Page 41 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
Figure 17: Photo of the DermaLase DLR-1 – the world’s first commercial Q-switched ruby laser for tattoo removal
The DermaLase DLR-1 gained FDA approval in 1991 through the diligent work of Dr Jerome Garden, Northwestern University, Chicago, and was subsequently sold across the USA, Europe and South East Asia for the treatment of tattoos and benign pigmented lesions. Watch our first ever promo video here (clearly, no expense was spared for this video!!). This was the first commercial laser of its kind in the world.
Basics of Laser Tattoo Removal
Tattoos have been removed from the skin for thousands of years using brutal methods such as knives and excess heat. These will invariably result in permanent scarring, leaving one unwanted mark with another. Modern lasers can remove many tattoos without scarring – the compromise is that this requires a number of treatment sessions over a relatively long period of time.
Tattoos are essentially suspensions of insoluble, multi-coloured nano- and microparticles which can range from around 10 nm up to more than 100 nm in size. Once in the skin, the process known as ‘phagocytosis’ begins, to try to remove this ink (which is considered an ‘invader’ by the body).
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
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