Page 50 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
Which wavelength should I use?
At present, there are four main wavelengths available to us for laser tattoo removal:
There are a couple of other wavelengths from lasers which are not widely used because they are not very effective.
1064 & 532 nm
Nd:YAG
755 nm
Alexandrite
694 nm
Ruby
The QS Nd:YAG laser can only generate a 1064nm wavelength. The neodymium in the crystal is responsible for this – under most conditions, it can only produce a 1064nm output.
However, a ‘frequency-doubling’ crystal was found some years ago which, when subjected to high intensity 1064nm energy, can output a 532nm beam – this is double the frequency or half the wavelength of the incident beam.
BUT......
...these frequency-doubling crystals are not 100% efficient. So, typically around 70 to 75% of the incident energy is converted into 532nm energy, while the remaining 25 to 30% remains at the original 1064nm.
Consequently, when using a 532nm beam, you are actually using a combination of both 532 and 1064nm!
There is much ‘mythinformation’ online these days. It can be very confusing. You might read that ‘ruby is best for green’ – we noticed, back in the 1980s, that the ruby laser struggled with many green ink tattoos, and yet we routinely cleared many others!!
You will also see that ‘alexandrite is best for blue’. Given that there are a huge range of blues and greens, these statements are highly questionable.
The reality is that it is virtually impossible to predict with any certainty how certain colours will respond best to whichever wavelength!!!
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
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