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Vote Don Kruse - County Commissioner - Distric 5
 
 
Tattoos have become part of American mainstream culture over the past couple of decades. Some estimate that more than 10 million Americans have at least one tattoo, and there are about 4,000 tattoo studios now in business in the United States. One busy physician who specializes in tattoo removal -- he's removed tattoos from some of the most famous tattoo artists -- estimates that about 50 percent of those who get tattoos later regret them. For years, these people had little recourse, and existing removal techniques were invasive (requiring surgery) and painful. But that's changing.
Decorative tattoos have a history dating back at least 5000 years. The desire to remove them has probably existed just as long. Early attempts to remove tattoos included sanding, cutting, and burning of the skin, which left scarring. These removal techniques were replaced by dermabrasions, salabrasions, and C02 lasers, which still left scarring and could not differentiate tattoo colors.
Since the early 90's the advent of Q-switched Ruby lasers permitted the removal of darker tattoo inks with very low risk of scarring. The latest generation of Q-switched lasers developed in the late 90's is the newest system capable of removing multiple tattoo inks.
The laser uses an intense beam of light to remove and lighten the tattoo, without harming the surrounding healthy skin cells. The light energy is delivered in pulses. When the ink particles of the tattoo absorb the light from the laser, they are broken up into tiny fragments. These fragments are then absorbed through the body's natural cleansing mechanism. The number of treatments varies from 3 to 7 once a month depending on the following factors.
* Mix of ink
* Depth of tattoo
* Age of tattoo
* Placement of ink under the skin
* Professionalism
* Healing Ability of each client
* Post Treatment Hygiene- This is the most crucial fact for proper healing
 

 

TATOO REMOVAL F.A.Q.
Q-SWITCHED ULTRALIGHT LASER
Decorative tattoos have a history dating back at least 5000 years. The desire to remove them has probably existed just as long. Early attempts to remove tattoos have had less than desirable results. The use of dermabrasion, salabrasion and Argon or C02 asers have left behind scars in place of the tattoos. The advent of the Q-Switched lasers has permitted the removal of most tattoo inks with very good results. The ULTRALIGHT Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser is the newest system in this class of lasers. This laser can significantly lighten or remove many tattoo inks, and is particularly advanced in the removal of black, blue and red inks.
 
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The ULTRALIGHT laser removes tattoo ink with the energy of light. Just as natural sunlight is made up of light wavelengths of many colors, a laser is a device which is designed to produce one or more specific wavelengths of light. These wavelengths are either absorbed, reflected or simply passed through objects. Tattoo ink is removed by using a specific wavelength which passes through the skin but is absorbed by the ink. The rapid absorption of light energy causes the tattoo ink to break into particles small enough to be removed by the body's natural filtering system.
Medical research has taught us which wavelengths of light to use and specifically how to deliver the laser's output to best remove tattoo ink. The ULTRALIGHT laser uses a light wavelength which passes through skin, but is absorbed by most inks. The ULTRALIGHT laser delivers the energy in a very short period of time (pulse duration) for maximum ink response. The use of the wrong laser with the incorrect pulse duration can cause serious scarring. The use of this specific combination of wavelength and rapidly pulsed light results in minimal damage to the skin while providing maximum tattoo ink removal.
WHAT COLORS RESPOND THE BEST?
Black, blue, dark green and red inks are the easiest to remove. Purple, turquoise, orange and yellow can be more challenging or require more treatments. White ink is nearly impossible to remove as it does not provide the laser with any target color.
 
WILL IT COMPLETELY DISAPPEAR?
In many cases, yes. Greater than 90% fading of the tattoo may be accomplished. However, it is very important to know that over 100 tattoo inks are in use worldwide today, none of which are regulated by the FDA. Not knowing which tattoo ink, how deep it was placed, what color or how much ink was used makes it impossible for the laser practitioner to predict the degree of removal on any given tattoo. We are much better able to predict the outcome when we see the response to the first treatment.
 
HOW MANY TREATMENTS?
On the average, professional tattoos require 4-10 treatments, while amateur tattoos might only require 3-4 treatments, all spaced approximately 1-2 months apart. The number of treatments depends on the amount and type of ink used and the depth of the ink in the skin. Rarely, even more than ten treatments may be needed.
 
AFTERWARDS...........
When the treatment is finished, the tattoo may have a white tint over it which will only last a few minutes. It may also appear raised, swollen and much lighter. The area may continue to feel warm for an hour. Sometimes blisters may appear. Using a cool compress will greatly reduce or eliminate blistering or swelling. We will apply triple antibiotic cream and cover the tattoo. This bandage should be kept in place for the first 3-4 days. When the area first heals, you won't notice much difference. The body can take up to 3 months to digest the debris from a single treatment so fading will continue to take place. Your practitioner will decide how long to wait between treatments. As soon as the skin is completely healed, it may be re-treated.
 
SCARRING
It is important to remember that the process of having a tattoo applied can leave scars from the mechanical process of the needle on the skin. This is hidden by the ink and could become visible when the tattoo is removed. With that in mind, most patients do not scar at all from the treatment itself, although it is possible. Some skin types scar more easily than others. If you scar easily, you probably already know it and you'll be at a higher risk. Most patients do not scar and have excellent results. Sometimes the area where the tattoo was can appear lighter than the surrounding skin. This is almost always temporary and will blend in within months as long as care is taken to avoid the sun.