How Does Tattoo Removal Actually Work?
Do you have a tattoo you want to get rid of? Maybe it reminds you of a time or person in your life you don’t like to think about. Maybe the artist wasn’t able to quite create the look you were going for. Or maybe you’re just tired of that particular band logo or book quote. Whatever the case, laser tattoo removal can be a great option if you really want to rid yourself of an unwanted tattoo. But how exactly does it work?
At Dr. Richard Blanchar’s Fort Lauderdale, FL office, we’re happy to give you the lowdown on tattoo removal, as well as look at your tattoo to find out how well it will respond to our laser treatment and how effective its removal will be.
Laser tattoo removal: The basics
Tattoo removal is the process by which your tattoo can be partly or even completely removed from your body through a series of laser treatments. These treatments are not always exact, and a number of variables can affect their success, including
- The age of your tattoo
- The age of your skin
- The depth of the ink in your tattoo
- The color of your skin
- The color(s) of the ink in your tattoo
For example, darker tattoo pigments like black and blue can be more easily treated with laser tattoo removal, while lighter colors like yellow and white may be harder to remove. But how exactly does the process work, anyway?
How laser tattoo removal works
We remove your tattoo with lasers that break up the pigment under the skin. The laser is a highly focused beam of light that is absorbed by the tattoo’s pigment and shatters the ink particles. The small particles are then naturally eliminated by the body.
Dr. Blanchar uses a specific type of laser treatment called PicoSure® to get rid of unwanted tattoos. PicoSure is much faster and more effective than many other laser tattoo removal methods, and it is also the first picosecond (or one trillionth of a second) laser in the world. It is extremely targeted so it does not affect the skin surrounding the tattoo pigment, and, in many cases, patients are able to see better, more even results with the process than with conventional laser treatment.
We use smaller pulses for smaller tattoos and larger pulses for larger tattoos, and, in most cases, you should expect to need more than one session for complete removal. Over your multiple sessions, the tattoo will fade a little bit at a time until it is almost or completely invisible.
Want to start getting rid of your old tattoo today?
Every patient is different, just like every tattoo is different, which means you’ll need to book a consultation with Dr. Blanchar before he can determine just how many sessions you’ll need to get the desired results. Call 954-776-6992 to make an appointment at our Fort Lauderdale, FL office, or you can book an appointment online at your leisure. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm.