New Research Reveals Pros and Cons of Laser Tattoo Removal

Helen Holmes September 19, 2012

Tattoos often leave many people in regret after realising that the mark no longer fits their lifestyle, or the person whom they did it for is gone. But with the advent of laser tattoo removal, taking off the mark became possible. But this treatment may not be for everyone, experts say.

Two studies were conducted to investigate the effectiveness and risk of Q-switched lasers in removing tattoos. One study suggests that the procedure may not benefit everyone, while the other report found a new laser treatment speeds up the time it takes to remove the mark.

Removing tattoo is not a simple and easy procedure, noted Dr Luigi Naldi, author of the study investigating the positive effects of laser tattoo removal. He explained that even if the introduction of Q-switched lasers a few decades ago has offered better results than the traditional surgical excision, the treatment is not for everyone and that the results may vary from one patient to another. In his study, he analysed the results of tattoo removal in more than 350 patients between 1995 and 2010. He and his colleagues found that smokers had 70% less chance of having their tattoos completely removed. They believed that it is probably because of the negative impact of tobacco to the body’s inflammatory and immune responses.

On the brighter side, the study found that a bigger interval between tattoo removal sessions, or at least 8 weeks between treatments, may help. However, they cautioned that large tattoos, specifically those that involved colours apart from black and red, and those marks on feet and legs, are harder to remove.

The other study which was authored by Dr. Nazanin Saedi from the department of dermatology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia found that a new approach called Picosecond Alexandrite Laser is much faster and safer than the Q-switched lasers. In such treatment, patient only needs an average of 7 sessions which is far lower than the traditional approach. Their findings were published in the journal Archives of Dermatology.

Sources of this article:

Treatment of Tattoos with a Picosecond Alexandrite Laser, The JAMA Network

Removal of Tattoos by Q-Switched Laser, The JAMA Network