Oct 20 2009
How Does Laser Tattoo Removal Work?
Laser tattoo removal is one of the most reliable tattoo removal methods around. One aspect of this reliability is that there is no doubt to how it works, nor no doubt that it indeed does work, which cannot be said for other tattoo removal methods.
What is laser? Well, let’s start with revealing that the word itself is an akward acronym which stands for: light amplication by stimulated emission of radiation. This catchy phrase can now promptly be forgotten as we discuss what a laser is in every day terms.
Simply put, it’s a concentrated beam of light that can be highly focused and targeted to a single point or area. This differs from “normal light” in that normal light carries with it different waves, each having their own brightness and color, each with their own polarization.
When it comes to laser tattoo removal, doctors focus the laser on the area of the body containing the unwanted tattoo. The laser is able to pass through the upper and outer layers of the skin (epidermis) harmlessly, directly going to the tattoo ink. The presence of the laser hitting the ink causes a microscopic disruption. Each “hit” results in the body being able to break down a little bit of the tattoo ink and absorbing this break down into the body and disposing of it. You can imagine then how after repeated contact between the ink and the laser, an entire tattoo can be removed in this way.
It sounds perhaps strange at first to learn that the tattoo ink is not literally taken out by the laser itself, but only as as reaction to being hit to the ink. The body takes care of the rest. There is no health concern in regards to the inked cells being removed by the body. The immune system is a powerful system!
The laser tattoo removal experience is not pleasant one, yet it’s said to be less painful that receiving a tattoo, along with being faster as well. Some compare the pain of laser treatments to a hot, stinging sensation, a pinch, or being hit repeatedly with a rubber band. Unlike when receiving a tattoo, it’s common to use numbing agents on the skin during a laser tattoo removal sensation, further decreasing the pain. Additionally, many clinics use specialized cooling techniques – which essentially amounts to keeping cold air blowing on the skin to relieve discomfort during the laser session.