Renaissance Plastic Surgery

Until recently the traditional method for removing tattoos has been laser ablation.  Laser treatments involve the passing of light through the pigmented area and essentially damaging the skin containing the ink.  The body then naturally heals the area and this process breaks up and pushes out many of the pigments.  However, the absorption of the laser light is dependent upon the color of the tattoo.  In order to provide the proper wavelength of light that will effectively target each specific color, several different lasers may be needed for a single tattoo.  Unfortunately some colors, especially blue, are difficult for laser light to penetrate.  This can mean that even after several laser treatments, some of the ink may still remain.  Due to these difficulties, other options for tattoo removal have been developed. 

Chemical extraction is the latest form of tattoo removal.  This is a process of tattooing a non-pigmentary inorganic substance into the ink of the tattoo.  This chemical then mixes with the ink and causes the same reaction in the body as the laser treatment.  The chemical solution containing the pigment is then pushed to the surface of the skin.  A scab subsequently forms over the treated area.  The chemical and ink mixture is part of that scab and naturally falls off after several days.  Most often some ink will remain, requiring additional treatments but the majority of people report a 70% - 90% removal from the first session.  Also, the chemical does not have color restrictions; therefore, a single solution may be used on a variety of different colors. 

Both laser and chemical tattoo removal will require multiple treatments to achieve satisfactory resolution.  The number of additional sessions can very upon the tattoo size, colors and location.  This can range from 3 to upwards of 12 to 15 for laser removal but only 3 to 6 chemical tattoo removal treatments are usually required.  Due to the number of different lasers necessary for each color of the tattoo, laser removal can become expensive with multiple sessions.  Chemical tattoo removal generally decreases in price with additional treatments, as the amount of pigment remaining is smaller in size.  Some people will opt for a surgical removal of the remaining area for a complete, concise and generally inconspicuous result. 

Cathey Break, R.N.,B.S. is a Permanent Makeup and Chemical Tattoo Removal Technician at Renaissance Plastic Surgery and R medical spa.

If you are interested in cosmetic surgery visit www.rpsplasticsurgery.com for more information. Some of our most popular procedures include breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, liposuction, tummy tuck, rhinoplasty and face lift surgery.