Seven Things You Might Not Know About Laser Tattoo Removal

When it comes to cosmetic and aesthetic decisions, most are, thankfully, easily reversible. You can wait for that ill-advised haircut to grow out or remove the eyebrow ring you got with your best friend on a whim. Not so with tattoos -- until now.

Tattoos are permanent ink that’s injected into your skin using a needle, making them extremely hard to get rid of as they became part of your skin’s landscape. This may be something you didn’t think through as you joyfully etched your partner’s name onto your shoulder. But now that your partner is gone, you’re left with a mark that’s been almost impossible to get rid of.

At Lasercare Skin Clinic here in Little Rock, Arkansas, we offer laser tattoo removal, which works to clear away the past, leaving a clean slate in its wake. If you’re unfamiliar with the laser tattoo removal process, here are seven quick pieces of information to get you started.

1. No surgery required

With our Enlighten™ laser system from PICO Genesis™, we’re able to direct laser energy beneath the surface of your skin without causing damage to the surrounding tissue. The nonthermal photomechanical laser power (yes, it’s a mouthful) targets the ink below the surface of your skin and breaks it into tiny pieces. These pieces are then flushed away through your body’s natural lymphatic system.

This new technology replaces traditional tattoo removal, which often entailed full surgical procedures to remove the tattoo and place a skin graft over the area.

2. Every color of the rainbow

When laser technology first burst onto the tattoo removal scene, it was highly effective against only certain inks. As the technology advanced, we’re now able to remove tattoos of all colors, including brighter reds, oranges, purples, and pinks. This is due in large part to the next item on our list.

3. Going deep

With the Enlighten laser, we can choose just how deep we send the laser energy, which means we can target easier colors from more shallow depths and harder-to-tackle, denser colors by sending the laser energy a little deeper.

4. Speed of light

While nanoseconds were long associated with sci-fi films, the fact is that we measure these new laser therapies in nanoseconds. The Enlighten system features longer and shorter pulse durations, depending upon the density of the ink, which range from 2-750 nanoseconds. What this means to you is that each treatment lasts only about 20 minutes. The number of treatments you need depends on the size and depth of the ink you want removed, but you should count on an average of five.

5. The skin you’re in

Older laser technologies were only effective on lighter skin tones. With the Enlighten laser, we can remove tattoos from almost all skin tones.

6. It doesn’t hurt like the original tattoo

The laser treatments are well-tolerated by most of our patients and feel like a rubber band snapping against your skin -- which sure beats the needles that put the ink there in the first place.

7. Minimal interruption

One of the best things about laser tattoo removal is that there’s no downtime associated with the treatments. After each treatment, you’re free to go back to your daily routine. We do ask that you protect your skin from sun and wind exposure and drink plenty of fluids to help your body flush out the ink particles.

If you want to explore tattoo removal further, we encourage you to call us here at Lasercare Skin Clinic, or use the online booking tool to schedule a consultation.