You may want to have a tattoo at one point of time in your life, but regret your decision later. In that case, you may be interested in laser removal. At SL Aesthetic Clinic, we use the Q-Switched Nd: Laser YAG and Pico laser for tattoo removal.. Read on to know what kinds of issues it can address. Short pulses of high energy light breaks down the ink particles in the skin, before being eliminated by the body’s immune system.
Update: SL Aesthetic Clinic no longer uses the Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser, be it for tattoo removal or other skin rejuvenating procedures. For tattoo removal, we only use the pico laser, an upgraded laser technology to remove tattoos more safely and efficiently.
Since the tattoo pigment is injected into the lower layers of the skin, it is sealed by a tough network of collagen fibres. Therefore, it is not easy to remove the tattoo pigmenting without impacting the surrounding tissue.
Tattoo pigments, including yellow, fluorescent inks and green are more difficult to treat when compared to the ones, which are dark blue and black in colour. It is a challenge to treat these pigments, as they have an absorption spectra that falls on the edge of the emission spectras available in the tattoo removal laser.
The Q-Switched Nd: YAG Laser is suitable for tattoo removal, as well as pigmentations such as birthmark, coffee spots, freckles, senile plaques, pigment caused by injury, eye line and lip line. While YAG laser treats dark colours such as blue, black and green, it has limited effects on brighter colours, including red, orange and yellow. Multiple treatments are necessary to achieve desired results.
The price of our Tattoo Removal starts at $199 – $800 per session.
Q-switching refers to the technique of making the laser produce a high intensity beam in very short pulses. Lasers work by emitting a wavelength of high energy light, which when focused on a certain skin condition will create heat and destroy diseased cells.
SL Aesthetic Clinic’s Q-Switched ND: YAG Laser is FDA approved and safe for the treatment of tattoos and unwanted pigmentation.
Tattoo ink and natural pigmentation, including melanin, absorbs short pulse duration/high peak energy Q-switched pulses, creating a photo-acoustic effect within the pigment clusters. This effect breaks down the ink into smaller particles, which is removed by the body’s natural filtering system. The high energy YAG laser delivers laser energy directly into the pigmentation. The laser reduces the appearances of the tattoo or other pigmentations with minimised damage to surrounding tissue. A patient may require six to eight or more sessions, four to eight weeks apart. This requirement can vary by the individual.
Side effects are minimal and well-tolerated, but as with any procedure and treatment, these can vary by the individual.
After assessing your needs, the doctor can perform the treatment in approximately 15mins or so, subject to the doctor’s schedule. Numbing is optional, which can take up to half an hour. Otherwise, a later appointment can be made for the procedure itself.
Results vary by the individual as well as the indicated concern the Q-Switched ND:YAG Laser is used for. Speak to our doctor to know more.
Q-Switched ND:YAG is well-tolerated for most patients. Some discomfort, though minimal, is normal. Additional numbing cream can be applied prior to treatment for those with a lower pain threshold. Post-procedure, it may feel like a slight sunburn.
You may experience some redness after the procedure, but this should resolve in a few hours’ time. Apart from keeping sun exposure to a minimum, most patients return to daily activities as per normal. Downtime varies by the individual as well as indicated treatment.
The Q-Switched ND:YAG Laser may be unsuitable in the following circumstances:
Pre-care: Ensure that you’re in a good state of health and not recovering from a bacterial or viral infection.
Post-care: Avoid prolonged exposure of the treatment area to sunlight. Follow doctor’s prescribed medication, if any.
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