Laser Tattoo Removal New York | Beauty by Stefany

Laser Tattoo Removal

What is Tattoo and Pigment Removal? -

The “Q” in Q switched laser treatment stands for “quality.” A Q switched laser pulses high power laser beams with such precision that they don’t have any thermal interaction with tissues. This means that it produces minimal damage to surrounding tissues internally and targets only the tattoo ink pigments. An added benefit of this is a quicker and less complicated healing time. The Q Switched laser has been determined as a gold standard for tattoo removal. It works by producing extremely short pulses of high energy light. The light is then absorbed by the particles of the tattoo pigment but doesn’t get absorbed by the surrounding skin. The tattoo pigment then heats up and starts to break down into small particles. A Q-Switch laser may also be used to treat pigmented lesions including age spots, freckles, sunspots and some birthmarks, it targets the melanin in the superficial layer of your skin. When the pigmented lesion absorbs the light energy from the Q-Switch Laser it gets converted into heat

A Q-switched laser is the only technology that is able to penetrate down to the dermis and shatter tattoo ink (via photo acoustic waves) without causing damage to the surrounding skin tissue.

Treatment Information

Pre treatment

Avoid sun exposure / tanning beds for 2 weeks pre and post. Avoid pain medicine, such as Aleve, Aspirin for 3-7 days. Topical numbing cream or local anesthetic may used and cold compress may be applied a prior to treatment.

Post treatment

Keep out of the sun, out of pools/lakes/bath water until healed. Apply recovery balm and keep it covered for 5-6 days while healing. Apply ice 10 minutes post treatment. Basic reminders:

Use sunscreen to protect the treated skin which is particularly sensitive to sunlight following treatment.
Don’t apply makeup or any potentially irritating product on treated skin while it heals.
Avoid shaving treated areas unless the skin is healed.
Don’t soak in baths, hot tubs or pools unless the skin has healed completely.

How long does a treatment take?

Depending on the size of the treated area(s), after numbing, treatments can take several minutes up to an hour. The number of sessions needed to remove a tattoo depends on three factors: the age of the tattoo, the color of the ink, and the density of the ink.

Age: Older tattoos can be removed with fewer treatments than newer tattoos. A black ink tattoo that is 10years old may take one or two treatments fewer than a 1 year old black tattoo. A 20 year old tattoo may take two to three treatments fewer than a 1 year old tattoo, but it’s easy to remove if your tattoo is brand new (1 month old).
Color: Certain colors are more easily removed than others. Black and red tattoos are the easiest to remove. Orange, yellow, pink, and other shades are slightly more difficult to remove. The most difficult colors to remove are light green, light blue, and teal/turquoise.
Location: Because tattoo removal depends on the body to flush away the shattered ink particles, areas of the body with less circulation often take more time to show results. The toes, fingers, ears, and nose are areas that may show slower results.
Ink Density: Shading in a tattoo is easily removed. Some tattoos with letters use shading to fill in the outlines of the letters. Some tattoos with certain designs use shading for clouds or other visual effect. Shading will be removed in only a few sessions in most cases.