Page 92 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
Repetition Rate
Many devices allow you to choose a repetition rate so that a train of pulses will be fired when you press the footswitch (or press the hand-switch). Some lasers will produce rep rates up to 10 or 20 pulses per second. This is usually expressed as Hertz (Hz).
Note:
Sometimes you may see a device offering a rep rate of 0.5 Hz – this means one shot every two seconds. We’ve even seen devices with rep rates as low as 0.2 Hz;
that’s one shot every five seconds!!
On the other side of the coin, you may come across lasers which offer high rep rates. For example, we have seen Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers as high as 25 Hz. This may sound attractive but, in reality, this is difficult to use in the real world.
Most people struggle to operate these lasers above 10 Hz simply because it’s too fast to cope with clinically! The question is then, are you paying for a laser with a speed you really can’t use?
The choice of repetition rate is entirely down to the laser operator. It doesn’t really affect the clinical outcome. However, a slow rate is desirable when treating small, or intricate areas. However, if you are removing hair on legs, or treating a large tattoo, you will be better will a faster rep rate, otherwise you will be treating for a long time.....
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
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