That is an excellent question. There are 3 processes that happen during a tattoo removal process.
1. Photo-thermal effect
As soon as the pigment absorbs the laser energy, some of it is burnt up.
2. Photo- acoustic effect
Light waves behave like sound waves. Some of the pigment shatters upon contact with the light waves.
3. Lymphatics
The fragments of pigment are cleared by the body.
The location, colour, age of the tattoo and amount of ink involved determine the difficulty or ease of removal of the tattoo.
The best method remains the laser. The most widely used is the Q-Switched Nd-YAg lasers for tattoo removal. The later lasers are the Picoway-second lasers which I use. I use the PicoWay in my clinic because the shorter pulse duration of the laser means more pigment can be treated whilst still keeping the surrounding skin safe. This means a faster recovery time and generally less pain involved. I use the PicoWay also because it has a wavelength that can treat the traditionally difficult green and blue inks.
Make your decision based on both the technology used as well as the operator experience.
Warm Regards,
Dr Kevin Chua
