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Before Treatment:
Patient will be asked about their medical and
tattoo's history. Then Operators will obtain a written consent from the
patient prior to the treatment or test patch. If topical anesthetic (e.g. EMLA,
BLT) is not requested. Cold compresses will be used until the pain ceases. Alternatively,
topical anesthetics will be applied at least 30 minutes prior to the
procedure. Then Operators take photographs of the treatment area for
future reference. Finally, Operators will provide verbal and written advice
on after-care of the treated area.
During Treatment:
The impact of the
energy from the laser pulse is similar to the snap of a small rubber band on
the skin. This selective breaking up of ink particles is shown as
"Frosting" a sign of vaporization, color change or bruising.
Frosting is an immediate reaction. Bruising usually has 10-15 minutes of
delay whilst blistering may take hours to be seen. Frosting is a good
indicator that laser will work for that treated ink.
Skin Response during and after Treatment :
- Frosting from vaporization of the ink particle usually disappears soon after treatment
- Heat
and redness: Normally resolves in 24 hours.
- Bruise
or Swelling usually resolve in a week.
- Scabs
usually falls in 1-2 weeks
If
there is Damage to the natural skin such as crust, blister, or burn: Cool the
area thoroughly for pain relief. It is recommended an antibiotic ointment be
used to facilitate the recovery.They may take several weeks to recuperate.
What to expect:Gradual lightening of tattoo over time and treatment sessions. Some people reports immediate lightening especially those old tattoos eg: 15-20 years old. Most of the tattoo start to lighten about 6 weeks after the treatment, and continue to fade even after a year. Optimum lightening probably occurs between 3-4 month. Therefore:
Treatment Interval:
A minimum of 6 weeks
should elapse between treatments, preferably 10-12 weeks so as wound can be healed completely. It is difficult to
predict the number of sessions necessary for tattoo removal. Often the
initial treatment will result in a more dramatic removal than subsequent
sessions. Kirby Desai scale may help to predict Number of treatments ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2923953/
) Less pigmented and region closer to the
heart's tattoos will be removed faster. However, large volume and deeper
tattoos will require more treatment sessions. If the depth is less than 0.92
mm, then 87.5% improvements is seen. At a depth of 1.78 mm or greater, an
average of only 81.5% improvement is observed. Amateur tattoos will clear
faster than professional ones.Treatment using the 532nm wavelength for red
ink, with 3 sessions up to 75% has been reported. At some stage after a
course of treatments plateau of tattoo removal is likely to occur. A shadow
or faint residual may result.
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