Modern Technology for Tattoo Removal

In the early 1990's, lasers were developed that selectively treat tattoo pigment, often without leaving any scar in its place. Tattoo removal is achieved not by actually burning the ink out; rather, it is fractured into tiny pieces that are then removed from the skin by the immune system. The advantage of this technology is that there is less chance of scarring.

Recently, IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) systems have replaced laser systems as the most effective technology for tattoo removal, particularly for certain colors of ink.

How many treatments will it take to remove a tattoo?

On average, professional tattoos require 5-6 treatments, while amateur tattoos may require 3-4 treatments, spaced approximately 6-8 weeks apart. The number of treatments depends on the amount and type of ink used and the depth of the ink in the skin. Occasionally, technicians have needed to treat a tattoo 10-20 times.

What will the treatment be like?

It is less painful to have a tattoo removed than getting it put on. A numbing cream should be applied an hour or two before the procedure as well as our cooling spray. After the procedure the treated area may blister, swell, crust, scab, or bleed slightly. You will need to care for the area daily in order to prevent infection and get the best possible healing results. Your tattoo will then gradually fade for 6-8 weeks when we can again treat the area with our lasers. You may see additional fading for as long as several months so you can space the treatments farther apart but not closer than 2 weeks.

What colors can be removed?

• Black ink absorbs all wavelengths of light and responds very well to diode laser treatments. (We recommend our SDL100 system for best laser treatment results for black ink.)
• Green and Blue ink absorbs 670-890nm light best and responds very well to diode laser treatments. (See our SDL100 system.)
• Red, Orange, and Purple inks absorb 500-700nm light best and will only show marginal improvement with diode laser treatments. For best results, an IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) system is preferred.
• Turquoise responds variably, depending on the pigments in the ink. An IPL system is preferred.
• Yellow tends to reflect light and does not respond well to diode laser treatments. An IPL system is preferred.
  

Important Considerations for Safe Laser and IPL Treatment

Treatment Around or Near the Eyes: Great care must be exercised when working near the eyes. The IPL emission is powerful enough to actually penetrate the eyelid and permanently damage the eye. Having the patient close their eyes is not satisfactory protection. The use of a dark-colored damp wash cloth which is folded over four times will deflect the harmful radiation; however, only IPL protective eyewear is recommended. Similarly, eye protection is required for laser treatments. All of our systems include a quantity of two protective eyewear.

Treatment Around or Near Mucus Membranes: IPL radiation will severely damage the tissues inside the nose and ear canal. Treatment should be avoided in these areas altogether.

Treatment Around or Near the Genitals: IPL treatment is safe for application to the pubic regions, including the reproductive organs of both sexes. Care must be taken in these areas due to the increased level of neural sensitivity. The patient may find the process uncomfortable without a topical desensitizing spray.

Treatment Around or Near the Aureola (nipple): IPL treatment is safe and effective on hair growth which occurs from the aureola of both sexes, as well as for tattoo removal treatments.

Post-Treatment: The skin surrounding the treatment area will experience short-term erythmia (reddening) which will subside within 12-24 hours. Should the treatment area show signs of excess scabbing, you may wish to reduce the overall treatment time or intensity. The application of a post-treatment cooling and healing gel (such as Aloe) is encouraged to speed healing and reduce sensitivity. Instruct the patient to refrain from applying cosmetics or sunbathing for at least 24 hours.

Laser Tattoo Clinical Results:

References:

Nestor, Mark S., MD, PhD, "Laser Hair Removal: Clinical Results and Practical Applications of Selective Photothermolysis", Skin & Aging, January 1998.

Lask, Gary, MD, Elman, Monica, MD, Slatkine, Michael, PhD, Waldman, Amir, PhD, Rozenberg, Zvi, PhD, "Laser-Assisted Hair Removal by Selective Photothermolysis: Preliminary Results", the American Society for Dermatology Surgery, 1997.

Deluxe IPL Tattoo and Hair Removal System

Get the latest technology for tattoo removal and epilation!

Salon owners and beauty professionals, you can now have the latest and most advanced technology for tattoo removal, hair removal / epilation, and general dermatology procedures. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is here!

This IPL system is the absolute best – the perfect machine for the busy salon or dermatologist / doctor's office.

More power for the professional salon user:

The IPL800 produces an industry-leading output of 220 J/cm2 energy density at 410-800 nm (broad based light), with a pulse duration of 0.1 seconds. Pulse frequency is user-adjustable from 1-7 emissions per second. It has the ability to treat more aggressively than the SPL600, giving the extra punch for those very stubborn hairs. It will also effectively treat light inks (flesh tones), whereas the SPL600 cannot.

Cutting edge technology:

The IPL800 is the most advanced and sophisticated system on the market due to the addition of Photon Absorption Feedback Metering. This feature makes the delivery of massive amounts of photon energy safe, even for novices. The IPL800 actually monitors the total energy which makes it through the skin, and limits that energy to a pre-set value. For example, the SPL600 produces a full 180 Jcm2/sec., but due to a variety of conditions (from skin pigment to skin condition), only 110 Jcm2/sec. may actually make it to the desired tissues.

With the IPL800, this emission will continue until the pre-set Jcm2/sec level is reached. The system will beep and stop when that fluence is achieved. This virtually eliminates any risk of over-treatment.

This system is also excellent for general dermatology procedures, age spot removal, wrinkle reduction, laser resurfacing and more. May be used for tattoo removal on most inks.

The High Output Intense Pulsed Light Deluxe is specifically designed to deliver highly concentrated photon energy directly through the skin, thereby targeting hair follicle melanocytes or photo-reactive dyes.

Each power pulse has an effective treatment area of 2.0 cm2 and feels like a rubber band snap.

The IPL has a very comfortable and versatile hand piece. A powerful 15cfm positive displacement internal fan keeps the flash lamp cool during usage; thereby increasing the power, performance and overall life-expectancy of the system.

The flash lamp is rated for 1,200,000 pulses, which equates to roughly 3-5 years of average daily use for a salon.

The IPL instrument is light (under 2 pounds), durable, and of very high quality.

IPL800 system features:

• IPL hand piece
• 220 Jcm2/sec. energy density (fluence)
• Key lockout safety switch
• Laser 'enabled' system status LED
• Adjustable intensity
• 2 quantity of protection eyewear
• 150 ml carbon dye
• Tweezers and instructions

Average safe and effective values for output intensity (fluence) and pulse frequency are included in the instruction material for various skin photo types.

NOTE: If you are using cosmetics on the area to be treated containing retinoids (retin a, tretinoin, altinac, avita, trans retinoic acid, vitamin A acid, tazorac, adapalene, differin), or AHA (alpha hydroxyl acids, glycolic acid), stop using the cosmetic at least two days before the laser treatment. If you have been taking Accutane (isotretinoin), you should be off of it for two to six months before IPL treatment. If you have had a micro-dermabrasion on the area to be treated, it is best to wait seven to ten days before laser treatment.