Laser tattoo removal

Laser tat­too rem­oval is a tech­ni­que in which tat­toos are ligh­ten­ed or remo­ved using very short, high-ener­gy laser pul­ses. It is based on sel­ec­ti­ve pho­to­ther­mo­ly­sis: the light tar­gets the ink pig­ments wit­hout pla­cing much strain on the sur­roun­ding tissue.

Appli­ca­ti­on

The pul­ses shat­ter the ink par­tic­les into tiny frag­ments, which the immu­ne sys­tem gra­du­al­ly cle­ars via the lympha­tic sys­tem. Today main­ly Q‑switched lasers and the pico­se­cond laser are used. Dif­fe­rent wave­lengths are nee­ded for dif­fe­rent colours; black and dark blue usual­ly respond well, while green, yel­low and tur­quoi­se are more difficult.

Good to know

Seve­ral ses­si­ons six to eight weeks apart are usual­ly requi­red, the exact num­ber depen­ding on colour, depth, age of the tat­too and skin type. After tre­at­ment, red­ness, swel­ling, crus­ting or blis­ters may occur, usual­ly heal­ing within one to two weeks. Pos­si­ble risks include pig­ment chan­ges and, rare­ly, scar­ri­ng. Com­ple­te rem­oval can­not always be achieved.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Tat­too rem­oval by Laser