove all foreign objects may have detrimental effects on the final outcome.
Why are tattoos ‘permanent’?
As soon as tattoo ink is injected into the skin the body tries to reject it through the inflammatory process. This is a series of processes designed to remove alien objects in the skin which might be toxic. Macrophages flood into the area to ‘consume’ the ink particles and remove them to the lymph nodes, where they remain until death.
However, some of the macrophages become too large having consumed many thousands of tiny particles. These remain in the dermis until they themselves are consumed by new macrophages. At the same time, fibroblasts and mast cells also consume some of the ink particles and remain in situ.
These particle-laden cells are what we see as tattoos – they keep the ink in the dermis over time. However, the body will continue to attempt to remove all of the ink which is why they fade over a long period of time. In fact, if the owner was to live to around 400 years old, their tattoos would probably have disappeared altogether!!
Here’s a short video which describes this process. Cover-ups
Covering old or unwanted tattoos is very common. However, the success of such a cover-up often depends on whether the client listens to the advice of their tattooist. Many tattoos are simply not good candidates for covering, unless they are lightened by laser first.
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
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