Pico Laser Technology: Tattoo Removal Has Never Been So Easy

Long gone are the days whereby tattoos and other body decorations are shunned by mainstream society. Nowadays, people across various ages and backgrounds decorate their skin with body art for several reasons – as an extension of their personality, a dedication for their loved ones or even just for art’s sake!

Inking your skin with a particular design may seem like an excellent idea at one point of time, but there exists a slight possibility that the very same tattoo may be deemed no longer relevant or even suitable for one’s lifestyle. When that happens, what is the next best option?

Thankfully, we’ve reached a point where tattoo removal technology can ‘turn back time’ and remove the ink pigments from the skin. If you’re looking to remove these tattoo ink pigments, here’s a quick lowdown.

Types Of Tattoos

Derived from the Tahitian word “tattau,” tattooing is the process of implanting permanent pigment granules in the dermal skin layer. The intent behind this ancient practice varies across cultures and traditions, but its modern uses can be broadly divided into:

Cosmetic: Often referred to as decorative tattoos and permanent makeup, cosmetic tattoos are increasingly prevalent due to the increasing openness that many societies have regarding body art. For one, numerous teenagers and young adults have taken a liking to putting on decorative body art form and permanent makeup such as eyebrow and eyeliner tattoos.

Medical: Tattoos are also commonplace in the medical industry, often utilised in micropigmentation treatments for vitiligo patients, breast areola reconstruction after chest surgery, and camouflage for permanent hair loss after craniofacial surgery, amongst many other things.

Traumatic: Traumatic tattoos often result from injuries that were exposed to dirt, ink, carbon or other pigmented materials.

Tattoo Removal Methods

Just as tattoos possess a long history, attempts to remove tattoos also date back. Historically, abrasives were used to traumatise the skin’s surface to create small open wounds, after which irritants and compounds would then be applied in an attempt to draw out the pigments. In addition to the excruciating pain, this method often results in significant inflammation and scarring of the skin, loss of melanin (skin pigment), and residual tattoos.

Luckily, you no longer need to subject yourself to such pain and question the possibility of scarring and residual tattoo. Modern technology utilises several methods to remove the ink pigments from your body, including:

Thermal: One of the primary tattoo removal methods involves using extreme heat to destroy the skin’s superficial layers, resulting in tattoo removal. Earlier technologies – such as infrared coagulator, argon lasers and carbon-dioxide laser – can clear away the tattoo ink. But due to their non-specific wavelengths, the heat will spread from the tattoo granules to the surrounding skin, resulting in scarring. Fortunately, modern laser technology can produce specific wavelengths that can be well absorbed by ink particles, with little to no epidermal disruption.

Chemical: Tattoo removal creams contain chemicals, such as kojic acid, alpha arbutin, and hydroquinone, designed to dissolve the tattoo pigments from your skin. Whilst this may help lessen the pigment, it will not fully remove the tattoo as it cannot access the dermis, where the pigment is stored.

Surgery: Another tattoo removal option is to remove the tattoo area with surgical excision. Whilst this effectively removes the tattoo, it also replaces it with a linear surgical scar.

Removing Tattoos Using Q-switched And Picosecond Laser Systems

Q-switched (QS) and Picosecond laser systems can effectively target and destroy the tattoo pigments that lie within the dermis, without actually causing much damage to the surrounding skin. These destroyed pigments will then be removed by the body’s natural detoxification system, by way of white blood cells and tissue macrophages.

At Angeline Yong Dermatology, we only use the latest technology to treat your skin issues. Unlike traditional Q-switched lasers, PicoWay and PicoSure are true pico lasers that can clear tattoo pigments within a shorter period of time. These revolutionary lasers use ultra-short picosecond laser pulses to shatter the pigment particles into fine dust clouds, even tinier than those fragmented by traditional Q-switched lasers. Since they are significantly smaller, the body can absorb these pigments much more efficiently, resulting in less erythema, swelling, and scarring.

Traditional tattoo removal method becomes complicated when multicoloured tattoos are involved, as it requires multiple wavelengths to truly rid the skin of the unwanted pigment. With both our PicoSure and PicoWay lasers, we are able to use all 4 wavelengths (532nm, 755nm, 785nm and 1064nm) to effectively and successfully rid an extensive range of tattoo pigments. Do note that a single pico laser tattoo removal system is usually unable to remove all available inks and combination, as a range of wavelengths is typically needed for multi-coloured tattoos

Having been in the medical industry for over 15 years, Dr Angeline Yong is not only an experienced dermatologist in Singapore, but is also an esteemed opinion leader is several aesthetic dermatology products and laser devices. One of such laser devices includes the PicoSure laser, for which she is appointed as a key opinion leader for Cynosure in the Asia Pacific region.

Leave your tattoo removal to our dermatologist who’s a master at her craft! Contact us at AYD and book a consultation today.

References
Bernstein, E. F. (2007, August). Laser tattoo removal. In Seminars in plastic surgery (Vol. 21, No. 3, p. 175). Thieme Medical Publishers.
Ho, S. G., & Goh, C. L. (2015). Laser tattoo removal: a clinical update. Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery, 8(1), 9.
Khunger, N., Molpariya, A., & Khunger, A. (2015). Complications of tattoos and tattoo removal: stop and think before you ink. Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery, 8(1), 30.

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Pico Laser Technology: Tattoo Removal Has Never Been So Easy