Decorative tattoos have a history dating back at least 5000 years. The desire to remove them has probably existed just as long. Early attempts to remove tattoos have had less than desirable results. The use of dermabrasion, salabrasion, and Argon or C02 lasers have left behind scars in place of the tattoo.

The advent of Q-Switched lasers has permitted the removal of most tattoo inks with a very low risk of scarring. The Medlite Q-Swtiched Nd:YAG laser is the newest in this class of lasers. The Medlite can significantly lighten or remove many tattoo inks, and is particularly advanced in the removal of blue, black, and red inks. The Medlite laser removes tattoo ink with the energy of light. Just as natural sunlight is made up of light wavelengths of many colors, a laser is a device which is designed to produce one or more specific wavelengths of light. These wavelengths are either absorbed, reflected, or simply passed through objects. Tattoo ink is removed by using a specific wavelength which passes through the skin but is absorbed by the ink. The rapid absorption of light energy causes the tattoo ink to destruct, where it is then removed by the body's natural filtering systems.

		Tattoo Removal: Continued
Plastic Surgery and Laser Center 2820 West Main Street, Visalia, CA 93291 559.625.8636 or toll free 800.321.5273 Beverly Hills Office 9033 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 310.275.3030 Questions, comments or to request a consultation: info@drstevens.com © 2000 Michael B. Stevens, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. All rights reserved.