What is Laser Tattoo Removal?

A laser that is used for tattoo removal is a highly focused laser that rapidly delivers a beam of light to the skin for the purposes of removing unwanted tattoos. The laser is attracted by darker colours found in the ink of the tattoo in preference to the lighter colour of the skin. When the beam of the laser strikes the ink in a tattoo it shatters the ink into very fine particles. These particles are then no longer visible to the eye and become small enough to be absorbed and removed by the body’ own natural filtration (lymphatic) system.

The Ultralase Q – Switched Nd YAG laser is specially designed for the purpose of tattoo removal. This laser allows very high powered laser light to be delivered to the skin over a fraction of a second. This minimizes any damage that could be caused by overheating the surrounding skin and hence any chance of scarring is greatly reduced.

Generally, treatments are quick and clients experience only minimal discomfort. The older the tattoo, the more treatments may be necessary and different colours and more intricate designs may also require additional treatments.

How many treatments are necessary?

It is impossible to accurately predict the number of treatments necessary as it depends on the amount of ink used and how deep the ink was inserted. However as a guide most professional tattoos will require at least six to twelve treatments. Follow up treatments are conducted at no less that 4 – 6 week intervals. Further fading can occur for several months after each treatment.

Can all types of tattoos be treated?

It is possible to remove or significantly lighten most tattoos. Black, blue and red tattoos tend to respond well. Aqua, green and yellow tattoos may be more resistant and only partially fade. White tattoos reflect laser light and therefore do not respond to laser treatment.

What are the costs likely to be?

Treatment costs will vary depending in the size and time required to treat the tattoo. This can be discussed during your initial consultation.

How frequent are the treatments?

Time is required between each treatment to allow the body’s lymphatic (cleaning) system to remove the ink that has been treated by laser. A minimum period of six weeks between treatments is recommended.

Will the tattoo completely disappear?

In many cases, there will be a 100% clearance of the tattoo. On average 95% fading is considered a good result. The result depends upon the colour and type of ink used as well as the depth of penetration of the ink in the skin. Your therapist can discuss with you the likeliness of success during your initial consultation.

Price On Application