Does the wavelength of the laser used to remove tattoos matter? Can the Picosure rid ink that is really deep?

There are many lasers on the market, and the right wavelength is required for different pigment colors. If you haven't been treated with enough energy, treatments will be less effective. Pico doesn't treat red pigment, so another laser is required for that. We have an Astanza Trinity that can treat all colors. We can also "stack" different wavelengths for resistant tattoos. It is important to have a good after care regime to improve how your body absorbs the ink. The laser only activates this ink by "exploding" the ink molecules.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Yes. Most tattoo removal wavelengths are in order of shallowest to deepest (532, 694, 755, 1064nm). The higher the number, the deeper the penetration. Ask what wavelength is being proposed. Different ones target different colors best.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The color of the tattoo ink mattered a lot for all tattoo removal lasers available before the Picosure. In fact, before the Picosure was available, most tattoos needed multiple treatments with more than one type of laser for removal. The Picosure laser is, essentially, "colorblind" when it comes to tattoo removal. Remember, the Picosure is not just a small improvement of an existing laser; it is a totally different type of laser, the first new technology in this field in 20 years! It can be used successfully for all tattoo colors, though red can still be the most stubborn to remove. The Picosure also has been proven to take about half the number of treatments to remove a tattoo compared to the best lasers previously available.

Really deep ink and non-traditional types of ink, can be much harder to treat, in general. However, when treating tattoos with other lasers, sometimes only a certain amount of ink is removed and no further progress is achieved, despite continuing treatment. It may be that the remaining ink is unusually deep, but many times the remaining ink is just too tough for the other lasers to remove further. The Picosure is usually very successful at treating tattoos only partially removed by other lasers.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The Picosure uses the same wavelengths, but the time the light is exposed to the skin is much shorter- a picosecond rather than a nanosecond. I personally haven't used the Picosure laser, but the reports of its results can be found. If your tattoo isn't responding well to the treatments, try waiting 4-6 months between sessions. The longer you wait the more fading you will see. I recommend this to my clients if we aren't seeing significant changes after 4-6 treatments. The time will really make a difference, and that may be what you need no matter what laser you use. I have many clients that will come only once or twice a year. It takes a longer time period to get the tattoo off, but they end up getting fewer laser sessions to achieve the removal.

Published on Jul 11, 2012